fl-crop-weather State Florida Crop Weather Week Ending/Released Dates Week ending November 13, 2005 Released 4:00 P.M. November 14, 2005 Report Code FL-CW4505 GREAT WEEK FOR FIELD WORK Weather Summary Report Favorable weather conditions for field work existed throughout the week of November 7 through 13. Another week with virtually no rainfall across the Sunshine State put some northern Peninsula localities at risk for wild fires. Temperatures in the major cities averaged one to seven degrees above normal. Daytime highs were in the 70s and 80s. Evening lows were in the 50s and 60s with some areas recording at least one low in the 40s. Alachua, Jay, Marianna, Macclenny and Gadsden reported at least one nighttime low in the 30s. Field Crops Report Santa Rosa cotton harvest is about 60 percent complete. Growers there got off to a late start this season due to tropical storm systems. Peanut harvesting is 99 percent complete, compared with 98 percent completed by this date last year and the five-year average of 98 percent. Peanut growers in Suwannee County expect to finish harvesting this week. Pecan orchards in Jefferson County that have been sprayed and irrigated regularly are still green and in good condition. Orchards without adequate spray programs and irrigation are in poor condition and are likely to have significantly lower yield next year. Drier weather allowed soils to dry in some southern Peninsula localities while areas in the Panhandle as well as the northern Peninsula are in need of rain. Soil moisture supplies in the Panhandle and northern Peninsula range from very short to adequate. Elsewhere, soil moisture supplies are short to adequate with a few pockets of surplus supplies. Percentage of Peanuts Harvested to date: This year Last year 5-year average 99 98 98 Soil Moisture Chart Topsoil Subsoil Moisture This Last Last This Last Last Rating week week year week week Year Percent Very short 4 5 0 2 5 0 Short 37 18 48 33 17 32 Adequate 45 59 51 57 62 64 Surplus 14 18 1 8 16 4 Vegetable Report Producers are harvesting to help meet the Thanksgiving Day demand. Drier weather in the central and southern Peninsula allowed fieldwork to progress at a normal pace and the drier weather allowed some saturated fields in the southern Peninsula to drain. Tomato harvesting is active around Quincy. Okra harvesting has slowed due to extensive storm damage around the Miami-Dade County area. Producers marketed light supplies of snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes. Livestock Report In the Panhandle and northern areas, pasture condition is mostly fair. Planting of cool season forage is at a standstill at many locations while cattlemen wait for rain. Cattle condition is fair to excellent in the Panhandle and northern areas. Livestock owners are feeding supplemental hay. In the central areas, the range is in fair condition. Most of the cattle are in good condition. Some planting of winter forage is underway but moisture is limited. Small grains for winter forage are struggling to survive the dry weather. Fire hazard is mounting. In the southwest, the range is in poor to good condition in many locations. Statewide, the cattle condition is fair to good. Livestock Condition Chart Range Cattle Condition This Last This Last week week week week Percent Very poor 0 5 0 0 Poor 10 15 5 10 Fair 35 15 20 25 Good 55 65 75 60 Excellent 0 0 0 5 Fruit Report Citrus: There were ideal weather conditions across the citrus belt this past week with mild days, cool nights and very little rain. Most areas still have enough moisture in the ground to sustain tree growth and nourishment without having to irrigate. Field personnel have observed moderate maintenance activity within the groves. Sizes on early and mid oranges continue to be below normal. Average maturity levels are advancing from previous months but are still behind normal levels for this time of year. Color break is evident on all crops of early tangerines, early oranges, mids, and grapefruit. Picking is underway in the southern and eastern coastal areas. Varieties being picked include Hamlin, Ambersweet and Navel oranges, colored and white grapefruit, and Fallglo and Sunburst tangerines. Fresh fruit packinghouses that are open are primarily those on the east coast. Still only a few processing plants are opened as the picking season gets underway. Estimated boxes harvested - week ended Crop Oct 30 Nov 6 Nov 14 In thousands of 1-3/5 bushel boxes Navel oranges 61 101 99 Early and Mid oranges 37 233 472 Grapefruit 120 225 383 Early Tangerines 104 103 124 Tangelos 0 0 9 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.