FLORIDA WEEKLY WEATHER-CROP NEWS Week ending December 21, 1997 Released 4:00 P.M. December 22, 1997 WEATHER SUMMARY: Rainfall early in the week gave way to mostly clear conditions for the balance of the week of December 14 through 20. Most official stations recorded from about a quarter to an inch of rain for the week with most falling on Sunday or Monday. Jacksonville recorded almost three inches and West Palm Beach reported almost two inches accumulation. The Palmetto-Ruskin area reported only a trace of rain and Dade County reported clear weather after last weekend's storms. Temperatures averaged three to six degrees below normal for the week. Most daytime highs were in the 60s and 70s while most lows were in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Jacksonville and Valparaiso reported average lows at 39 and 38, respectively, for the week. FIELD CROPS: Topsoil moisture is adequate in the Panhandle and northern Peninsula. Central Peninsula topsoil moisture is adequate to surplus. Southern Peninsula moisture is adequate with scattered areas of short moisture. Cotton harvest is virtually complete. Some scrapping of late maturing cotton fields contin ues. Sugarcane planting and harvesting are active. Rain and clouds have held back small grain growth in some areas. Moisture Topsoil Subsoil Rating Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very short 0 0 0 0 Short 0 3 13 0 Adequate 74 67 62 82 Surplus 26 30 25 18 LIVESTOCK AND PASTURES: The condition of winter pasture was very good in the north. There was a generally widespread heavy frost in the north and Panhandle. Winter forage in the northern counties looked good. The growth of some small grain pasture there was behind schedule due to cool temperatures. In the central area, winter pastures were doing very well. Recent rains caused limited flooding of some pastures in the southeast and west central. Supplemental feeding of cattle was active in the northern half of the State. Range Cattle Condition Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very poor 0 5 0 0 Poor 5 15 0 0 Fair 55 45 45 35 Good 40 35 50 65 Excellent 0 0 5 0 CITRUS: Temperatures were mild during the days and cool at night this week. There were virtually no rains since last week's soaking downpours. Most groves have dried out and are in good condition. Some low land groves, ditches and swales are still wet from the record or near record rainfall during the December 7-13 period. The weather has been cool enough to prevent new growth from forming, which would be vulnerable to frost or freezing temperatures should either arrive this winter. Most all early and midseason fruit is well colored at this time. Harvest of early oranges, tangerines, tangelos, and grapefruit was very active this week for the Christmas markets. Processors are running at full speed to move the large orange crop. Caretakers are cutting cover crops that have grown out of control. Banking young trees in cold pockets and placing of heaters is mostly completed. Pushing and burning of dead trees continues in the larger groves. Estimated boxes harvested week ended Crop Dec 7 Dec 14 Dec 21 Navel oranges 628,000 682,000 474,000 Early & Mid oranges 7,785,000 8,274,000 8,288,000 All grapefruit 1,016,000 1,002,000 975,000 Tangerines 249,000 267,000 216,000 K-Early Citrus Fruit 1,000 0 0 Tangelos 228,000 250,000 261,000 VEGETABLES: The early week rain interrupted some harvest ing with activity resuming for most of the period. Vegetables harvested to meet the holiday demand during the week include snap beans, cabbage, carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, lettuce, okra, parsley, peppers, radishes, squash, Chinese cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, and a small amount of watermelons. SNAP BEANS: Dade--Crop condition is good. Some plants located in low lying areas show stress from recent rains but are expected to recover. Harvesting is increasing. Yield is good. Quality is mostly good. Volume is expected to reach peak levels in early January. Workers are planting and spraying. East Coast-- Crop condition is mostly good. Cooler temperatures slowed some plant growth and development early in the week. Harvesting of a light volume was active. Quality and color are good. Southwest-- Condition is good. Growers continue harvesting at a steady pace with good yield and quality available. Planting is steady. Everglades--Picking continues. West Central--Harvesting is completed. CABBAGE: Dade--Cabbage fields look good. Harvest to start in mid-December. West Central--Planting is steady. Crop condition is fair to good. Growth and development are normal. Harvest is gaining. Head quality fair to good and size variable, good color, volume increasing. Central, Hastings--Planting is active. Crop condition is normal. Growth and development are normal. Harvest is steady. Quality is mostly good. Hastings harvest is gaining. Everglades--Harvest is gaining. CARROTS: Zellwood--Digging remains active. SWEET CORN: Everglades--Harvesting continues. Quality is generally good. East Coast--Crop condition is good. Picking is underway with a light volume marketed. Quality is good. Workers applied fertilizer after the rains. Dade--Some acreage hurt by the recent rainfall is recovering with very little loss expected. Picking to begin in