fl-crop-weather State Florida Crop Weather Week Ending/Released Dates Week ending March 6, 2005 Released 4:00 P.M. March 7, 2005 Report Code FL-CW1005 Weather Summary Report Cooler, wetter conditions helped ease the danger of wild fires during the week of February 28 through March 6. However, some northern Peninsula counties, especially in the Big Bend area and the extreme southeastern Peninsula, remain susceptible to outbreaks of wild fires. Temperatures in the major cities averaged three to eight degrees below normal. Daytime highs were in the 60s and 70s with Ft. Lauderdale, Homestead, Miami and West Palm Beach recording at least one high in the 80s. Nighttime lows averaged in the 30s, 40s and 50s with Miami lows averaging in the 60s. Live Oak recorded at least one low in the 20s during the week. Rainfall ranged from less than a tenth inch at Hastings, Marianna, MacClenny and Quincy, to over two inches in Tallahassee. Field Crops Report In the Everglades, sugarcane harvesting was active with recent rains causing few delays. Panhandle, central and northern Peninsula producers continued land preparations for planting. This week's precipitation replenished soil moisture in most central, northern and southern Peninsula localities. Topsoil and subsoil moisture supplies are short to mostly adequate with nearly all areas reporting some short supplies. A few areas across the Peninsula that received rainfall reported some surplus soil moisture. Scattered spots of Dade County that missed some of the recent rainfall had very short to adequate subsoil moisture while Broward County reported very short to short moisture supplies. Soil moisture supplies in Hernando County ranged from short to surplus. Soil Moisture Chart Topsoil Subsoil Moisture Rating This Last Last This Last Last week week year week week Year Percent Very short 2 15 1 1 10 1 Short 11 45 4 10 50 5 Adequate 84 39 78 84 39 79 Surplus 3 1 17 5 1 16 Vegetable Report Rains at mid-week delayed some field work, especially in the Immokalee area. Growers in the Quincy area continued to transplant tomatoes with activity expected through the end of March. In Jefferson County, some plum, apple, fig and other deciduous fruit completed flowering and leaf development due to recent warmer temperatures; there could be a loss of fruit if a late freeze hits. Producers in Jefferson County also prepared land for watermelon planting. Recent periods of cool, wet weather in Hernando County favored disease development in blueberries. Vegetables and non-citrus fruit harvested included snap beans, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, radishes, squash, strawberries, sweet corn and tomatoes. Livestock Report In the Panhandle, permanent pastures started to emerge, but grazing pasture is some weeks away. Crimson clover is blooming and pasture establishment is underway. Cold nights limited small grain forage and grass growth. Hay feeding was active with supplies adequate at this time. In northern areas, pastures began a recover from winter frost and freeze damage. In the central areas, Bahia and Bermuda grass pastures started growing. The combination of rain and warmer temperatures initiated pasture growth. In the southwestern areas, longer days and warmer temperatures helped grass growth. Statewide, the condition of cattle is mostly fair to good. Livestock Condition Chart Range Cattle Condition This Last This Last week week week week Percent Very poor 5 5 5 5 Poor 20 40 15 5 Fair 45 35 40 50 Good 30 20 40 35 Excellent 0 0 0 5 Fruit Report Citrus: Scattered rain fell during the middle of the week in all citrus producing counties. Ft. Pierce recorded the most at over 1 inch; Lake Alfred recorded the least at one tenth of an inch. Two cold fronts, one on Tuesday and one on Saturday, brought temperatures to the low 40s. Various stages of bloom are being reported across the State from pinhead bloom buds to blossoms erupting, primarily from stressed trees. The cooler temperatures and small amounts of sunlight could delay full bloom for a while. More feathery new growth began to show on all varieties. Cultural practices include fertilizing, mowing and post harvest hedging. Early and mid oranges are still being harvested with the picking of late oranges (Valencias) and Temples increasing, primarily for processing. Early, mid and late oranges were harvested for packing, with white and colored grapefruit increasing, and increasing amounts of Temples and Honey tangerines also going fresh. Estimated boxes harvested week ended Crop Feb 20 Feb 27 Mar 06 In thousands of 1-3/5 bushel boxes Early & Mid oranges 4,886 3,798 2,453 Navel oranges 12 6 0 Late oranges 62 180 690 Grapefruit 626 555 606 Tangelos 58 33 49 Sunburst tangerines 1 21 6 Honey tangerines 117 98 119 Temples 104 65 105 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.