The U.S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) predictions for 2013 for a crop of 14.5 billion bushels of corn with an average price of $4.80 and 3.4 billion bushels of soybeans with an average price of $10.50 are based on using default neutral weather conditions. At this time there is no distinct trend towards either an El Niño bringing cooler wetter weather to the Corn Belt or a La Niña bringing warmer, dryer weather. Climatologists at the Climate Prediction Center state that there should be a warm, early, wet spring in the eastern Corn Belt but also expect more drought. As for the question of water levels in the Mississippi River – Meteorologist Steve Buan of NOAA reported that there was reduced chance for overall significant spring rise in river levels, and that there is a 40% chance to have fall 2013 flows as low or lower than last year. Weather patterns predicted for the 2013 cropping season indicate the lack of a weather pattern that will dominate the delivery of moisture for crop production, however the Missouri River Watershed is in exceptional drought and available water will be needed to support river levels on the Mississippi River.