ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 28, 2008 Issue GA-CW3908 Agricultural Summary September 29, 2008 DRY CONDITIONS Dry weather has delayed planting for fall crops, according to the USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office. Daily average high temperatures were in the low 80's. Average lows were in the 50's most of week. Soil moisture conditions were rated at 20% very short, 51% short, 29% adequate, and 0% surplus. Army worms appeared in some fields. Dry weather and cool temperatures caused dryland peanuts to wilt. Hay fields displayed more signs of distress as the dry weather continued. An increase of weeds were reported in pastures and hayfields. Other activities included growers preparing for harvest, digging peanuts, cutting and baling hay. County Extension Agents reported an average of 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 09/28/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn Harvested for Grain : 94 88 89 91 Soybeans Dropping Leaves : 27 17 18 38 Soybeans Harvested : 0 N/A 0 2 Sorghum Harvested : 51 45 20 41 Cotton Bolls Opening : 79 68 62 77 Cotton Harvested : 5 2 2 8 Winter Wheat Planted : 1 N/A 1 2 Apples Harvested : 28 23 40 41 Peanuts Dug : 26 14 10 26 Peanuts Combined : 13 6 4 15 Rye Planted : 13 6 10 12 Other Small Grains Planted : 9 5 5 7 Tobacco Harvested : 97 94 96 99 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 09/28/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Soybeans : 4 14 45 33 4 Sorghum : 2 7 40 47 4 Cotton : 4 14 43 32 7 Range and Pasture : 7 18 45 29 1 Apples : 4 5 10 28 53 Hay : 7 21 45 26 1 Peanuts : 2 5 31 50 12 Pecans : 5 13 41 38 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 09/28/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 20 8 17 Short : 51 44 28 Adequate : 29 46 47 Surplus : 0 2 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 09/28/08, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 15 57 28 0 District 2 (NC) : 25 55 20 0 District 3 (NE) : 16 55 29 0 District 4 (WC) : 24 38 38 0 District 5 (C) : 28 61 11 0 District 6 (EC) : 29 45 26 0 District 7 (SW) : 19 49 32 0 District 8 (SC) : 8 46 46 0 District 9 (SE) : 11 63 26 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 09/28/08, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 0 18 46 36 0 District 2 (NC) : 7 17 50 26 0 District 3 (NE) : 8 28 53 11 0 District 4 (WC) : 8 20 32 40 0 District 5 (C) : 12 30 39 18 1 District 6 (EC) : 16 12 50 22 0 District 7 (SW) : 4 16 44 33 3 District 8 (SC) : 1 3 48 47 1 District 9 (SE) : 0 5 51 44 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 09/28/08, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:-------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day:Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alapaha : 85 49 69 0.08 1 0.91 8.89 33.74 76 Albany : 89 53 71 0.00 0 0.00 14.57 39.73 81 Alma : 86 54 70 0.02 1 0.73 7.74 34.75 75 Alpharetta : 85 45 66 0.00 0 0.00 4.88 28.41 71 Arabi : 87 51 69 0.00 0 0.00 7.63 31.69 77 Arlington : 88 50 69 0.00 0 0.00 14.43 33.99 77 Attapulgus : 87 52 70 0.00 0 0.00 23.09 59.39 81 Baxley : 86 53 69 0.01 1 0.00 9.35 35.78 80 Blairsville : 80 36 62 0.00 0 0.00 4.98 31.88 71 Blue Ridge : 80 42 63 0.01 1 0.00 5.20 37.33 70 Brunswick : 87 54 70 0.03 1 1.56 9.74 32.45 77 Byromville : 87 53 70 0.00 0 0.00 9.50 38.88 77 Byron : 87 52 70 0.00 0 0.00 6.35 31.28 74 Cairo : 86 54 70 0.00 0 1.90 21.24 56.03 77 Calhoun : 84 42 66 0.00 0 0.00 7.65 30.16 73 Camilla : 88 50 70 0.02 1 0.41 14.94 47.84 80 Clarks Hill : 86 56 68 0.42 1 3.35 5.48 25.03 75 Cordele : 87 48 70 0.00 0 0.76 6.25 26.67 76 Covington : 86 51 69 0.00 0 0.41 2.91 23.65 72 Dahlonega : 83 39 65 0.00 0 0.00 11.61 43.23 71 Dallas : 84 49 67 0.00 0 1.16 6.58 30.34 73 Danielsville : 85 50 67 0.08 2 0.00 7.02 27.16 76 Dawson : 86 51 69 0.00 0 2.80 16.93 44.19 76 Dearing : 86 57 69 0.05 1 2.23 7.79 32.68 75 Dixie : 87 52 70 0.00 0 0.00 14.57 42.51 80 Douglas : 88 53 70 0.00 0 0.00 6.49 32.29 76 Dublin : 87 53 71 0.00 0 0.43 7.65 30.70 77 Dunwoody : 84 47 67 0.00 0 0.23 6.92 33.37 72 Eatonton : 87 52 68 0.00 0 0.00 5.28 33.38 72 Elberton : 85 58 69 0.48 2 1.40 5.32 27.98 73 Ellijay : 82 40 63 0.00 0 0.18 4.62 37.29 73 Ft Valley : 86 54 70 0.00 0 1.24 8.82 32.28 74 Gainesville : 86 47 67 0.00 0 0.77 8.11 32.51 76 