LA-WEATHER United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Louisiana Field Office Crop Weather Cooperating with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry and the Louisiana State University Ag Center Louisiana Field Office · 5825 Florida Blvd · Baton Rouge, LA 70806 (225) 922-1362 · (225) 922-0744 FAX www.nass.usda.gov/la Released: July 14, 2008 Volume 08 No. 19 Days suitable for fieldwork: 6.4 Soil moisture supplies: 13% very short, 38% short, 46% adequate and 3% surplus. Field Crops Report Rain needed throughout the state as soil moisture was mostly short. Rice producers have started to drain fields in preparation for harvest. Rice has headed out and producers scouted fields for stinkbugs. Sheath blight was detected in some rice fields, and farmers applied fungiciedes to susceptible varieties. Soybean producers applied fungicides to fields. Sugarcane producers prepared land and sprayed for borers. Planting of sweet potatoes was near completion. Fruits, Vegetables, and Specialty Crops Report Vegetable crop conditions have stabilized in spite of the dry conditions. Vegetable producers harvested eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and okra. Tomato fields were sprayed to control insects. Livestock, Pasture, and Range Report Pasture and hay field conditions were declining due to the dry conditions. Cattlemen continued cutting hay. Crop Progress Table PERCENT OF PROGRESS Current Last 5 YR CROP STAGE Week Week 2007 AVG Corn Dough 87 80 87 84 Mature 24 2 25 16 Cotton Squaring 88 82 98 96 Setting Bolls 59 42 65 63 Hay First Cutting 99 95 99 95 Second Cutting 44 36 40 27 Peaches Harvested 84 73 70 73 Rice Headed 53 39 58 60 Sorghum Headed 90 86 91 81 Turning Color 31 20 23 21 Soybeans Emerged 100 99 100 99 Blooming 71 59 89 77 Setting Pods 48 35 74 55 Sweet Potatoes Planted 99 98 100 97 Crop Condition Table CONDITIONS IN PERCENTAGES CROP VERY POOR POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT Corn 3 6 28 56 7 Cotton 1 6 37 51 5 Rice 0 2 13 75 10 Sorghum 0 1 43 49 7 Soybeans 1 8 35 48 8 Sugarcane 1 7 30 42 20 Livestock 1 7 32 53 7 Vegetables 4 13 39 41 3 Pasture 5 15 42 31 7 LOUISIANA OFFICE OF STATE CLIMATOLOGY, LSU, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA LOUISIANA WEATHER SUMMARY FROM 07/07/08 TO 07/13/08 AIR PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE WEEKLY FOUR YR.TO MAX MIN AVE NRM TOTAL WEEKS DATE NORM 1. Northwest LSU-Bossier City(100) 73 86 83 0.00 2.34 32.42 29.86 Minden 98 72 85 82 0.29 0.96 25.90 32.38 Mooringsport 98 72 84 MM 0.00 1.72 26.56 26.80 Extreme/Average 100 72 85 82 0.10 1.67 28.29 30.47 2. North-Central LSU-Calhoun 98 71 85 83 0.01 2.12 22.53 32.76 Homer/Hill Farm 96 69 82 81 1.10 2.95 22.82 32.31 ULM-Monroe 97 71 85 83 0.00 0.38 17.52 34.62 Colmubia Lock 97 71 84 MM 0.31 1.96 22.22 35.78 Extreme/Average 98 69 84 82 0.36 1.85 21.27 33.41 3. Northeast Lake Providence 97 73 84 82 0.13 3.01 30.53 35.76 LSU-St Joseph 97 72 85 83 0.00 2.07 25.00 33.98 LSU-Winnsboro 100 71 85 82 0.00 0.47 25.60 33.97 Tallulah 96 72 83 82 0.23 2.05 27.02 35.33 Extreme/Average 100 71 84 83 0.09 1.90 27.04 34.69 4. West-Central Leesville 98 (67) 83 81 0.59 2.44 23.68 32.46 LSU-Rosepine 97 71 83 81 0.26 1.52 22.01 32.61 Natchitoches 99 75 87 83 0.13 0.69 24.39 31.87 Extreme/Average 99 67 84 82 0.33 1.98 22.85 32.13 5. Central Alexandria 98 73 85 83 0.50 3.61 27.57 33.87 Brusly 93 70 82 81 0.00 1.87 29.19 35.16 Bunkie 95 72 83 82 0.06 2.91 26.80 35.81 LSU-Alexandria 96 72 84 82 0.07 2.90 25.26 32.46 Extreme/Average 98 70 83 83 0.16 2.82 27.21 34.24 6. East-Central Franklinton 5SW 96 69 82 MM 0.25 3.32 27.67 MM.MM LSU-Baton Rouge 95 71 83 82 0.11 2.86 28.38 34.69 LSU-Clinton 93 70 82 81 0.13 4.23 30.88 36.00 LSU-Hammond 95 68 82 82 1.16 3.89 34.37 35.67 Slidell 94 71 83 82 0.19 1.93 33.13 35.00 Extreme/Average 96 68 82 82 0.37 3.00 30.89 36.64 7. Southwest De Ridder 95 72 84 82 1.10 3.79 29.02 33.75 Jennings 93 73 83 82 0.42 3.58 29.40 32.30 LSU-Crowley 92 72 83 82 0.84 4.29 29.62 32.94 Extreme/Average 95 72 83 82 0.79 3.89 29.35 32.89 8. South-Central Donaldsonville 93 72 82 82 0.54 3.13 24.56 33.77 LSU-Jeanerette 93 72 83 81 1.30 6.32 25.69 33.77 Morgan City 90 70 81 81 0.84 3.80 20.87 33.66 Extreme/Average 93 70 82 82 0.89 4.42 25.13 33.94 9. Southeast Galliano 94 74 83 82 0.05 2.44 29.69 35.34 Houma 93 72 82 82 1.52 5.92 22.43 34.27 Terrytown 3S 97 75 85 MM 0.20 7.56 39.97 MM.MM Reserve 94 73 83 82 0.27 3.05 28.71 37.54 Extreme/Average 97 72 84 83 0.51 4.74 30.20 35.09 State State Averages 100 67 84 82 0.40 3.00 27.14 33.82 M = Missing ( ) = Extremes Yr. To Date = Through July 13, 2008