ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 26, 2010 Issue GA-CW3910 Agricultural Summary September 27, 2010 DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST For the week ending September 26, 2010, little to no precipitation fell across the state until the weekend, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Georgia Field Office. Daily average high temperatures were in the lower 90's. Low temperatures were in the lower to mid 60's. Soil moisture conditions were rated at 39% very short, 32% short, 24% adequate, and 5% surplus. Almost half of the soybean crop has began to drop leaves and the harvest has just begun. Over one third of the sorghum has been harvested for grain. Almost all of the cotton bolls are open, and some cotton has been harvested. The first fields of winter wheat have been planted. Nearly a quarter of peanuts have been dug and many fields have been harvested. Rye and Oats are beginning to be planted. Other activities for the week included routine care of livestock and cutting hay. County Extension Agents reported an average of 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork. Crop Progress for Week Ending 09/26/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage : This Week : Prev Week : Prev Year : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Soybeans Dropping Leaves : 40 24 27 29 Soybeans Harvested : 1 NA 0 0 Sorghum Harvested : 34 22 16 33 Cotton Bolls Opening : 92 85 55 70 Cotton Harvested : 12 7 0 4 Winter Wheat Planted : 4 NA 1 1 Peanuts Dug : 21 12 8 16 Peanuts Harvested : 13 6 3 8 Rye Planted : 5 2 11 10 Oats Planted : 7 2 7 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition for Week Ending 09/26/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Soybeans : 12 21 40 25 2 Sorghum : 8 24 35 28 5 Cotton : 13 23 35 24 5 Range and Pasture : 20 29 37 13 1 Hay : 19 21 45 14 1 Peanuts : 6 15 38 33 8 Pecans : 3 7 42 38 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 09/26/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This Week :Previous Week : 5 Year Avg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Very Short : 39 44 19 Short : 32 40 33 Adequate : 24 15 39 Surplus : 5 1 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture for Week Ending 09/26/10, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Short : Short : Adequate : Surplus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 49 41 10 0 District 2 (NC) : 26 40 32 2 District 3 (NE) : 32 60 8 0 District 4 (WC) : 26 35 31 8 District 5 (C) : 51 24 14 11 District 6 (EC) : 31 22 38 9 District 7 (SW) : 47 25 23 5 District 8 (SC) : 48 25 23 4 District 9 (SE) : 21 48 31 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. Pasture Condition for Week Ending 09/26/10, by District -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District : Very Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : District 1 (NW) : 23 34 26 9 8 District 2 (NC) : 14 16 44 26 0 District 3 (NE) : 21 25 47 7 0 District 4 (WC) : 25 27 35 13 0 District 5 (C) : 22 25 39 11 3 District 6 (EC) : 16 18 48 18 0 District 7 (SW) : 28 39 27 6 0 District 8 (SC) : 14 48 26 11 1 District 9 (SE) : 2 11 58 29 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 09/26/10, by Station Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Temperature : Precipitation : Location :-----------------:-------------------------------------:Soil : Max : Min : Avg :Weekly : Days :30 Day :60 Day:Season :Temp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alapaha : 91 65 78 0.30 2 0.42 6.61 34.16 80 Albany : 94 69 81 0.83 2 2.45 9.26 38.42 88 Arabi : 92 66 79 1.10 2 2.53 9.26 36.36 81 Atlanta : 89 70 80 0.74 1 0.90 4.49 31.86 NA Attapulgus : 91 67 79 0.62 2 0.63 4.94 39.08 89 Baxley : 93 65 79 0.13 1 0.95 6.06 39.39 83 Brunswick : 90 72 81 0.01 1 2.37 12.66 33.25 84 Byromville : 92 66 79 2.31 1 2.94 10.60 46.68 82 Byron : 92 65 79 4.26 1 5.14 9.40 41.18 81 Cairo : 92 69 80 0.26 2 0.68 5.26 34.49 81 Calhoun : 88 61 75 1.65 1 0.87 4.56 31.22 82 Cordele : 93 66 79 0.95 1 2.54 9.24 38.55 81 Dahlonega : 85 61 73 1.68 2 2.54 11.89 42.65 75 Dallas : 88 65 77 0.90 1 0.95 3.75 30.87 81 Danielsville : 90 63 76 1.01 1 1.35 5.28 33.28 85 Dawson : 93 65 79 2.07 2 2.35 9.98 41.25 82 Dearing : 92 67 79 1.81 1 2.69 7.11 38.10 83 Dixie : 92 67 79 0.31 1 0.51 8.13 41.02 84 Dublin : 92 66 79 2.37 2 3.23 10.69 36.30 81 Dunwoody : 88 65 77 0.64 1 1.26 4.96 35.22 77 Elberton : 92 63 77 1.98 1 2.08 6.48 28.40 83 Ellijay : 86 60 73 1.39 2 3.15 4.63 34.91 78 Gainesville : 88 64 76 1.77 1 2.56 7.23 34.94 84 Georgetown : 94 66 80 2.26 2 2.48 8.10 39.52 83 Homerville : 91 64 78 0.48 3 1.12 4.85 32.32 83 Johns Creek : 90 64 77 0.72 1 1.30 4.88 35.30 78 Jonesboro : 90 65 78 2.00 2 2.89 7.01 30.80 81 Lake Seminole : 91 74 82 0.71 2 0.74 6.23 38.50 84 Moultrie : 91 67 79 1.12 2 2.22 6.98 35.13 87 Nahunta : 92 63 78 0.01 1 0.49 6.54 29.94 83 