Georgetown : 87 50 69 0.00 0 3.21 15.71 40.08 74 Griffin : 85 53 69 0.00 0 0.00 7.74 28.27 73 Hatley : 85 53 69 0.06 1 0.64 7.33 27.25 75 Homerville : 87 49 69 0.00 0 0.00 11.14 42.14 74 Jeffersonville : 87 54 69 0.00 0 0.85 6.96 31.84 76 Johns Creek : 86 44 66 0.00 0 0.00 5.44 30.45 73 Jonesboro : 87 49 69 0.00 0 0.22 4.53 27.66 74 Lafayette : 83 45 66 0.00 0 0.00 8.38 33.67 71 Lake Seminole : 87 58 72 0.00 0 1.10 11.94 49.25 77 Mcrae : 87 49 69 0.00 0 1.08 10.07 35.71 79 Midville : 88 56 70 0.00 0 1.03 7.08 32.06 76 Moultrie : 86 52 70 0.13 1 2.13 9.16 36.66 77 Nahunta : 89 52 69 0.00 0 0.25 9.39 29.87 79 Newton : 88 51 70 0.00 0 0.04 16.07 38.82 79 Ossabaw : 87 60 71 0.01 1 0.00 9.10 31.40 76 Pine Mountain : 84 46 67 0.00 0 0.00 9.71 32.36 72 Plains : 85 51 68 0.00 0 1.61 13.37 37.02 74 Roopville : 84 60 69 0.00 0 5.13 7.34 32.39 76 Rome : 85 46 67 0.00 0 1.47 6.17 29.13 73 Savannah : 89 55 69 0.11 2 0.86 10.30 28.59 76 Shellman : 87 53 70 0.00 0 2.81 14.97 40.60 81 Skidaway : 87 59 69 0.02 2 0.84 7.23 30.99 75 Statesboro : 86 54 69 0.04 1 0.71 5.70 30.63 79 Tennille : 88 55 69 0.00 0 0.44 6.50 30.63 76 Tifton : 85 52 70 0.01 1 0.37 12.47 37.31 75 Tiger : 80 39 62 0.09 1 1.39 11.56 42.28 71 Ty Ty : 85 52 69 0.00 0 1.99 12.57 36.36 76 Unadilla : 86 51 69 0.00 0 1.21 6.47 24.81 75 Valdosta : 86 55 72 0.00 0 2.38 13.94 41.38 76 Vienna : 86 53 70 0.00 0 0.42 5.53 28.07 75 Vidalia : 86 55 71 0.00 0 0.85 10.13 34.55 78 Wat-UGA : 87 50 68 0.00 0 0.84 3.98 22.98 76 Williamson : 86 45 68 0.00 0 0.69 5.23 28.31 74 Woodbine : 89 55 70 0.03 1 1.62 10.49 44.39 78 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 September 28, 2008 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST It has become very dry once again. Great for harvesting but really slows up planting. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Commercial vineyard harvest winding down - hay baling continues this week - rain badly needed as pasture conditions decline - corn silage harvest began. Army worms. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Extremely dry weather preventing small grain & fall overseeding of pastures. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Dry, we need some rain for soybeans. Good cotton and peanut conditions. Some dryland peanut fields need a rain to get diggers in the ground. Forages are in weak condition, weeds are taking over many pastures and hayfields; soybeans trying to fill pods after a surprising bloom and pod set; too dry to plant small grains. Somehow the wilflife crowd afforded to plant in September and they are now crying about no rain. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Very dry! Need rain very badly. Cooler temperatures. We haven't gotten much rainfall lately, despite experiencing cooler temperatures. Producers cutting & baling hay this week. Drier, cooler weather returns to our area. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Has become very dry again. Missing that last rain (dry cold front) cost us soybean and peanut yield. Insect and fungicide sprays have just about ceased. Growers preparing for harvest. Just starting to dig peanuts but will be another 5-6 days before we're going strong. Some cotton has been defoliated but only a very little will be picked in the next 10 days. Cooler weather has negated any extra yield on dry land cotton, peanuts and soybeans. Looks like harvest of all three will be together with peanuts taking first priority. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Dry soils are making peanut digging difficult and stressing late planted cotton. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Drought, dry weather, breezy and cool temperatures are halting dryland peanuts and affecting dryland cotton. Dryland peanuts wilting in the field severely. Harvesting hay but some hay fields showing signs of decline and potassium deficiency. A fair amount of cotton being defoliated. Need rainfall for dryland and don't need rain for farmers harvesting. Catch 22. Yields and quality of cotton and peanuts will be affected by late season drought and past weather conditions. Hope this year gets over soon. Depressing. This week has been good for harvesting our fall crops. We had no rainfall to occur this week. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Need rain.