ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date May 27, 2007 Issue GA-CW0107 Agricultural Summary May 28, 2007 CROP CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE Moderate temperatures again this week with no rainfall for most of the state, according to the USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office. Average highs were in the 80's this week and average lows were in the 50's. Rainfall averaged just 0.01 inches this week. Topsoil moisture conditions were rated at 74% very short, 22% short, 4% adequate, and 0% surplus. The extended drought has caused a critical situation for agriculture. Dry conditions continued to delay planting as well as pasture establishment or renovation. Some farmers were planting in order to meet insurance deadlines. Crops have been slow to emerge, and those crops that have emerged were suffering from extreme drought stress. Some growers indicated dryland corn could be a total loss. The high cost of irrigation had some farmers reevaluating its' profitability. Ponds and streams continued to drop and wells were going dry. Growers reported Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus in tobacco and thrips in cotton. Livestock producers continued culling their herds due to lack of hay and grazing. Small grain harvest was under way. Oats looked good, but wheat yields were low as a result of freeze losses. Other activities included small grain harvest and cutting hay. County Extension Agents reported an average of 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 05/27/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn Emerged : 96 94 98 99 Corn Silked : 5 2 8 9 Soybeans Planted : 24 16 51 49 Soybeans Emerged : 14 8 37 33 Sorghum Planted : 48 34 49 52 Cotton Planted : 58 41 84 81 Cotton Squaring : 0 NA 2 3 Winter Wheat Harvested : 28 11 29 24 Onions Harvested : 95 82 82 83 Peaches Harvested : 4 3 9 12 Peanuts Planted : 52 33 72 78 Peanuts Blooming : 1 NA 1 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 05/27/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn : 17 29 26 26 2 Soybeans : 4 24 49 23 0 Sorghum : 15 50 23 12 0 Cotton : 10 34 38 18 0 Winter Wheat : 13 17 31 32 7 Range and Pasture : 55 33 11 1 0 Apples : 82 13 5 0 0 Hay : 47 37 14 2 0 Peaches : 31 1 67 1 0 Peanuts : 6 24 51 19 0 Pecans : 16 23 39 17 5 Tobacco : 7 24 37 30 2 Watermelons : 6 16 51 23 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 05/27/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 74 66 12 Short : 22 27 34 Adequate : 4 7 45 Surplus : 0 0 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 05/27/07, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 76 24 0 0 District 2 (NC) : 53 39 8 0 District 3 (NE) : 54 31 15 0 District 4 (WC) : 87 13 0 0 District 5 (C) : 89 10 1 0 District 6 (EC) : 62 36 2 0 District 7 (SW) : 78 19 3 0 District 8 (SC) : 90 7 3 0 District 9 (SE) : 62 34 4 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 05/27/07, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 25 63 12 0 0 District 2 (NC) : 34 41 19 6 0 District 3 (NE) : 47 37 15 1 0 District 4 (WC) : 56 38 6 0 0 District 5 (C) : 69 23 8 0 0 District 6 (EC) : 47 37 16 0 0 District 7 (SW) : 64 24 10 2 0 District 8 (SC) : 80 15 4 1 0 District 9 (SE) : 64 24 10 2 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 05/27/07, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:---------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day : Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Albany : 90 52 75 0.00 0 0.53 3.20 13.54 85 Alma : 88 52 73 0.00 0 0.19 0.20 6.36 76 Alpharetta : 88 46 70 0.04 3 1.12 3.35 12.47 73 Arlington : 92 51 73 0.12 1 0.25 2.77 13.31 80 Attapulgus : 89 53 73 0.00 0 0.19 0.61 7.35 85 Blairsville : 84 35 66 0.00 0 0.59 3.49 11.11 68 Williamson : 86 47 71 0.00 0 1.19 2.91 12.76 78 Bowen : 89 51 73 0.00 0 0.00 0.71 7.91 83 Brunswick : 81 59 72 0.21 3 0.71 1.40 8.24 74 Byromville : 90 52 74 0.00 0 0.12 3.28 