ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date April 1, 2007 Issue GA-CW1307 Agricultural Summary April 2, 2007 RAIN NEEDED The weather was warm and dry for the last week of March, according to the USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office. Average highs were in the 70's and 80's this week with average lows in the 50's. Most of the state received light rain on Sunday bringing some relief from the existing drought conditions, but more rain was needed. Soil moisture conditions were rated at 26% very short, 52% short, 22% adequate, and 0% surplus. Growers reported they need rain. Planting fell off due to dry soils. Farmers were irrigating small grains, spring vegetables, and corn. Pasture condition deteriorated from the lack of rain. Cattlemen were feeding more hay than normal for this time of year. There was concern that wheat was hurt more than predicted by January warm weather. The lack of cold weather can limit flowering. Other activities included the routine care of poultry and livestock. County Extension Agents reported an average of 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 04/01/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn Planted : 61 51 53 40 Corn Emerged : 30 17 22 23 Sorghum Planted : 0 NA 0 1 Winter Wheat Jointing : 80 68 73 68 Winter Wheat Boot : 36 20 32 33 Winter Wheat Headed : 7 NA 5 8 Apples Blooming : 27 NA 3 4 Onions Harvested : 0 NA 0 0 Peaches Blooming : 77 66 85 69 Tobacco Transplanted : 14 NA 9 14 Watermelons Planted : 45 32 30 25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 04/01/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn : 0 3 38 55 4 Winter Wheat : 1 6 33 58 2 Range and Pasture : 9 25 44 21 1 Apples : 0 0 4 59 37 Hay : 9 30 40 20 1 Onions : 0 10 29 58 3 Peaches : 0 5 15 80 0 Tobacco : 0 0 85 15 0 Watermelons : 2 3 33 61 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soil Moisture for Week Ending 04/01/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 26 11 NA Short : 52 52 NA Adequate : 22 37 NA Surplus : 0 0 NA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Soil Moisture Map is supplied by the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (AEMN) and the office of the State Climatologist, University of Georgia. For detailed Georgia weather data, visit the AEMN homepage at www.georgiaweather.net. Soil Moisture for Week Ending 04/01/07, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 12 50 38 0 District 2 (NC) : 14 53 33 0 District 3 (NE) : 4 52 44 0 District 4 (WC) : 21 53 26 0 District 5 (C) : 32 56 12 0 District 6 (EC) : 18 61 21 0 District 7 (SW) : 40 47 13 0 District 8 (SC) : 48 43 9 0 District 9 (SE) : 16 67 17 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga/ctyests/districts.pdf. Pasture Condition for Week Ending 04/01/07, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 11 13 38 36 2 District 2 (NC) : 0 22 54 23 1 District 3 (NE) : 0 13 58 29 0 District 4 (WC) : 1 36 48 15 0 District 5 (C) : 23 24 36 17 0 District 6 (EC) : 3 16 67 14 0 District 7 (SW) : 16 35 25 22 2 District 8 (SC) : 7 34 40 18 1 District 9 (SE) : 21 26 33 20 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga/ctyests/districts.pdf. Weather Summary for Week Ending 04/01/07, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:---------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day : Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Albany : 89 57 70 0.62 1 0.63 5.53 10.96 75 Alma : 86 54 68 0.00 0 0.20 4.18 6.16 68 Alpharetta : 84 48 64 0.39 2 1.10 6.09 9.51 63 Arlington : 90 54 69 1.21 1 1.40 7.29 11.75 69 Attapulgus : 88 56 69 0.00 0 0.10 3.18 6.74 77 Blairsville : 80 47 62 0.26 1 1.15 4.46 7.88 60 Williamson : 83 49 66 0.39 1 0.85 5.57 10.24 66 Bowen : 85 54 69 0.00 0 0.23 4.01 7.20 73 Brunswick : 78 54 67 0.00 0 0.56 3.78 6.84 67 Byromville : 87 54 68 0.35 1 0.44 4.08 8.22 69 Byron : 86 51 68 0.07 1 0.18 3.93 8.26 68 Cairo : 87 57 70 0.00 0 0.03 3.15 6.88 67 Calhoun : 84 47 65 0.36 1 1.63 4.41 7.08 62 Pine Mountain : 84 51 67 0.12 1 0.91 7.84 12.52 65 Camilla : 89 56 70 0.31 1 0.31 5.40 10.68 73 Clarks Hill : 84 46 63 0.03 1 0.30 5.80 9.27 63 Cordele : 87 53 68 0.38 1 0.54 3.27 7.07 69 Covington : 84 49 64 0.03 1 0.49 5.23 9.71 67 Dahlonega : 80 47 62 0.79 1 1.89 7.27 11.80 61 Dallas : 83 51 66 0.25 1 1.15 4.72 8.33 64 Dawson : 88 54 68 0.72 1 0.77 4.13 6.62 68 Dearing : 86 51 66 0.01 1 0.66 5.44 8.78 66 Dempsey : 83 49 66 0.26 1 0.66 5.05 9.68 68 Dixie : 87 56 71 0.00 0 0.16 4.18 7.65 75 Dublin : 87 49 67 0.12 1 0.67 4.02 9.13 68 Duluth : 84 48 64 0.37 2 1.11 6.80 10.36 62 Dunwoody : 82 48 65 0.48 2 1.56 6.37 9.66 64 Eatonton : 86 48 64 0.06 1 0.18 5.68 10.03 67 Elberton : 86 50 64 0.11 1 0.43 6.24 10.74 63 Ellijay : 80 48 62 0.58 1 1.46 4.88 8.72 62 Rome : 83 50 66 0.41 1 1.19 3.55 5.88 64 Fort Valley : 86 53 67 0.09 1 0.28 2.88 5.94 73 Gainesville : 82 50 63 0.36 1 1.12 5.14 7.72 63 Georgetown : 88 52 68 2.25 2 3.42 7.62 12.88 69 Griffin : 82 49 66 0.23 1 0.68 5.01 9.67 65 Homerville : 87 50 68 0.00 0 0.07 4.72 7.22 70 Jonesboro : 84 51 66 0.15 1 0.50 4.56 8.56 65 Jacksonville : 87 51 66 0.06 1 0.64 4.68 9.18 67 Lafayette : 83 52 66 0.55 1 1.78 4.17 7.00 64 McRae : 88 48 66 0.02 1 0.30 4.95 8.87 70 Midville : 87 51 66 0.07 1 0.50 4.19 7.70 67 Nahunta : 87 50 66 0.00 0 0.03 4.32 6.52 70 Newton : 89 55 69 0.61 1 0.63 5.62 10.61 72 Plains : 87 54 68 0.38 1 0.48 5.37 9.04 71 Sasser : 87 56 68 0.72 1 0.82 4.77 8.33 66 Savannah : 84 50 65 0.00 0 0.29 4.10 6.91 69 Skidaway : 78 53 64 0.05 4 0.18 3.37 5.24 65 Sneads : 83 62 71 0.00 0 0.00 3.55 7.04 74 Statesboro : 86 51 67 0.00 0 0.43 3.86 7.82 72 Tifton : 85 57 69 0.00 0 0.35 3.76 7.18 67 Tiger : 81 43 59 0.86 2 2.44 8.89 14.49 60 Valdosta : 87 59 71 0.00 0 0.02 4.19 7.56 67 Vidalia : 86 53 68 0.00 0 0.45 4.43 8.64 70 Roopville : 85 50 66 0.43 1 0.77 3.90 8.20 69 Watkinsville : 83 50 64 0.06 1 0.37 6.05 9.44 64 Woodbine : 84 52 66 0.00 0 0.23 4.51 7.27 70 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Weather data are supplied by the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (AEMN) and the office of the State Climatologist, University of Georgia. For detailed Georgia weather data, visit the AEMN homepage at www.georgiaweather.net. DISTRICT COMMENTS April 1, 2007 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST No comments available. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Dry! Rain Saturday improved soil moisture conditions slightly. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Rain needed. Pasture condition deteriorating rapidly. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Still dry, received 2/10ths - 3/10ths of an inch of rainfall. Need rain. Dry March behind us, 6 inch deficit, only grass doing much is cereal grains and they are about grazed down or soon to be cut for hay; wheat progressing well despite dry conditions. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Some light showers late in the week. Still need rain really bad! Pastures and hayfields beginning to green up slightly. Corn needing rain and corn planting continues. We have been dry for the past three weeks. Pollen counts are high. Things haven't hit critical yet; however, we need to get some significant rainfall or things will reach critical mass. Dry conditions remain. The whole county is in a drought. Planting has stopped due to dry soils in most fields. Farmers are irrigating wheat, oats and rye where they can. Pastures are very short and cattlemen are feeding more hay/feed than normal for this time of year. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Wheat could have been hurt more than predicted by January warm weather - not enough vernalization period. Getting dry-had to stop planting corn and having to irrigate both corn and wheat. Need rain to help condition of current crops and also that spring planting can continue. Need rain. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST No rain. Slow, steady rains occurred Sunday giving relief to wheat crop and corn stands. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Some dry land corn not yet planted due to dry conditions. Need rain. Very dry. Drier conditions increase, irrigation use in spring planted vegetables and corn. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Need rain.