early January. Southwest--Harvesting finished. Planting to resume in mid to late January. CUCUMBERS: East Coast--Crop condition is mostly good. Cooler temperatures slowed some plant development. Harvesting of a light volume is yielding super select, select, small, and plain sizes. Quality and color are good. Southwest--Condition is fair to good. Picking and planting are slowing seasonally. Quality is fair to good. West Central--Condition remains fair. Picking is nearing the end. Quality is fair to good with select sizes available. Color is fair. Dade--Pickle condition is good. Harvesting continues with normal yield and quality available. Zellwood--Pickle picking is active. EGGPLANT: East Coast--Condition is good. Cutting of a light volume continues. Quality and color are excellent with mostly fancy and some choice grades available. Southwest--Crop condition is good. Cutting of a light volume remains active. Wind borne sand scarred some fruit during the recent storms. Planting is slowing seasonally. Dade--Condition is good. Harvesting of a light volume is active. West Central--Condition is rated fair to good. Harvesting is slowing seasonally. Quality is fair to good with variable sizes available. ESCAROLE/ENDIVE: Zellwood, Everglades--Harvesting remains active. LETTUCE: Everglades, Zellwood--Harvesting is active. OKRA: Dade--Harvesting is active. Volume is light. Quality is good. PEPPERS: Southwest--Condition is good. Picking continues at a steady pace. Yield and quality are good. Planting remains steady. West Central--Crop condition is fair to good. Picking remains active. Quality is fair to good. East Coast--Crop condition is good. Growers picked a moderate to heavy volume of green Bells with double extra large, extra large, and a few jumbos packed from crown picks. Quality ranges good to very good. A moderate volume of red Bells of very good quality is available. Red Bell sizes packed include jumbos and double extra large. Transplanting of winter crop acreage continues. POTATOES: Southwest--Crop is in good condition. Planting is winding down. Growth and development are normal. Dade--Cool, cloudy weather is helping the potatoes overcome the wet field conditions. Some acreage lost to flooding has been replanted. Vines in some fields with no windbreaks were blown around and vines show some signs of scarring and bruising. West Central-- Crop is in fair condition. Potato planting is steady. Growth and development are normal. Hastings--Growers are making prepara tions to start planting. RADISHES: Zellwood, Everglades--Harvesting continues. Quality is good. SQUASH: Southwest--Condition is good. Picking is steady. Quality is fair to good. Windy weather during recent storms scarred some fruit. Planting continues. East Coast--Condition is mostly good. Harvesting of a light volume is active. Growers packed fancy and medium grades. Dade--Young acreage is in good condition. Harvesting remains active. Recent storms dam aged some fruit with about half the volume picked not meeting grade. Planting continues. West Central--Picking is virtually finished. STRAWBERRIES: Plant City--Clearer conditions allowed fruit to mature with picking of a light volume active. Palmetto-Ruskin-- Condition is good. Picking continues at a steady pace with an increasing volume available. Quality, size, and color are good. Dade--U-Pic harvesting is getting underway. TOMATOES: Southwest--Crop condition is good. Fruit setting remains very good due to cooler temperatures but fruit sizing is slow. Recent storms caused no significant damage to the crop. Harvesting resumed to a steady pace after fields dried early in the week. Good quality and sizes are available. Volume is nearing the peak. Packout is about normal. East Coast--Crop condition is rated mostly good. Cooler temperatures slowed some plant development with warmer weather aiding fruit sizing during most of the week. Growers are making first through fourth picks. Crown picks are providing extra large and large sizes. Quality is good. Gradeout is normal with growers getting a mostly good packout. Transplanting remains active. Dade--Condition is rated good. Fruit sizing is good. Harvesting is slowly increasing with a limited volume available. Yield is good. Quality is very good. Volume is expected to increase in early January. First picks are yielding about an equal amount of large and extra large sizes. Transplanting and spraying are active. Palmetto-Ruskin--Crop condition is fair. Most growers have finished harvesting the fall crop. A light volume remains available through late December or early January. Fruit quality is fair. Sizes are variable. Workers are preparing land for spring crop transplanting which is expected to start in three to four weeks. CHERRY TOMATOES: Palmetto-Ruskin--Condition is fair. Picking remains steady with fair to good quality, sizes, and color available. Southwest--Condition is good. Picking continues at a steady pace. Quality is good. Planting of a limited acreage is active. PLUM TOMATOES: Southwest--Crop condition is good. Picking and planting remain steady. Quality and yield are good. Palmetto-Ruskin--The crop is in fair to good condition. Harvesting is winding down. Quality is fair to good. WATERMELONS: Southwest--Harvesting is slow as the season nears the end. Quality is good. Yield is low.