mn-crop-weather State Minnesota Weekly Crop-Weather Week Ending Date Week Ending May 15, 2011 Issue MN-CW-19-11 Agricultural Summary Planting progress was made this past week in spite of frequent rain showers, according to the USDA, NASS, Minnesota Field Office. As of May 15, spring wheat advanced 21 percentage points to 39 percent planted. Corn advanced 19 points to 47 percent planted. Similar progress was made with oats, barley, and sugarbeets at 54 percent planted, 22 percent planted, and 31 percent planted, respectively. Potato planting remained the farthest along with 61 percent planted. Planting conditions remained variable. Cool weather prevented fields from drying out, and frequent rain continued to limit planting progress. One reporter noted that planting was taking place around wet spots. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 64 percent adequate and 36 percent surplus compared to 60 percent adequate and 40 percent surplus during the previous week. Statewide, 3 days were rated suitable for fieldwork. Temperatures returned to average statewide after below-average readings prevailed throughout the spring. Precipitation was .23 inch above normal. A severe storm Tuesday night, brought on by extreme warmth and moisture, created strong instability in the atmosphere and brought hail and even tornado activity to central and eastern parts of the state. A cool front followed Wednesday night and into Thursday. Periodic rainfall extended through the weekend, though sunshine returned on Sunday. Pasture condition was rated 2 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 23 percent fair, 57 percent good, and 14 percent excellent, a slight improvement from the previous week. Some areas along the Minnesota and Red Rivers are still under flood warning. Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table Days Suitable for Fieldwork: 3.0 Soil Moisture Table Very Short Short Adequate Surplus Topsoil Moisture (%) 0 0 64 36 Crop Progress Table Crop Progress as of May 15, 2011 Stage of This Last Last 5 Yr Crop Development Week Week Year Avg Percent Corn Land Prepared 59 41 100 88 Planted 47 28 95 81 Emerged 1 0 49 33 Soybeans Land Prepared 17 5 70 54 Planted 9 2 46 38 Oats Planted 54 37 100 89 Emerged 15 4 92 66 Spring Wheat Planted 39 18 99 76 Emerged 5 1 94 49 Barley Planted 22 9 99 73 Emerged 6 2 92 45 Canola Planted 17 3 91 43 Green Peas Planted 38 17 88 71 Sweet Corn Planted 10 3 37 30 Dry Beans Planted 4 0 5 14 Potatoes Planted 61 40 78 73 Sunflowers Planted 3 0 31 24 Sugarbeets Planted 31 17 100 81 Crop Condition Table Condition as of May 15, 2011 in % Very Poor Poor Fair Good Exc Pasture 2 4 23 57 14 Weather Information Table Precipitation and Temperature Summary for 5/9/2011 through 5/15/2011 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 69 38 51.8 -3.3 .21 -.29 -.60 .19 Itasca 74 31 50.6 -.5 .83 .26 .03 1.55 Moorhead 74 36 52.3 -3.8 1.68 1.14 .90 1.55 Warroad 69 38 50.8 -.6 .46 -.03 .13 1.90 NC DIST 2 Grand Rapids 81 38 52.9 -.1 .16 -.43 .78 1.04 Intl. Falls 72 35 51.2 -.9 .22 -.29 -.22 1.62 NE DIST 3 Duluth 75 36 49.9 -.8 .25 -.36 .71 1.07 Grand Marais 69 36 49.5 3.2 .41 -.12 .37 .58 Hibbing 82 31 52.4 .9 .11 -.41 .79 .92 WC DIST 4 Alexandria 84 41 55.0 -.0 .63 .02 .16 -.29 Browns Valley 82 38 52.6 -4.3 1.07 .57 .47 -.36 Canby 84 40 53.8 -3.8 1.44 .83 .69 .02 Montevideo 87 42 56.0 -.8 .85 .19 .45 .03 Morris 83 40 53.2 -3.4 1.72 1.12 1.18 .31 Wheaton 80 37 52.8 -3.4 1.01 .49 -.01 -.50 CENT DIST 5 Becker 84 41 56.8 1.0 1.07 .34 1.51 1.69 Collegeville 84 43 59.0 1.1 .73 .00 1.25 .59 Hutchinson 90 39 57.0 .0 1.30 .67 1.95 2.42 Melrose 84 38 55.4 -.5 .86 .17 1.27 .62 Olivia 89 39 56.5 -.4 2.25 1.61 2.20 1.96 St. Cloud 82 41 56.7 1.3 .58 -.02 .80 .31 Wadena 79 38 53.6 .1 .80 .18 -.12 .12 Willmar 89 42 55.6 -.2 1.08 .44 1.35 1.27 EC DIST 6 Aitkin 72 36 49.2 -3.2 .54 -.11 1.38 1.46 Forest Lake 81 39 56.8 .4 1.49 .76 1.38 1.05 Hinckley 78 39 54.6 1.7 .81 .09 1.04 .68 MSP Airport 88 44 59.2 1.2 .59 -.09 .95 .02 St. Paul - UofM 86 42 57.4 -.1 .73 -.05 .86 .08 SW DIST 7 Lamberton 89 41 57.2 -.2 1.78 1.07 1.09 .44 Marshall 87 28 51.3 -6.2 1.31 .63 .70 .63 Pipestone 85 39 55.4 -.9 1.70 .98 .74 1.42 Redwood Falls 91 43 57.8 -1.1 1.54 .88 1.38 2.38 Worthington 88 37 56.0 .3 1.44 .74 .28 .53 SC DIST 8 Faribault 90 43 59.1 3.2 1.48 .66 .99 1.09 North Mankato 94 41 57.6 .2 1.41 .69 .20 -.21 Waseca 92 42 59.2 2.2 1.16 .28 -.29 .58 Winnebago 96 42 59.2 1.9 .98 .12 -.17 -.01 SE DIST 9 Preston 89 43 61.2 5.9 1.46 .60 .75 .98 Red Wing 87 44 58.6 1.4 .90 .14 .04 -.63 Rochester 88 43 60.0 4.5 1.47 .69 .63 .84 Rosemount 87 42 58.2 2.1 .67 -.20 .64 4.87 Winona 86 43 59.4 2.2 1.18 .34 -.69 -.28 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) 201-6030 E-mail: nass-mn@nass.usda.gov Homepage: http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn/