fl-crop-weather State Florida Crop Weather Week Ending/Released Dates Week ending December 28, 2003 Released 4:00 P.M. December 29, 2003 Report Code FL-CW4703 Weather Summary Report Cool and mostly dry conditions during the week of December 21 through December 27 allowed field work to progress normally. Temperatures averaged two to seven degrees below normal in the major cities. Daytime highs were in the 60s and 70s with some southern Peninsula localities recording at least one high in the 80s. Nighttime lows ranged from the 20s to the 50s. Frost occurred in lowland areas of the Panhandle and northern and central Peninsula. Most rainfall totaled from none in several localities to about a third inch. West Palm Beach reported over two inches of rain for the week. Field Crops Report Sugarcane harvesting continues in the Everglades area. Most small grains in the Panhandle and northern Peninsula escaped severe damage from the recent freezing temperatures. A Barley Yellow Dwarf virus infestation was observed in Jefferson County. Mostly dry weather depleted surplus supplies of soil moisture with most areas becoming more dry. Short to adequate soil moisture supplies were reported for some northern Peninsula and a few southern Peninsula localities. Very short to short moisture exists along the southeastern coast. Most Peninsula and Panhandle localities report adequate soil moisture. Seminole County contains a few small areas with surplus soil moisture. Soil Moisture Chart Topsoil Subsoil Moisture Rating This Last Last This Last Last week week year week week Year Percent Very short 1 1 0 5 1 0 Short 19 19 5 15 19 6 Adequate 79 75 59 79 79 68 Surplus 1 5 36 1 1 26 Vegetable Report Mostly clear conditions permitted planting and harvesting to stay on schedule with most producers pausing for the holiday observance during the last part of the week. Recent cool temperatures helped strawberry development. Harvesting is currently very active to meet the New Year's holiday demand. Vegetables and noncitrus fruit available include snap beans, cabbage, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, lettuce, peppers, radishes, squash, strawberries and tomatoes. Livestock Report Pasture condition is mostly fair and down slightly from the previous week. Cool temperatures and cloudy, short days are limiting cool season forage growth.Hay feeding is active in the north and central areas. Statewide, the condition of cattle is mostly good. Livestock Condition Chart Range Cattle Condition This Last This Last week week week week Percent Very poor 5 5 0 0 Poor 10 5 5 5 Fair 50 35 30 25 Good 35 55 60 70 Excellent 0 0 5 0 Fruit Report Citrus: Rainfall over the ctirus region was widely scattered with some areas receiving very little and others receiving moderate amounts. Most reporting stations recorded under one inch. The east coast had light rainfall on several days. Temperatures in the citrus areas were at normal levels for this time of year with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s. Most growers reduced irrigation to force trees into a semi-dormant condition. After several weeks of cold weather, trees are hardy and should withstand any later cold weather. Growers and packers report good natural color and excellent external appearance on tangerines, early oranges, and grapefruit. Most fresh fruit packing houses reduced shipments during the holiday week. Varieties being packed include early and midseason oranges (Navels, Hamlins, and Pineapple), white and colored grapefruit, Sunburst and Honey tangerines, tangelos, and Temples. After shutting down for one day this week, all processing plants reopened to receive fruit. With the exception of last week, volume for processing is reaching peak levels. Estimated boxes harvested week ended Crop Dec 14 Dec 21 Dec 28 Navel oranges 469,000 189,000 61,000 Early and Mid oranges 8,442,000 8,280,000 5,111,000 Grapefruit 897,000 781,000 567,000 Early tangerines 311,000 276,000 137,000 Honey tangerines 1,000 17,000 26,000 Tangelos 115,000 66,000 22,000 Temples 0 6,000 4,000 Comments/Contact Information To receive this report via e-mail, log onto http://www.usda.gov/nass/sso-rpts.htm Then click on “Subscribe” (upper right part of screen), then select “Florida Crop-Weather”, enter your name and your e-mail address, then click on “Subscribe”. The report will be sent automatically to your e-mail address each week. In cooperation with the Florida Cooperative Extension Service whose county directors participate in supplying field information.