Newton : 95 67 81 0.09 1 0.18 5.37 34.85 86 Odum : 92 64 78 0.02 1 0.63 3.44 30.55 85 Pine Mountain : 90 67 79 2.02 2 2.80 6.02 33.27 79 Roopville : 92 63 77 1.59 3 1.89 3.95 33.32 82 Sasser : 92 65 78 2.22 2 3.06 8.71 36.32 80 Savannah : 91 68 80 0.15 1 4.29 9.18 36.36 82 Shellman : 95 67 81 0.99 1 2.63 7.06 33.59 92 Skidaway : 87 70 79 0.24 5 2.06 8.53 36.51 80 Sparta : 91 64 77 2.79 2 4.41 10.33 39.42 79 Statesboro : 91 68 79 1.07 2 1.58 8.80 37.80 85 Tennille : 93 64 79 2.72 1 3.67 8.36 36.08 84 Valdosta : 91 70 81 0.46 2 0.93 4.82 35.10 80 Vienna : 92 66 79 1.22 1 2.47 7.59 37.49 80 Vidalia : 92 68 80 0.56 2 1.54 12.85 41.82 85 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 26, 2010 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST Between the armyworms, heat and dry weather, fields and pastures are extremely stressed. Those that have mainly fescue have already experienced serious losses and are having to re-sow. Rainfall yesterday yielded 0.5 inches. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Isolated shower this week failed to significantly improve soils moisture - main activities include routine care of livestock and poultry. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST No comments available. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Soil moisture is misleading as 6 days of the week were hot and dry. Rainfall all came on 9/26; most of the county had 4-5 inches by midnight. Rain on 9/26; 1 to 5 inches. Another hot, dry week with rain finally on Sunday; about 2 inches for most. No wheat or winter grazing planted yet but expect to see it begin this week. Little to no rain depending on location. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL We are very dry. We need rainfall. Dry but rain came on Saturday; cotton defoliation continuing; cotton harvest continuing; everyone waiting on rain. This week was extremely hot and dry until Sunday. County got between 4 and 5 inches between Sunday and Monday morning. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Continued dry weather has forced peanuts to be dug. Some fields are too dry to dig. Hay and pasture crops that are not irrigated have dried up. Our hopes for good crops started unraveling around Labor Day and now we're pretty sure the continued hot/dry weather has, indeed, taken a heavy toll here at the end of the growing season. Dry land peanut, cotton and soybean yields are as much as 1/3 off and rain now won't help except on some late soybeans. Last cutting of hay will be about 1/2 IF it rains this coming week. A lot of defoliation going on and most people are finishing their dry land peanuts, digging them up before maturity due to turning loose in the pod and fearing sprout damage if it does rain. Grades are terrible. Dry land cotton barely making a bale. This drought slipped up on us at the end of the season but it looks to be devastating when coupled with extreme summer long heat and less rain in July during cotton and peanut blooming and then turning really dry when soybeans needed filling out. Irrigated yields will be good but not super although. we have had some 5,000 lb. peanuts and 1200-1300 lb. cotton. Unfortunately, these fields are more the exceptions, not the rule. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Dry. Hopefully everyone will get a good rain Sunday and Monday. Dry conditions persist. Dryland soybeans which are already short in height are suffering from insufficient moisture to fill out beans. Dryland pecans are not filling out. Dryland peanuts need rain. Rained on Saturday and Sunday. Carbon copy of last week, except we are picking some very poor dry land cotton and digging dry land peanuts. Peanuts are being dug/harvested, cotton is being harvested. Some peanuts are being dug early due to poor vine conditions due to drought. However Sunday brought much needed rain, and the slow showers will help soften the harder soils. At the time of this report it is still raining and I am sure once it lets up the peanut diggers will be heading to the fields. Dawgs need to evaluate their situation and be prepared to protect their 'house'. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Dry. Excellent for defoliation and harvest of cotton. Digging and picking peanuts and irrigation of late maturing peanuts. Many dryland fields need 17- 24 days before maturity and no moisture. Some digging early and some hoping for rain this weekend or early next week to help them. Cutting hay. Mowing tobacco stalks and unloading last barns of tobacco. Spraying some peanuts with fungicides. Corn crop was excellent and high yields. This week same as last week hot hot and dry dry. Need rain. Dry weather is having a very negative affect on later planted crops, however for those that are harvesting the drier conditions are helpful. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST No comments available.