11.15 79 Byron : 89 47 69 0.00 0 0.00 2.05 10.24 75 Cairo : 90 53 74 0.00 0 0.24 0.99 7.87 73 Calhoun : 90 40 70 0.00 0 0.06 1.23 7.95 77 Pine Mountain : 87 46 72 0.00 0 1.96 3.88 16.28 75 Camilla : 91 52 75 0.00 0 0.00 1.56 11.93 85 Clarks Hill : 89 47 70 0.00 0 0.87 1.76 11.00 77 Cordele : 89 51 74 0.00 0 0.00 4.28 10.97 80 Covington : 87 52 71 0.00 0 1.41 2.79 12.47 78 Dahlonega : 84 43 68 0.00 0 1.36 3.97 14.98 71 Dallas : 86 48 71 0.00 0 1.95 3.63 11.71 73 Dawson : 89 51 74 0.01 1 0.01 4.61 10.51 76 Dearing : 90 57 73 0.00 0 0.43 2.32 11.09 74 Dempsey : 87 49 72 0.00 0 0.48 1.86 11.28 81 Dixie : 90 55 75 0.00 0 0.02 0.48 8.13 83 Dublin : 89 51 72 0.00 0 2.18 5.46 14.47 76 Duluth : 87 46 70 0.00 0 1.75 4.11 14.10 69 Eatonton : 90 46 71 0.00 0 0.17 1.10 11.07 82 Elberton : 89 49 72 0.00 0 1.79 4.77 15.40 74 Ellijay : 85 38 67 0.00 0 0.34 2.29 10.43 74 Rome : 88 44 71 0.00 0 0.26 1.62 7.09 77 Fort Valley : 90 50 73 0.00 0 0.10 1.38 7.23 82 Gainesville : 85 49 70 0.00 0 1.05 2.83 10.19 73 Georgetown : 90 49 73 0.00 0 0.42 5.75 16.38 83 Griffin : 86 51 72 0.00 0 0.62 1.87 11.31 75 Homerville : 88 46 71 0.02 1 0.07 0.13 7.35 75 Jonesboro : 87 49 71 0.00 0 1.89 3.82 12.23 75 Jacksonville : 89 53 72 0.00 0 0.00 2.81 11.93 80 Lafayette : 87 42 70 0.00 0 0.76 4.80 11.25 73 McRae : 91 46 72 0.00 0 0.38 2.32 11.17 81 Midville : 90 52 73 0.00 0 0.45 3.18 10.81 80 Newton : 91 51 74 0.00 0 0.00 2.57 12.57 83 Plains : 91 51 73 0.00 0 0.00 2.39 11.05 84 Sasser : 88 50 73 0.01 1 0.01 5.79 13.40 78 Savannah : 86 51 71 0.00 0 1.21 1.29 8.20 78 Skidaway : 82 58 72 0.02 2 1.25 1.86 7.08 73 Sneads : 87 61 75 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 7.04 77 Statesboro : 89 55 72 0.00 0 0.44 1.77 9.59 82 Tifton : 87 57 73 0.00 0 0.77 1.22 8.40 75 Tiger : 84 40 65 0.00 0 2.27 5.31 19.04 71 Valdosta : 89 55 74 0.00 0 0.59 1.07 8.63 72 Vidalia : 90 55 73 0.00 0 0.01 0.71 9.35 80 Roopville : 88 48 70 0.00 0 0.68 4.07 11.84 77 Watkinsville : 87 50 70 0.00 0 2.13 3.50 12.88 76 Woodbine : 88 51 70 0.11 3 0.36 1.32 8.59 76 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 May 27, 2007 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST Lots of ponds, both water shed and excavated ponds, are beginning to go dry. Lots of folks are worried about hay. Many are feeding hay now and culling herds. We are concerned about the UGA H.E.R.D. Program, bred heifers, sale for this coming Wednesday. If folks are running out of pasture and hay, will the heifers sale and at what price. Field crop producers are still not planting, and folks wanting to establish and/or renovate existing pastures are waiting. With no rains in the forecast, these producers will miss another opportunity like last year at this time. The extended drought is beginning to take its toll. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL A lot of farmers are cutting hay now that was damaged by the cold weather and short due to the drought. Nitrates are slipping up on sampled hay. No regrowth is occurring on cut fields. Hay yields are 30-45% of normal. Hay harvest finished this week - rain is needed as the condition of pastures and hayfields is deteriorating rapidly. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Dry conditions persist. Conditions deteriorating rapidly. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Dispersal of beef cattle herds continues; ponds and streams are dropping daily; small grains are drying down quickly. The drought goes on! Dry conditions continue to delay planting. Crops that are up are extremely stressed. Baling wheat straw from freeze damaged acres and starting fires in the process, all put out of course; baling seed heads and stems in fescue; watching Bermuda seed out at 4 inches tall; some want to plant warm season grasses waiting on some moisture that just will not come our way; as bad as I have observed. Selecting cattle to cull and looking anywhere for hay as there is no grazing. Conditions are too dry to plant anything, and what was planted and emerged early is suffering. Cotton seed that was planted the first of May is still sitting in dry dirt. Most livestock producers are thinning their herds due to lack of foray and diminished hay supplies. No rain! Very critical drought conditions continue! Some beef producers selling cows due terrible pasture conditions and lack of hay. Crop, pasture and hayfield conditions continue to decline. Hay supplies are almost non- existent. Pond and stream levels continue to drop. