LA-WEATHER United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Louisiana Field Office Crop Weather Cooperating with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture Louisiana Field Office · 5825 Florida Blvd · Baton Rouge, LA 70806 (225) 922-1362 · (225) 922-0744 FAX www.nass.usda.gov/la Released: December 7, 2009 Volume 09 No. 40 Days suitable for fieldwork: 3.6 Soil moisture supplies: 2% short, 49% adequate, and 45% surplus Field Crops Report Rain slowed down field work across most of the state last week. Cotton harvest reached one hundred percent last week. Sugarcane harvest reached sixty-six percent, behind the five-year average of seventy-two percent. Eighty-nine percent of the winter wheat was planted, behind the five-year average of ninety-four percent. Emerged winterwheat was at sixty-one percent, behind the five-year average of seventy-five percent. Fruits, Vegetables, and Specialty Crops Report Producers harvested tomatoes, greens, and strawberries. Pecan harvest reached eighty-four percent, behind the five-year average of ninety percent. Ninety-nine percent of the sweet potato harvest was completed; sweet potato harvest was already complete by this week during the past five years. Livestock, Pasture, and Range Report Cattlemen continued to market calves and establish winter pastures. PERCENT OF PROGRESS CROP STAGE Current Last 2008 5 YR Week Week Cotton Harvested 100 98 100 100 Pecans Harvested 84 75 96 90 Sweet Potatoes Harvested 99 93 99 100 Sugarcane Harvested 66 58 72 72 Winter Wheat Planted 89 67 99 94 Winter Wheat Emerged 61 26 96 75 ITEM VERY POOR POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT Sugarcane 0 5 34 44 17 Livestock 1 6 46 43 4 Vegetables 8 22 37 31 2 Pasture 3 17 46 33 1 LOUISIANA OFFICE OF STATE CLIMATOLOGY, LSU, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA LOUISIANA WEATHER SUMMARY FROM 11/30/09 TO 12/06/09 AIR PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE WEEKLY FOUR YR. TO MAX MIN AVG NRM TOTAL WEEKS DATE NORM 1. Northwest LSU-Bossier City 71 24 44 50 1.61 2.47 58.93 47.62 Minden 72 21 42 49 2.10 3.02 65.59 51.25 Mooringsport 70 23 44 MM 2.52 3.02 67.26 44.36 Extreme/Average 72 21 43 50 2.08 2.84 63.93 48.99 2. North-Central LSU-Calhoun 72 21 43 51 1.58 2.23 60.09 51.06 Homer/Hill Farm 71 (19) 41 48 2.02 2.99 70.48 51.74 ULM-Monroe 73 26 44 50 1.63 2.12 63.52 53.17 Columbia Lock 72 26 44 MM 1.47 2.47 54.30 54.61 Extreme/Average 73 19 43 50 1.68 2.45 62.10 52.31 3. Northeast Lake Providence 71 25 43 49 1.64 2.18 59.74 54.19 LSU-St Joseph 75 25 45 52 0.69 1.27 46.26 51.90 LSU-Winnsboro 74 23 44 51 1.15 1.60 50.61 51.87 Tallulah 73 23 44 50 0.97 1.31 57.90 53.71 Extreme/Average 75 23 44 51 1.11 1.59 53.00 52.85 4. West-Central Leesville 75 22 45 52 1.84 3.60 54.36 52.85 LSU-Rosepine 54 25 42 52 1.20 2.92 49.64 54.20 Natchitoches 76 28 48 51 1.26 2.33 58.22 50.08 Extreme/Average 76 22 46 52 1.55 2.97 56.29 51.46 5. Central Alexandria 76 27 47 53 1.42 3.07 50.19 56.25 Brusly MM MM MM 54 0.00 0.75 46.57 58.40 Bunkie 75 27 47 54 2.00 4.43 56.01 56.85 LSU-Alexandria 76 28 46 52 1.50 3.57 50.41 55.35 Extreme/Average 76 27 47 54 1.64 3.69 53.21 56.25 6. East-Central Franklinton 5SW 64 29 47 MM 2.60 3.75 52.54 MM.MM LSU-Baton Rouge 74 30 49 55 3.12 4.50 46.47 57.30 Amite 76 29 48 54 2.47 3.48 49.96 61.30 LSU-Hammond 74 29 48 54 2.26 3.06 41.04 59.68 Slidell 72 32 49 55 3.24 4.42 51.89 58.90 Extreme/Average 76 29 48 55 2.74 3.84 48.38 59.86 7. Southwest DeRidder (77) 25 47 54 0.83 2.37 54.42 55.97 Jennings 76 28 48 55 2.73 5.39 54.53 56.44 LSU-Crowley 74 30 48 55 2.10 4.15 59.59 56.06 Extreme/Average 77 25 47 56 1.89 3.97 56.18 57.18 8. South-Central Donaldsonville 75 30 50 56 2.41 3.38 59.81 57.83 LSU-Jeanerette 76 30 50 56 2.33 3.65 69.15 58.27 Morgan City 71 32 51 57 2.36 3.22 46.94 61.52 Extreme/Average 76 30 51 57 2.37 3.42 58.63 59.15 9. Southeast Galliano 75 34 54 58 3.12 3.59 57.46 62.26 Houma 69 33 51 58 4.15 4.91 41.98 60.14 Terrytown 3S 74 36 53 MM 2.67 3.26 58.35 MM.MM Extreme/Average 75 33 53 58 3.31 3.92 57.91 60.55 State State Averages 77 19 47 54 2.04 3.29 56.36 55.74 M = Missing ( ) = Extremes Yr. to Date = Through December 6, 2009 The Louisiana-Crop Weather Summary is published weekly beginning the Second week of March and ending the first week of December by USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service's Louisiana Field Office. Subscription is free to respondents and cooperators, $12.00 annually to all others. For free automatic e-mail subscription to this publication, go to our homepage at http://www.nass.usda.gov/la and click on "Subscribe to LA reports" on the right hand side of the page. Choose the reports you want to receive, and complete the form.