ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date March 1, 2010 Issue GA-CW0107 Agricultural Summary March 1, 2010 WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS For the week ending February 28, 2010, fields are beginning to dry out with more favorable weather conditions, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Georgia Field Office. Daily average high temperatures ranged from the mid 40's to lower 60's. Lows averaged from the upper 20's to the lower 40's. Soil moisture conditions were rated at 0% very short, 0% short, 55% adequate, and 45% surplus. Most area's received some precipitation on Monday; limited to no rainfall was reported the rest of the week. Some of the winter wheat has jointed and peaches are beginning to bloom in southern counties. Field activities included harrowing, shredding cotton stalks, and preparing fields for planting. Wet field conditions restricted the application of fertilizer and cold weather limited winter grazing. County Extension Agents reported an average of 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 02/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Data collection for crop progress will resume in March 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 02/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter Wheat : 4 24 50 21 1 Range and Pasture : 7 33 44 15 1 Vegetables : 2 20 53 25 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 02/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 0 0 0 Short : 0 0 0 Adequate : 55 39 0 Surplus : 45 61 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 02/28/10, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 0 0 67 33 District 2 (NC) : 0 0 70 30 District 3 (NE) : 0 0 54 46 District 4 (WC) : 0 0 65 35 District 5 (C) : 0 0 35 65 District 6 (EC) : 0 0 42 58 District 7 (SW) : 0 1 49 50 District 8 (SC) : 0 0 53 47 District 9 (SE) : 0 4 72 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Georgia/Publications/County_Esti mates/index.asp. Pasture Condition for Week Ending 02/28/10, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 18 21 39 20 2 District 2 (NC) : 1 17 68 13 1 District 3 (NE) : 0 41 30 16 13 District 4 (WC) : 1 36 58 5 0 District 5 (C) : 12 35 31 22 0 District 6 (EC) : 0 33 53 14 0 District 7 (SW) : 14 35 32 19 0 District 8 (SC) : 8 43 39 9 1 District 9 (SE) : 1 14 69 61 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Georgia/Publications/County_Esti mates/index.asp. Weather Summary for Week Ending 02/28/10, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:-------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day:Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alapaha : 57 36 46 0.51 2 3.66 8.59 8.32 50 Albany : 57 37 47 0.61 1 4.46 10.11 9.80 51 Alma : 57 37 47 0.22 3 3.23 8.31 7.00 50 Alpharetta : 47 30 39 0.89 2 5.52 10.40 10.03 40 Arabi : 54 35 45 0.47 1 4.57 10.85 10.54 49 Arlington : 56 37 47 0.93 1 4.58 11.77 11.22 49 Atlanta : 49 32 40 0.52 1 3.84 8.27 7.11 NA Attapulgus : 56 37 46 1.16 2 4.73 10.03 9.65 51 Baxley : 56 36 46 0.21 2 3.10 8.91 8.32 50 Blairsville : 44 27 35 0.45 1 4.24 8.71 6.71 41 Blue Ridge : 42 28 35 0.55 1 6.43 11.09 8.47 37 Brunswick : 60 40 50 0.24 2 2.77 7.70 7.57 53 Byromville : 54 35 44 0.92 2 5.66 13.19 12.36 48 Byron : 54 34 44 0.61 2 4.13 9.38 9.19 47 Cairo : 56 38 47 0.79 2 4.33 8.98 8.66 53 Calhoun : 46 28 37 0.32 1 4.14 9.43 7.58 42 Camilla : 57 37 47 0.74 1 4.80 11.08 10.43 50 Cordele : 55 36 45 0.75 2 5.49 11.96 11.71 48 Covington : 51 32 42 0.55 2 4.41 8.48 8.40 43 Dahlonega : 46 31 38 0.60 1 5.41 10.81 10.10 40 Dallas : 49 30 39 0.60 1 3.84 7.56 7.47 42 Danielsville : 51 32 42 0.54 1 4.99 10.75 8.21 45 Dawson : 55 34 45 0.71 1 5.77 14.43 14.10 50 Dearing : 54 34 44 0.54 2 3.63 8.24 8.16 47 Dixie : 57 37 47 1.15 2 5.40 11.10 10.97 52 Douglas : 56 37 47 0.40 2 3.28 8.46 8.01 50 Dublin : 56 36 46 0.75 2 4.73 10.52 10.21 49 Dunwoody : 48 31 39 0.82 1 4.98 8.77 8.65 42 Eatonton : 52 33 42 0.57 1 4.39 9.54 9.46 44 Elberton : 54 32 43 0.40 2 5.55 10.64 10.54 46 Ellijay : 44 27 36 0.45 1 4.23 9.21 8.90 40 Gainesville : 48 32 40 0.78 1 5.04 10.51 10.26 45 Georgetown : 55 36 45 1.07 2 5.40 12.31 12.15 48 Griffin : 52 32 42 