mn-crop-weather State Minnesota Weekly Crop-Weather Week Ending Date Week Ending October 18, 2009 Issue MN-CW-42-09 Agricultural Summary Fall harvest progress was hampered by another cool, wet week, according to the USDA, NASS, Minnesota Field Office. Less than 2 days were suitable for fieldwork, statewide. The cold weather and additional precipitation kept most fields too wet to harvest. Soybeans were 34 percent harvested, 47 percentage-points behind last year and 49 points behind the five-year average. Corn harvest advanced 1 point to 3 percent harvested, 14 points behind last year and 28 points behind average. Sugarbeets were 60 percent harvested, 17 points behind last year's pace and 21 points behind average. Other crops being harvested included: potatoes at 95 percent, dry beans at 87 percent and sunflowers at 20 percent harvested. Average temperatures were 8 to 16 degrees below normal. Daytime maximum temperatures were particularly cool at many reporting stations last week. The high for the week in Montevideo was 42 degrees, while Worthington and Staples only reached 45 degrees. In October, normal daytime highs range from the upper 50s to low 60s in southern Minnesota to the mid-50s in the north. Measurable snow fell across the state on Monday and Wednesday. Snowfall totals ranged from 2 inches near Winona in the southeast to over 4 inches near the Red Lakes in the north. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 93 percent adequate or surplus. Corn was 84 percent mature or beyond compared to 93 percent last year and 97 percent average. Corn condition was 73 percent good to excellent. Soybeans were 97 percent mature with 67 percent of the crop in good to excellent condition. Sugarbeet condition was 71 percent good to excellent while sunflowers were 55 percent good to excellent, down 2 points from a week ago. Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table Days Suitable for Fieldwork: 1.6 Soil Moisture Table Very Short Short Adequate Surplus Topsoil Moisture (%) 1 6 66 27 Crop Progress Table Crop Progress as of October 18, 2009 Stage of This Last Last 5 Yr Crop Development Week Week Year Avg Percent Corn Mature 84 71 93 97 Harvested 3 2 17 31 Corn Silage Harvested 94 90 99 99 Soybeans Mature 97 92 99 100 Harvested 34 26 81 83 Moisture 15 14 13 12 Potatoes Harvested 95 89 97 94 Dry Beans Harvested 87 82 99 95 Sugarbeets Harvested 60 47 77 81 Sunflowers Harvested 20 14 31 31 Crop Condition Table Condition as of October 18, 2009 in % Very Poor Poor Fair Good Exc Pasture 7 13 36 41 3 Soybeans 3 5 25 54 13 Corn 2 4 21 57 16 Sunflowers 1 9 35 42 13 Sugarbeets 1 3 25 54 17 Weather Information Table Precipitation and Temperature Summary for 10/12/2009 through 10/18/2009 Temperature Precipitation High Low Week Depart Week Depart From Norm Ave from Total Past Four Since Norm Week Weeks 4/1 NW DIST 1 Crookston 44 19 34.0 -11.0 .52 .09 .59 2.42 Moorhead 62 17 36.4 -9.9 .87 .41 2.39 -2.65 Warroad 42 19 33.5 -9.5 .13 -.27 -1.11 .35 NC DIST 2 Grand Rapids 57 21 35.7 -8.9 .30 -.33 -.98 -5.91 Intl. Falls 60 17 35.0 -7.4 .24 -.20 -.10 -4.05 Itasca 40 18 30.6 -11.7 .63 .04 1.04 -3.72 NE DIST 3 Duluth 56 22 35.7 -8.5 .36 -.17 -.69 -6.52 Grand Marais 50 31 40.2 -4.9 .45 -.13 -1.26 -5.42 Hibbing 57 13 34.2 -8.6 .17 -.39 -1.61 -7.66 WC DIST 4 Alexandria 61 21 36.0 -10.0 .58 .08 1.28 -7.56 Browns Valley 46 18 33.7 -13.8 .89 .48 4.80 3.15 Canby 46 21 34.4 -15.4 .74 .26 4.44 -2.73 Dalton 42 23 33.4 -13.8 .77 .30 1.55 -1.23 Montevideo 42 18 33.2 -14.8 .79 .34 6.55 1.08 Morris 45 19 33.6 -13.3 .85 .31 3.14 -4.51 Wadena 41 19 31.4 -13.0 .51 -.09 1.30 -5.01m Wheaton 46 22 34.2 -13.0 .89 .46 3.13 -3.06m CENT DIST 5 Becker 49 24 36.8 -10.1 .17 -.32 1.58 -4.67 Collegeville 63 24 38.1 -11.5 .74 .18 3.56 1.07 Hutchinson 53 23 36.8 -11.4 .67 .24 4.03 -1.59 Melrose 46 21 33.8 -13.0 .77 .21 2.32 -1.34 Olivia 47 21 34.8 -12.8 .63 .21 3.95 .17 St. Cloud 63 22 37.6 -8.5 .51 .00 2.71 -1.94 Staples 45 18 34.2 -10.9 .56 -.04 .86 -2.83 Willmar 47 22 34.6 -12.9 .74 .25 3.33 -.97 EC DIST 6 Aitkin 53 19 32.6 -12.1 .76 .19 .93 -2.78 Forest Lake 53 23 36.4 -11.9 .59 .03 2.05 -6.56 Hinckley 48 19 33.0 -11.1 .54 -.07 2.15 -.43 MSP Airport 63 26 39.0 -10.4 .64 .17 2.24 -4.09 St. Paul - UofM 49 24 35.4 -15.8 .60 .04 2.30 -7.61 SW DIST 7 Lamberton 46 23 35.3 -13.3 .71 .27 4.09 -1.72 Pipestone 45 18 33.8 -13.6 .76 .26 1.89 -1.71 Redwood Falls 65 23 38.6 -11.4 .64 .22 4.32 -4.72 Worthington 45 22 34.2 -13.2 .69 .25 2.94 1.07 SC DIST 8 Faribault 49 24 35.8 -12.2 .65 .16 3.07 -2.39 Mankato 51 24 36.0 -13.1 .52 -.03 2.64 -8.03 Winnebago 50 25 37.3 -12.3 .71 .16 4.12 -4.65 La Crosse 58 28 39.2 -12.0 .50 .04 1.14 -4.57 SE DIST 9 Preston 50 25 35.4 -13.3 .64 .13 1.72 -4.08 Red Wing 50 29 37.6 -11.4 .66 .19 1.93 -1.74 Rochester 59 25 37.4 -10.3 .71 .23 2.51 -2.42 Rosemount 50 25 36.0 -13.1 .72 .17 2.53 -3.56 Contact Information USDA, NASS MINNESOTA FIELD OFFICE IN COOPERATION WITH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE- CHANHASSEN MN, UNIV. OF MINN. EXTENSION SERVICE, DNR STATE CLIMATOLOGY OFFICE, USDA-FSA, AND USDA-NRCS USDA-NASS MINNESOTA FIELD OFFICE Minnesota Department of Agriculture PO Box 7068, St. Paul, MN 55107 Phone: (651) 296-2230 E-mail: nass-mn@nass.usda.gov Homepage: http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn/