United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Crop Progress & Condition Report Mississippi Field Office, PO Box 980 Jackson, MS 39205-0980 (601) 965-4575 * (601) 965-5622 FAX * www.nass.usda.gov Cooperating with Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Released: April 17, 2012 Week Ending Date: April 15, 2012 Issue CW1612 According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi, there were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, April 15, 2012. Many Mississippi farmers are ahead of schedule for planting most crops due to the early start to the season and the wet spring. Many farmers have completed corn planting and some cotton has been put into the ground. Winter wheat is starting to mature in some areas and farmers may start harvesting very soon. Soil moisture was rated 6 percent short, 84 percent adequate and 10 percent surplus. Crop progress for week ending April 15, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year : average --------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn, planted : 92 80 87 85 Corn, emerged : 77 57 67 67 Cotton, planted : 5 0 1 3 Hay-Cool Season, harvested : 16 8 17 13 Rice, planted : 60 36 26 22 Rice, emerged : 35 12 10 6 Sorghum, planted : 25 20 17 13 Sorghum, emerged : 13 7 0 2 Soybeans, planted : 31 16 16 21 Soybeans, emerged : 16 7 4 8 Watermelons, planted : 52 43 58 64 Winter Wheat, jointing : 99 96 98 94 Winter Wheat, heading : 93 79 72 49 Winter Wheat, mature : 2 0 0 0 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending April 15, 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Item : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Blueberries : 0 1 9 90 0 Corn : 0 6 14 52 28 Livestock : 2 10 44 35 9 Pasture : 2 7 24 57 10 Watermelons : 0 0 37 63 0 Winter Wheat : 0 7 29 50 14 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments "Rains varied from area to area in the county. Depending on what end of the county you were in, some farmers were able to plant early in the week, where others had to wait until later in week. Many farmers who were planting in short moisture welcomed the rain and rains kept rice farmers from having to flush." --Laura Giaccaglia, Bolivar "This is shaping up to be one of the earliest planted crops in a long time. We have some producers that are over 75% completed with planting. The only thing not being planted in earnest right now is cotton due to normal April temperatures. Rice, soybeans, corn, and grain sorghum planting are well ahead of the normal planting schedule." --Anthony Bland, Tunica "We have wrapped up corn planting with the exception of silage corn in the lake bottom that is subject to flooding. A few soybeans are being planted with plans for most cotton farmers to start sometime the week of April 15. Many say they will wait until about the 20th but we will see." --Stephen Winters, Grenada "Producers are remembering what it is like to have a wet spring again; most are behind on planting, fertilizing, and spraying. We need a stretch of dry weather to get caught up. High winds are even preventing the use of airplanes for some of these tasks." --Strider McCrory, Sunflower "Growers had a good week of field work. Corn, rice and soybeans look good. Some cotton has been planted on heavy ground." --Don Respess, Quitman "We got back in the field about mid-week. Planting and seed bed preparation is going well. All in all, the crops are coming along pretty good." --Jimbo Burkhalter, Tallahatchie "Rains Sunday night into Monday morning improved the soil moisture. Some producers said they were waiting to see what rains would do before going all out on soybean plantings." --Lemon Phillips, Marshall "Good weather allowed for long busy days in the field. Many have completed