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Pasture grasses are gone & hay fields that were killed back by the late freeze are not growing. Only a few areas have had a scattered shower since March. Outlook is not good. Hay stocks are gone. We have a county burn ban in effect. We need rainfall and we need it yesterday. Much of our planting has ceased due to no rainfall. Continues to be dry. Cattle producers selling cattle due to the shortage of hay and grazing. Wheat harvest continues. Yields vary by field and areas of the county. Test weights looking good. Dry weather continues to put a hardship on livestock and forage producers. No forecast for rain. Farmers are starting to send cattle to sale early due to drought. Hay supplies are very short. Grass has all but given out already. Very dry. No significant rain since March 9, 2007. Loss of productivity is 95-100%. Overall stands of forage grasses are at or near destruction due to the effects of unseasonable freezing temperatures and extended drought. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Very poor conditions due to drought. Replanting cotton and some peanuts on dry land fields. Poor stands, some seed rot, dusting in cotton and putting peanuts in dry dirt. Some corn already watered several times. Watering before and after planting means surface water won't hold up. Oats undamaged, cutting 100 bu. Wheat not faring as well due to freeze losses. Same old, same old. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Dry conditions continue. Cotton and peanuts planted into dry soil to meet insurance deadline. Rain needed to germinate seed and establish crop on 15 to 20 % of acreage. Drought conditions continues. Dry land corn wilting in sandy soils. Dry conditions continue to cause planting delays on peanuts and cotton. Thrips pressure high on cotton due to dry conditions. Hay produced under irrigation is very limited. Pasture is dry. Peanuts and cotton slow to emerge. Dry land crops have not emerged. Dry land corn probably at total loss. We are planting a little cotton with irrigation DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Depending on their crop insurance agent some are planting and others are considering preventative planting. Got about .1" from a thundershower on Wed. Basically the worst case scenario. Running out of time to plant and no rain in sight. Those planting are taking a huge risk on dry land and iffy on irrigated. Concerned about corn irrigation at tassling stage. No way to get enough water or cover acres fast enough to make profitable yields. Some corn growers already at 5-6 irrigations. Dry, dry, dry. Hay is very short. Some fencing in hay fields in order to allow cattle to graze. Some selling cattle. Goats are even having a hard time finding green weeds, etc. to eat. TSWV showing up in tobacco. Insect pressure is high on green crops due to nothing for them to eat. Many insects causing problems to homeowner mostly nuisance but attracted to lawns, green flowers and pool water. Need rain, wells going dry Planting is impossible. We have cotton that has been planted for two weeks and no stand has germinated. Hay is getting tighter and tighter. No rain. Situation is drastic for agriculture. If we don't get rain this week I will have to start taking off days suitable for field work because of the drought. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST No comments available