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: November 17, 2008 Volume 08 No. 37 Days suitable for fieldwork: 4.9 Soil moisture supplies: 4% very short, 30% short, 62% adequate and 4% surplus Field Crops Report Rain fell across much of Louisiana; however, some areas of the state remained in need of rainfall. Cooler seasonal temperatures continued to be felt throughout the state. Sugarcane harvest continued to make progress but was slowed down due to rain. Sweet potato harvest continued with better quality on recently harvested sweet potatoes. Fruits, Vegetables, and Specialty Crops Report Vegetable production was slow. Tomatoes were harvested from greenhouses. Strawberry producers sprayed plants to control disease. Citrus producers continued to harvest satsumas. Crawfish producers continued to maintain water levels. Livestock, Pasture, and Range Report Winter forages benefited from rain in some areas but more moisture would help. Crop Progress Table PERCENT OF PROGRESS Current Last 5 YR CROP STAGE Week Week 2007 AVG Cotton Harvested 99 97 100 99 Pecans Harvested 55 44 70 59 Sweetpotatoes Harvested 92 82 97 95 Sugarcane Harvested 38 31 48 48 Winter Wheat Planted 54 44 54 47 Emerged 23 19 0 22 Crop Condition Table CONDITIONS IN PERCENTAGES CROP VERY POOR POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT Sugarcane 4 16 40 30 10 Livestock 3 10 39 44 4 Vegetables 4 17 47 31 1 Pasture 7 18 46 28 1 LOUISIANA OFFICE OF STATE CLIMATOLOGY, LSU, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA LOUISIANA WEATHER SUMMARY FROM 11/10/08 TO 11/16/08 AIR PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE WEEKLY FOUR YR.TO MAX MIN AVE NRM TOTAL WEEKS DATE NORM 1. Northwest LSU-Bossier City 74 31 54 56 2.51 3.20 44.74 44.77 Minden 74 28 53 55 2.61 2.99 42.03 47.87 Mooringsport 69 32 54 MM 2.97 3.81 41.33 41.18 Extreme/Average 74 28 54 56 2.70 3.51 44.74 45.91 2. North-Central LSU-Calhoun 72 29 54 56 1.42 1.80 46.97 47.99 Homer/Hill Farm 72 29 51 54 2.90 3.09 37.95 48.36 ULM-Monroe 70 30 54 56 1.57 2.12 42.93 49.76 Colmubia Lock 70 31 54 MM 2.29 3.69 49.48 51.17 Extreme/Average 72 29 53 56 2.05 2.91 42.93 49.08 3. Northeast Lake Providence 67 31 53 55 1.18 2.86 55.95 50.77 LSU-St Joseph 72 33 56 58 2.29 3.49 58.49 48.54 LSU-Winnsboro 70 33 55 57 2.78 3.57 55.82 48.45 Tallulah 69 30 54 56 2.30 4.06 49.99 50.16 Extreme/Average 72 30 54 57 2.14 2.86 55.95 49.44 4. West-Central Leesville 72 (28) 57 58 4.20 4.72 40.73 49.24 LSU-Rosepine 73 29 58 58 2.91 3.31 40.07 50.63 Natchitoches 75 38 58 57 3.53 4.14 49.26 46.89 Extreme/Average 75 28 58 58 3.55 4.02 40.40 48.14 5. Central Alexandria 69 33 56 59 2.49 2.95 44.78 52.45 Brusly 80 31 59 59 0.55 0.87 52.88 55.47 Bunkie 74 32 57 59 1.04 1.74 53.93 53.07 LSU-Alexandria 72 34 57 58 2.29 3.06 56.14 51.13 Extreme/Average 80 31 57 59 1.59 1.85 53.41 52.62 6. East-Central Franklinton 5SW 76 34 58 MM 0.73 1.21 45.08 MM.MM LSU-Baton Rouge 80 35 60 60 0.67 0.88 49.68 54.09 LSU-Clinton MM MM MM 58 M.MM 0.39 40.41 55.34 LSU-Hammond 75 32 58 59 0.61 0.63 52.05 56.45 Slidell 79 35 61 61 0.78 1.07 54.21 55.65 Extreme/Average 80 32 59 60 0.70 0.95 50.26 56.54 7. Southwest De Ridder 73 33 59 59 2.47 2.57 46.23 52.25 Jennings 79 34 60 60 2.36 3.05 49.52 53.08 LSU-Crowley 79 34 60 61 1.53 1.89 48.34 52.86 Extreme/Average 79 33 59 61 2.12 2.47 48.93 53.83 8. South-Central Donaldsonville 79 36 61 61 1.02 1.28 45.12 54.82 LSU-Jeanerette (81) 35 61 60 1.35 1.56 54.91 55.42 Morgan City 75 39 60 62 0.31 0.74 46.35 58.22 Extreme/Average 81 35 61 62 0.89 1.19 54.91 56.05 9. Southeast Galliano 81 40 64 63 0.01 1.26 56.80 59.40 Houma 79 37 62 63 0.07 0.48 52.91 57.19 Terrytown 3S 81 43 65 MM 0.00 0.56 64.68 MM.MM Reserve 79 38 63 61 0.31 0.85 53.18 57.97 Extreme/Average 81 37 63 63 0.10 0.79 53.05 57.35 State Averages 81 28 58 59 1.70 2.21 49.58 52.42 M = Missing ( ) = Extremes Yr. To Date = Through November 16, 2008