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: September 24, 2012 Week Ending Date: September 23, 2012 Issue CW3712 According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, September 23, 2012. Mississippi had rain during the first part of the week, but growers were able to make good progress harvesting after fields dried out. Fall tillage work continues to move forward. Producers are baling hay when possible. Armyworms have been reported as a problem in bermuda grass hay fields and yards. Soil moisture was rated 1 percent very short, 17 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Crop progress for week ending September 23, 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year : average --------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn, harvested : 99 96 97 91 Cotton, open bolls : 91 87 90 87 Cotton, harvested : 13 9 15 20 Hay-Warm Season, harvested : 96 94 93 94 Peanuts, dug : 26 16 10 12 Peanuts, harvested : 18 11 5 11 Rice, mature : 100 99 99 98 Rice, harvested : 89 81 71 62 Sorghum, mature : 100 99 99 99 Sorghum, harvested : 85 79 89 79 Soybeans, turning color : 96 86 92 90 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 84 73 77 75 Soybeans, harvested : 62 58 35 43 Sweet Potatoes, harvested : 46 26 49 41 Winter Wheat, planted : 3 0 13 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending September 23, 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Item : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Cotton : 1 6 21 51 21 Livestock : 0 4 23 64 9 Pasture : 0 2 19 63 16 Peanuts : 0 1 30 43 26 Sweet Potatoes : 0 17 30 32 21 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments "Cotton is either being defoliated, or has been defoliated and is ready to pick, or is being picked. Yields are holding up pretty well, especially on irrigated ground. Soybeans are still being harvested and we're in the short rows with the corn harvest." -- Jimbo Burkhalter, Tallahatchie "A great forecast this week will help growers with the harvest. With the exception of a few acres, corn harvest is done. Soybean harvest made a lot of progress this past week, with most of the acres remaining group fives or wheat beans. Some pickers got fired up late last week and cotton looks to be yielding pretty well, but no reports in yet. Growers are focusing on finishing up the harvest and getting fields ready for the 2013 crop." -- Preston Aust, Humphreys "Corn harvest is completed. Rice and soybean harvest is moving fast toward completion. Cotton harvest is going strong and peanuts are being dug. Fall tillage work continues to move rapidly forward." -- Jerry Singleton, Leflore "Producers are baling hay when possible. Rye grass land is being broken and some fields are already planted. Beef producers are optimistic about the future and farming in general. We need about a week for things to dry out for some serious farm work. Armyworms are a problem in bermuda grass hay fields; some reported in yards." -- Lee Taylor, Lamar "After some rain during the first of the week, growers were able to make good progress harvesting and doing some fall tillage." -- Don Respess, Quitman "Corn harvest is drawing to a close. The majority of the county could use a good rain. I'm anxious to see what our yields will show in soybeans and cotton." -- Patrick Poindexter, Alcorn "Cotton harvest is well underway and the crop looks good. Fall field work is proceeding across the county as fields dry up." -- Lester Stephens, Washington "Some field activity occurred this last week in hay. Weather was advantageous for the row crop producer allowing them to harvest without rain. The cooler temperatures are