ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 5, 2008 Issue GA-CW4008 Agricultural Summary October 6, 2008 LACK OF RAIN Dry weather continued to delay the planting of 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 44% very short, 42% short, 14% adequate, and 0% surplus. Pasture and hayfields declined due to drought and cool temperatures. Some producers had to irrigate in order to have enough moisture to plant wheat and rye. Dryland peanuts were dug early due to a lack of soil moisture. Water availability, from spring fed ponds, continued to decline while surface fed ponds were drying up. Other activities included mowing cotton stalks and baling hay. County Extension Agents reported an average of 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 10/05/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn Harvested for Grain : 96 94 92 94 Soybeans Dropping Leaves : 44 27 29 49 Soybeans Harvested : 1 0 1 4 Sorghum Harvested : 54 51 24 46 Cotton Bolls Opening : 87 79 74 85 Cotton Harvested : 10 5 6 14 Winter Wheat Planted : 3 1 3 4 Apples Harvested : 33 28 45 49 Peanuts Dug : 45 26 22 42 Peanuts Combined : 29 13 12 28 Pecans Harvested : 0 NA 1 1 Rye Planted : 17 13 18 18 Other Small Grains Planted : 14 9 12 13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 10/05/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Soybeans : 5 16 44 31 4 Cotton : 5 15 42 31 7 Range and Pasture : 17 24 43 16 0 Apples : 4 11 12 21 52 Hay : 14 27 38 20 1 Peanuts : 3 7 29 46 15 Pecans : 4 14 42 37 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 10/05/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 44 20 16 Short : 42 51 31 Adequate : 14 29 44 Surplus : 0 0 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 10/05/08, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 28 58 14 0 District 2 (NC) : 49 41 10 0 District 3 (NE) : 31 52 17 0 District 4 (WC) : 51 40 9 0 District 5 (C) : 60 37 3 0 District 6 (EC) : 47 31 22 0 District 7 (SW) : 38 50 12 0 District 8 (SC) : 37 39 24 0 District 9 (SE) : 39 41 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. Pasture Condition for Week Ending 10/05/08, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 0 29 57 14 0 District 2 (NC) : 12 33 49 6 0 District 3 (NE) : 66 20 60 4 0 District 4 (WC) : 28 14 39 19 0 District 5 (C) : 31 35 25 9 0 District 6 (EC) : 17 24 47 12 0 District 7 (SW) : 6 32 36 22 4 District 8 (SC) : 15 12 40 33 0 District 9 (SE) : 2 30 47 21 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 10/05/08, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:-------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day:Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alapaha : 89 45 68 0.00 0 0.81 8.18 34.74 75 Albany : 92 51 72 0.00 0 1.19 12.79 39.37 82 Alma : 89 53 71 0.00 0 0.70 6.83 34.75 75 Alpharetta : 85 42 65 0.00 0 0.30 4.80 28.41 69 Arabi : 90 43 69 0.00 0 1.23 7.62 31.69 77 Arlington : 91 43 70 0.00 0 N/A 14.16 33.99 77 Atlanta : 87 50 69 0.00 0 0.06 2.73 24.98 N/A Attapulgus : 90 49 70 0.00 0 0.61 22.98 59.39 82 Baxley : 89 48 69 0.00 0 0.45 9.21 35.78 81 Blairsville : 78 34 58 0.00 0 0.41 4.64 31.88 69 Blue Ridge : 79 37 59 0.03 1 0.44 5.05 37.36 67 Brunswick : 88 56 71 0.00 0 1.38 9.69 32.45 77 Byromville : 90 47 70 0.00 0 0.36 9.41 38.88 76 Byron : 89 47 70 0.00 0 0.28 6.24 31.28 73 Cairo : 90 51 71 0.00 0 1.76 20.24 56.03 76 Calhoun : 86 38 62 0.00 0 1.39 7.16 30.16 71 Camilla : 90 47 70 0.00 0 0.41 13.81 47.84 80 Clarks Hill : 86 44 67 0.51 2 3.81 5.97 25.54 73 Cordele : 90 47 78 0.00 0 0.75 6.25 26.67 76 Covington : 88 45 70 0.00 0 0.27 2.91 23.65 72 Dahlonega : 82 38 68 0.08 1 0.41 11.66 43.31 69 Dallas : 85 45 66 0.00 0 1.16 5.54 30.34 72 Danielsville : 85 42 65 0.53 1 4.42 7.46 27.69 74 Dawson : 90 48 70 0.00 0 2.45 16.93 44.19 76 Dearing : 87 47 70 0.00 0 2.23 7.25 32.68 75 Dixie : 89 51 70 0.00 0 0.67 13.51 42.51 80 Douglas : 89 50 70 0.00 0 1.15 6.47 32.29 75 Dublin : 90 48 70 0.00 0 0.21 7.65 30.70 76 Dunwoody : 84 44 65 0.00 0 0.23 6.72 33.37 70 Eatonton : 88 41 67 0.49 1 2.31 5.63 33.87 71 Elberton : 87 42 67 0.01 1 1.39 5.33 27.99 71 Ellijay : 83 36 60 0.00 0 0.18 4.31 37.29 70 Ft Valley : 89 47 70 0.00 0 1.16 8.20 32.28 75 Gainesville : 84 46 66 0.00 0 0.77 8.11 32.51 76 Georgetown : 89 47 69 0.00 0 1.95 6.99 28.27 72 Griffin : 86 46 68 0.00 0 0.64 7.32 27.25 74 Hatley : 90 48 71 0.00 0 0.64 7.32 27.25 74 Homerville : 91 49 69 0.00 0 1.20 11.14 42.14 74 Jeffersonville : 89 45 69 0.00 0 0.79 6.95 31.84 76 Johns Creek : 86 41 64 0.00 0 1.09 5.31 30.45 72 Jonesboro : 87 46 67 0.00 0 0.22 3.69 27.66 73 Lafayette : 85 41 63 0.00 0 1.18 7.64 33.67 69 Lake Seminole : 89 61 74 0.00 0 0.71 11.89 49.25 77 Mcrae : 91 44 69 0.00 0 1.07 9.52 35.71 78 Midville : 90 46 68 0.01 1 0.53 6.82 32.07 76 Moultrie : 90 50 70 0.00 0 2.01 9.02 36.66 77 Nahunta : 90 49 69 0.00 1 0.04 8.92 29.87 78 Newton : 91 48 71 0.00 0 0.04 15.58 38.82 79 Odum : 90 47 69 0.00 0 0.39 7.57 N/A 77 Ossabaw : 86 57 71 1.13 1 2.09 10.22 32.53 74 Pine Mountain : 86 44 67 0.00 0 1.33 9.71 32.36 71 Plains : 88 47 69 0.00 0 1.61 13.29 37.02 75 Roopville : 87 48 64 0.00 0 0.45 5.85 32.39 74 Rome : 86 43 67 0.00 0 1.47 5.86 29.13 72 Sasser : 90 47 70 0.00 0 1.66 12.86 N/A 79 Savannah : 89 50 71 0.69 1 1.19 10.87 29.28 75 Shellman : 90 49 72 0.00 0 2.79 14.97 40.60 82 Skidaway : 82 55 70 1.13 5 1.57 8.29 32.12 72 Sparta : 88 42 68 0.41 1 4.67 8.72 N/A 74 Statesboro : 89 51 71 0.00 0 0.19 5.58 30.63 79 Tennille : 89 44 70 0.00 0 0.39 5.27 30.63 76 Tifton : 88 51 71 0.00 0 0.15 10.78 37.31 75 Tiger : 79 35 59 0.00 0 0.64 11.55 42.28 70 Ty Ty : 89 49 70 0.00 0 1.90 12.01 36.36 78 Unadilla : 90 47 70 0.00 0 0.35 6.47 24.81 75 Valdosta : 89 56 72 0.00 0 2.22 13.17 41.38 75 Vienna : 89 47 71 0.00 0 0.29 5.53 28.07 74 Vidalia : 89 52 71 0.00 0 0.30 10.06 34.55 79 Wat-UGA : 86 45 67 0.00 0 0.13 3.56 22.98 76 Williamson : 87 43 67 0.00 0 0.68 4.59 28.31 74 Woodbine : 89 53 71 0.33 1 1.43 10.45 44.72 77 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 October 5, 2008 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST It has once again become extremely dry. And there does not look like any rain in the upcoming forecast. Even spring fed ponds are visibly dropping now, water shed ponds have already dried up. This lack of soil moisture has put a halt to fall planting. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Dry weather prevents fall overseeding at a desperate time for forages. Forages planted are not germinating due to lack of moisture. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Peanut harvest is under way. It is dry. Need rain to finish out filling soybean pods, to plant small grains, to grow pasture forages. Too dry to do most anything. Fescue standing still and fading. Warm season grasses playing out. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Extremely dry! No rain! Pasture and hay field conditions continue to decline rapidly due to drought and cooler night temperatures. Small grain and winter grazing planting slowed due to drought conditions. We have seen our temperatures taper off rather dramatically, yet we are entering one of our driest months. Dry! Dry! Dry! Peanut harvesting continues as fields allow. Soybeans dropping leaves. Dryland soybeans hurting from the lack of rain. Haying continues but is limited. Best cutting of the season. Cotton slow to open. Especially planted behind wheat. Need rain! Fall planting has been stopped for 3 to 4 weeks. Planting will continue when enough moisture is available for germination of seeds. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Dry weather is making it hard on dryland peanut harvest. Maturity is happening quickly. Some cotton is being defoliated. Producers are having to irrigate just to have enough moisture to plant wheat, rye, or irrigated ryegrass for grazing. Very, very dry. Not that unusual for this time of year but Sept. was drier than last year so it seems worse. Dry land peanuts being dug early in many cases due to lack of soil moisture not conducive for maturity. Still watering some soybeans and Ga02-C peanuts. Cotton harvest running late with defoliation being done but little picking. Soybeans really declined in last two weeks of hot, dry weather. Decent late cutting of hay but cutting hay in mid-late Sept. is attributed to desperation, not good management. This could set many hayfields back this winter. Last cutting was late but it was probably the second best (out of three) cutting we had all year. It has become extremely dry in the county. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Extremely dry. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Extended drought is causing decline in yield and grade of peanuts and forcing us to dig early. Irrigated peanuts still look okay but suffering too. Cotton defoliation is increasing and some yield predictions are below normal. Suspect grades and quality may be off. Irrigation of fall squash, hayfields, and late peanuts if possible. Mowing cotton stalks and baling some peanut hay. With high price of fertilizers more growers are opting to leave peanut residue on soil instead of baling. Those with cattle are baling regardless. Farmers attitudes due to economy, prices and drought is at an all time low. No rain in sight. Dry! Dry land wintergrazing cannot be planted due to dry soil conditions. Pastures and hay fields are declining due to lack of rain. Dry weather beneficial to harvest however has negative impact on some crops and forages. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Need rain. Getting very dry!