corn planting. We are near completion of rice planting. Soybean planting has moved well forward and cotton planting is off to a good start. Most of the corn has been side dressed with nitrogen and most of corn and soybean herbicide work has been completed." --Jerry Singleton, Leflore "Field work on lighter soil was moving along very well last week. Some of the heavy clay soil was still too soft for some of the farmers to do much work in those fields." --Lester Stephens, Washington "The early spring weather has stimulated a lot of activity in the row crop fields and the livestock pastures. Gardeners are getting fired up about planting with the threat of freezing temperatures hopefully in the past." --Houston Therrell, Rankin "Numerous farmers were in the hay field this week. The weather was good. Many farmers and landowners were planting and working in gardens." --Anita Webb, Scott Mississippi Weather Summary for Week Ending April 15, 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Air Temperature : Precipitation :------------------------------------------ Division/Station :Max:Min:Avg:Norm:DFN:One : DFN :Rain:Four : : : : : :Week: :Days:Weeks ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Upper Delta Clarksdale 83 42 63 61 +2 0.00 -1.19 0 4.48 Lambert 5E 82 39 63 0.00 -1.12 0 3.52 Tunica 2 85 40 62 61 +1 0.00 -1.37 0 2.12 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 85 39 62 62 0 0.00 -1.27 0 3.37 2. North-Central Batesville 2SW 85 39 62 59 +3 0.00 -1.20 0 3.05 Hickory Flat 82 32 57 59 -2 0.00 -1.26 0 2.99 Holly Springs 4 82 35 60 57 +3 0.00 -1.26 0 1.84 Independence 1W 81 33 57 59 -2 0.00 -1.12 0 2.15 University 85 36 61 59 +2 0.00 -1.19 0 3.03 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 85 32 59 60 -1 0.00 -1.26 0 2.61 3. Northeast Booneville 80 35 58 59 -1 0.00 -1.19 0 3.39 Corinth City 81 34 58 61 -3 0.00 -1.19 0 3.09 Fulton 3W 81 35 58 62 -4 0.00 -1.21 0 4.52 Tupelo 2 82 38 60 0.00 0 4.65 Verona Exp 77 38 59 60 -1 0.00 -1.24 0 4.83 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 82 34 58 60 -2 0.00 -1.22 0 4.10 4. Lower Delta Belzoni 80 46 62 62 0 0.00 -1.33 0 3.17 Moorhead 83 46 65 63 +2 0.74 -0.59 2 4.72 Rolling Fork 87 47 67 62 +5 0.00 -1.33 0 3.66 Yazoo City 5NNE 87 49 67 63 +4 0.82 -0.58 2 4.24 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 87 46 65 63 +2 0.39 -0.94 1 4.21 5. Central Canton 83 43 63 63 0 0.19 -1.14 2 7.13 Carthage 3SW 82 30 58 61 -3 0.00 -1.38 0 4.67 Forest 3S 85 40 65 62 +3 0.00 -1.40 0 6.77 Kosciusko 83 42 63 61 +2 0.02 -1.32 1 4.72 Winona 5E 81 39 60 58 +2 0.00 -1.30 0 3.80 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 85 30 62 62 0 0.04 -1.35 1 5.42 6. East-Central Aberdeen 81 36 60 60 0 0.43 -0.83 1 3.11 Columbus 83 36 61 62 -1 0.33 -1.00 1 3.29 Macon 2E 82 40 63 61 +2 0.01 -1.33 1 4.11 State University 83 39 62 61 +1 0.06 -1.27 1 4.17 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 83 36 61 62 -1 0.21 -1.12 1 3.67 7. Southwest Brookhaven City 81 50 65 63 +2 0.00 -1.52 0 6.51 Crystal Springs 83 46 66 64 +2 0.00 -1.45 0 6.37 Natchez 83 51 67 65 +2 0.04 -1.40 1 5.24 Vicksburg 84 51 67 0.00 0 5.08 Woodville 4ESE 83 51 67 64 +3 0.05 -1.41 2 6.14 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 84 46 66 64 +2 0.02 -1.39 1 5.71 8. South-Central Collins 82 47 64 63 +1 0.00 -1.28 0 6.89 Columbia 84 52 68 64 +4 0.00 -1.40 0 7.58 Monticello 82 50 66 63 +3 0.00 -1.46 0 5.23 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 84 47 66 64 +2 0.00 -1.40 0 6.57 9. Southeast Hattiesburg 82 49 66 64 +2 0.00 -1.31 0 7.87 Waynesboro 2W 86 46 64 63 +1 0.00 -1.06 0 8.17 ------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 86 46 65 63 +2 0.00 -1.27 0 8.02 State Averages 87 30 63 62 +1 0.07 -1.25 1 5.05 DFN = Departure from Normal.