ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date March 29, 2010 Issue GA-CW0107 Agricultural Summary March 29, 2010 IMPROVED CONDITIONS For the week ending March 28, 2010, better weather conditions allowed for more field work and land preparation, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Georgia Field Office. Daily average high temperatures ranged from the lower 50's to mid 70's. Low temperatures averaged from the low 40's to low 50's. Soil moisture conditions were rated at 0% very short, 2% short, 71% adequate, and 27% surplus. Precipitation was limited to mostly Friday, statewide the average rainfall for the week was near a quarter of an inch. The warmer temperatures have land preparation in full swing. Corn planting is moving forward as well as transplanting vegetables. Nearly half of the winter wheat has jointed and some fields are beginning to boot. Over three- quarters of the peach trees are blooming. Pastures and cover crops are taking off providing good grazing for livestock. Crop conditions have improved from last week as well as pasture and range conditions. Some fields remained wet in spots. County Extension Agents reported an average of 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 03/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn Planted : 26 8 45 38 Corn Emerged : 4 1 25 14 Winter Wheat Jointing : 46 31 77 62 Winter Wheat Boot : 6 3 32 22 Peaches Blooming : 82 38 96 71 Watermelons Planted : 21 6 32 25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 03/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn : 3 14 49 34 0 Winter Wheat : 1 21 49 26 3 Range and Pasture : 4 19 47 28 2 Hay : 6 20 48 25 1 Onions : 0 7 74 19 0 Peaches : 0 0 1 33 66 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 03/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 0 0 5 Short : 2 0 22 Adequate : 71 54 52 Surplus : 27 46 21 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 (%) at 12" Soil Depth Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 03/28/10, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 0 0 44 56 District 2 (NC) : 0 0 82 18 District 3 (NE) : 0 0 69 31 District 4 (WC) : 0 0 72 28 District 5 (C) : 0 1 54 45 District 6 (EC) : 0 3 82 15 District 7 (SW) : 1 2 74 23 District 8 (SC) : 0 1 76 23 District 9 (SE) : 0 19 66 15 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * 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 03/28/10, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 3 23 33 37 4 District 2 (NC) : 2 6 37 50 5 District 3 (NE) : 0 21 46 33 0 District 4 (WC) : 5 20 39 31 5 District 5 (C) : 9 17 47 27 0 District 6 (EC) : 0 7 70 23 0 District 7 (SW) : 6 29 42 22 1 District 8 (SC) : 6 23 57 13 1 District 9 (SE) : 1 14 65 20 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 03/28/10, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:-------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day:Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alapaha : 68 46 57 0.19 2 3.16 6.82 11.48 59 Albany : 71 48 59 0.03 1 2.22 7.11 12.02 62 Alma : 69 47 58 0.18 1 2.98 6.21 9.97 59 Alpharetta : 62 39 50 0.39 3 6.03 11.63 16.04 51 Arabi : 68 45 57 0.01 1 2.32 7.22 12.68 57 Arlington : 72 46 59 0.07 1 2.71 8.09 13.85 60 Atlanta : 62 43 53 0.15 4 3.33 8.01 10.44 NA Attapulgus : 70 45 58 0.38 2 3.92 8.93 13.57 61 Baxley : 68 44 56 0.06 1 3.02 6.12 11.34 60 Blairsville : 58 34 46 0.50 5 3.36 7.79 9.48 49 Blue Ridge : 58 35 47 0.43 4 3.33 10.10 11.22 47 Brunswick : 70 51 61 0.27 1 1.77 4.54 9.34 62 Byromville : 67 45 56 0.03 1 4.44 10.54 16.78 58 Byron : 68 44 56 0.06 1 3.38 7.57 12.57 57 Cairo : 71 48 59 0.33 2 3.38 7.79 12.04 58 Calhoun : 60 35 47 0.58 5 3.17 7.70 10.60 51 Camilla : 71 46 59 0.13 1 3.38 8.72 13.71 60 Cordele : 69 46 57 0.04 1 3.38 9.30 15.09 57 Covington : 65 41 53 0.22 4 3.99 8.47 12.39 53 Dahlonega : 59 38 49 0.68 3 3.83 9.31 13.90 49 Dallas : 61 40 51 0.17 3 4.72 9.55 12.19 52 Danielsville : 65 42 53 0.20 3 2.66 7.81 10.83 56 Dawson : 70 45 57 0.01 1 2.28 8.84 16.38 58 Dearing : 68 45 56 0.22 2 3.06 6.69 11.22 57 Dixie : 70 48 59 0.29 2 3.73 9.13 14.70 60 Douglas : 67 47 57 0.39 1 2.91 6.19 10.90 59 Dublin : 69 46 57 0.01 1 3.53 8.30 13.74 59 Dunwoody : 61 40 50 0.37 4 4.88 9.89 13.48 51 Eatonton : 66 40 53 0.36 3 4.60 9.03 14.06 55 Elberton : 68 42 55 0.44 3 2.84 8.43 13.38 56 Ellijay : 58 37 47 0.62 4 4.16 8.54 13.06 