0.72 1 4.57 8.62 8.45 45 Hatley : 54 37 45 0.61 2 4.79 11.58 9.64 48 Homerville : 58 36 47 0.44 3 3.62 8.80 8.70 53 Jeffersonville : 53 34 44 0.80 2 5.37 10.24 7.40 47 Johns Creek : 49 31 40 0.79 2 5.07 9.47 9.38 44 Jonesboro : 51 32 42 0.34 1 4.09 9.03 10.39 43 Lake Seminole : 57 42 49 1.00 1 5.03 10.34 5.60 50 Midville : 55 36 45 0.64 2 4.36 9.75 9.42 48 Moultrie : 56 38 47 0.66 2 4.29 8.81 8.29 49 Nahunta : 59 36 48 0.41 2 3.66 9.16 8.53 50 Newton : 58 36 47 0.66 1 4.61 11.51 11.30 51 Odum : 57 35 46 0.56 2 3.83 9.82 9.69 51 Ossabaw : 58 39 48 0.38 3 5.10 11.26 9.14 49 Pine Mountain : 53 30 42 0.79 3 4.73 9.28 9.25 44 Plains : 54 36 45 0.87 2 5.56 13.66 11.46 46 Roopville : 52 31 41 0.48 1 4.61 8.62 8.54 45 Rome : 50 30 40 0.40 2 4.29 9.14 8.88 43 Savannah : 60 36 48 0.49 2 3.97 9.59 9.35 52 Shellman : 55 36 45 0.68 2 5.09 12.24 11.94 48 Skidaway : 58 37 47 0.54 2 3.77 9.33 9.11 49 Sparta : 53 33 43 0.48 2 4.02 9.38 9.10 46 Statesboro : 56 36 46 0.49 2 4.19 9.91 9.74 49 Tennille : 54 35 44 0.56 3 4.38 9.55 9.29 46 Tifton : 55 38 47 0.60 2 4.26 10.28 9.82 50 Tiger : 46 27 37 0.49 1 5.89 14.03 13.64 39 Unadilla : 54 34 44 0.53 2 4.80 12.22 9.90 47 Valdosta : 58 39 49 0.99 2 5.02 11.53 11.48 53 Vienna : 54 36 45 0.76 2 5.92 11.77 11.51 48 Vidalia : 57 37 47 0.40 2 3.79 10.00 9.55 51 Wat-UGA : 50 32 41 0.55 2 5.12 10.56 10.09 43 Williamson : 52 32 42 0.75 2 4.56 8.93 8.82 43 Woodbine : 61 37 49 0.33 3 3.05 8.41 8.27 56 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 February 28, 2010 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST No comments available. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Major activities include the routine care of livestock and poultry DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Lots of reseeding will be necessary to restore soggy, heavily trodden pastures. Extreme cold making this impossible. Difficult year for forages in NEGA. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Ground temperatures are nearing 50 degrees, maybe winter annuals will begin growing more soon. Fields are drying finally. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL We received .48 of an inch of rainfall and we still have a major surplus of rainfall. We are a little over a month from vegetable planting season. Where possible topdressing of small grains began late in week. Fields still wet. Wheat tilling has been held up due to cold, wet weather limiting fertilization applications. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Finally getting a little drying weather, although more rain expected tonight and tomorrow. Some wheat fields have been judged not worthy of fertilizer and will be stripped into with either peanuts or soybeans. Other fields got late fertilization and have less than desirable tiller counts. Jointing should be occurring on some of the older fields over the next two weeks. Need to get into fields to repair washes/gullies from excessive rainfall before we can plant corn. Corn planting should initiate in about 2-3 weeks. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Somewhat more favorable weather this past week. Some field activity such as harrowing, mowing cotton stalks was conducted, but only sporadic as soils remain quite wet across many fields in county. Poor growth on winter grazing and overgrazing has resulted in increased expense on cattle feeding. With above normal rainfall, condition of hay has diminished. Some land preparation for spring vegetables has begun. Some sweet corn planted has germinated but not up to a stand largely due to continuous cold soil temperatures. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Trying to get in the field to mow cotton stalks and fix erosion places in the fields. Gearing up for corn planting. Farmers deciding on cotton, peanut, and soybean varieties to plant. Attending grower meetings. Some harrowing and feeding cattle hay. Still no word on the poultry plant reopening. This past week has been cold and wet with very little field activity. Wheat acreage for grain will decline in my county since we are behind on nitrogen application. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST No comments available.