50 Gainesville : 60 41 51 0.57 3 4.63 9.70 14.89 53 Georgetown : 69 44 56 0.11 1 3.04 9.43 15.19 59 Griffin : 64 43 53 0.30 5 5.44 10.09 13.89 54 Hatley : 67 46 57 0.00 0 2.25 7.31 11.80 57 Homerville : 69 46 58 0.25 3 3.37 6.99 12.07 62 Jeffersonville : 68 44 56 0.02 1 3.77 9.17 10.67 57 Johns Creek : 63 40 51 0.31 4 4.88 10.04 14.26 52 Jonesboro : 64 41 53 0.34 4 3.97 8.21 14.41 53 Lake Seminole : 69 51 60 0.25 5 4.30 9.69 9.18 58 Midville : 68 46 57 0.00 0 2.69 7.05 12.11 59 Moultrie : 68 48 58 0.15 1 4.64 8.99 12.70 59 Nahunta : 71 46 59 0.31 1 2.57 6.23 11.10 60 Newton : 72 47 59 0.17 2 3.17 8.54 14.47 61 Odum : 69 44 57 0.31 1 3.04 6.87 12.73 60 Ossabaw : 70 50 60 0.17 1 2.10 7.26 11.24 58 Pine Mountain : 65 42 54 0.32 3 5.19 10.07 14.44 55 Plains : 67 45 56 0.09 2 3.60 9.86 14.92 56 Roopville : 63 41 52 0.25 3 4.92 9.77 13.46 54 Rome : 62 40 51 0.61 4 4.49 9.08 13.35 52 Sasser : 69 45 57 0.00 0 2.43 7.41 12.49 58 Savannah : 71 46 59 0.51 1 2.93 6.90 12.28 61 Shellman : 69 45 57 0.03 1 2.23 7.99 14.17 61 Skidaway : 67 49 58 0.35 1 2.86 6.63 11.97 58 Sparta : 67 43 55 0.96 2 4.52 8.54 13.62 57 Statesboro : 68 47 57 0.60 1 2.79 6.98 12.53 61 Tennille : 67 45 56 0.00 0 3.33 7.72 12.62 57 Tifton : 67 48 58 0.05 2 2.82 7.14 12.56 57 Tiger : 58 35 46 0.93 4 4.32 11.46 17.96 48 Unadilla : 68 45 56 0.02 1 3.40 8.64 13.30 57 Valdosta : 70 50 60 0.19 2 3.40 8.42 14.88 60 Vienna : 68 46 57 0.02 1 3.49 9.67 15.00 57 Vidalia : 68 48 58 0.40 1 3.29 7.08 12.84 58 Wat-UGA : 63 43 53 0.20 4 2.81 8.01 12.88 53 Williamson : 64 41 53 0.29 3 5.66 10.32 14.48 53 Woodbine : 72 47 60 0.33 1 2.09 5.14 10.36 62 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 March 28, 2010 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST No comments available. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Heavy thunderstorms this week DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST No comments available. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Spring appears to be here, hopefully to stay. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL The wet weather has slowed our planting season down significantly and we're somewhat behind. We received .10 of an inch of rainfall. Although we are still getting rain, the volume of precipitation is less and the temperatures have increased. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Ryegrass is taking off providing good grazing but a very high incidence of winter annual weeds may delay Bermuda grass green-up. Corn planting is in high gear and conditions are good having dried up faster than expected. Pear trees are blooming as well as Forsythia, saucer Magnolias, etc. Roses are breaking bud but pecans haven't. Growers becoming a little more reluctant to plant soybeans as prices fall or refuse to rise. Some cut-back on corn acres as growers see money in irrigated $450 peanut contract. Cotton will dominate the dry land acres this year and I look for growers to plant a little earlier if the weather cooperates. Becoming more obvious that harvested wheat acres and yield will be off this year. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Corn planting is wrapping up. Some areas have to be irrigated to help get the crop up. Some crusting from previous rains is causing poor stands in a few areas. More field and prep work was done this past week due to better weather and conditions. However forecasted rain put a damper on getting in a full week's worth of work. Basically it has been the same story and just a different week; more rain. Soil temperatures were warming up but cooler weather returned and slowed the progress if not caused it to cool off. Some more corn has been planted (very little bit) and farmers are commenting that the emergence (spiking of corn) has been slower than the emergence of the next drought. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Pretty weather has growers working hard to get corn planted and land ready to plant. Some corn, a little tobacco and a lot of cotton! Soils still pretty wet to work. Need some dry days. This week remained cool and wet, however warmer than the past weeks! The transplanted vegetables are during well in this cool wet period. Land preparation is in full swing. Planting of corn and melons will be in full swing as soon as possible. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST No comments available.