most welcome." -- Houston Therrell, Attala "We are taking advantage of good harvesting weather." -- Ernest Flint, Attala "Soybeans that were early planted are turning color and dropping leaves. These range in maturity from R7 to R8. There are still soybeans that are in the R4-5 stage." -- Carolyn Conger, Covington "The rest of the warm season hay is being cut with good yields. Soybeans are getting ready for harvest and good yields are expected." -- Charlie Bush, Simpson "Cotton has been definitely wind whipped by the storm. This may cause some problems for harvest and we may see some boll rot. Producers are baling hay where possible. Some have put up several hundred bales. Armyworms are active in bermuda grass pastures." -- Lee Taylor, Forrest Mississippi Weather Summary for Week Ending September 23, 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Air Temperature : Precipitation : :------------------------------------------- Division/Station :Max:Min:Avg:Norm:DFN:One : DFN :Rain:Four : : : : : : :Week: :Days:Weeks: -------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Upper Delta Clarksdale 87 49 67 73 -6 1.70 +1.00 2 3.08 Cleveland 90 50 70 74 -4 1.59 +0.82 2 3.10 Lambert 5E 92 47 70 0.98 +0.22 2 2.05 Tunica 2 85 52 68 72 -4 1.85 +1.22 1 13.49 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 92 47 69 73 -4 1.53 +0.79 2 6.21 2. North-Central Batesville 2SW 89 46 68 72 -4 0.05 -0.72 1 0.87 Hickory Flat 84 43 65 71 -6 1.10 +0.19 3 3.88 Holly Springs 4 87 41 65 70 -5 1.71 +0.87 2 4.43 Independence 1W 83 45 66 71 -5 0.83 +0.01 2 3.30 University 86 43 66 71 -5 0.78 -0.08 2 6.61 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 89 41 66 72 -6 0.89 +0.05 2 3.82 3. Northeast Booneville 84 46 65 71 -6 2.02 +1.17 2 5.45 Corinth city 84 46 66 73 -7 1.98 +0.98 2 3.28 Fulton 3W 85 46 67 73 -6 3.07 +2.09 2 8.29 Pontotoc Exp 85 47 67 73 -6 1.95 +0.97 3 3.98 Tupelo 2 86 48 68 3.30 2 6.23 Verona Exp 81 47 66 73 -7 2.53 +1.57 2 4.71 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 86 46 66 72 -6 2.48 +1.54 2 5.32 4. Lower Delta Belzoni 87 51 69 74 -5 1.21 +0.51 2 3.60 Moorhead 89 52 70 75 -5 2.61 +1.77 2 2.88 Rolling Fork 90 52 70 74 -4 3.08 +2.36 2 7.62 Yazoo City 5NNE 92 54 74 75 -1 2.40 +1.72 1 4.71 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 92 51 71 74 -3 2.33 +1.57 2 5.07 5. Central Eupora 2E 86 45 66 72 -6 1.50 +0.59 2 2.70 Forest 3S 86 45 69 74 -5 2.70 +1.86 2 7.12 Kosciusko 87 48 68 74 -6 0.53 -0.31 2 3.01 Winona 5E 86 44 66 70 -4 2.98 +2.11 3 3.88 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 87 44 67 73 -6 1.93 +1.09 2 4.67 6. East-Central Columbus 84 47 69 74 -5 1.76 +0.92 2 2.89 Macon 2E 86 48 67 73 -6 3.18 +2.35 2 8.69 State University 90 48 69 73 -4 2.98 +2.14 2 6.18 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 90 47 68 73 -5 2.64 +1.79 2 4.54 7. Southwest Crystal Springs 88 51 71 75 -4 1.87 +0.82 1 4.12 Natchez 87 49 70 75 -5 1.48 +0.64 3 6.67 Vicksburg 88 50 70 1.23 1 7.26 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 88 49 70 75 -5 1.53 +0.64 2 6.02 8. South-Central Collins 85 52 69 74 -5 0.80 -0.18 2 8.25 Columbia 89 55 72 75 -3 1.61 +0.65 3 13.56 Monticello 91 52 72 75 -3 0.00 -0.86 0 11.00 Raleigh 85 47 66 2.89 2 9.35 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 91 47 70 75 -5 1.33 +0.37 2 10.54 9. Southeast Hattiesburg 87 55 72 76 -4 1.42 +0.44 2 11.85 Laurel 89 53 72 75 -3 1.32 +0.31 2 11.90 Newton Exp 87 48 68 73 -5 2.67 +1.83 2 6.83 Waynesboro 2W 92 54 73 74 -1 3.12 +2.04 3 13.54 -------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 92 48 71 75 -4 2.13 +1.15 2 11.03 State Averages 92 41 69 74 -5 1.87 +1.00 2 6.42 -------------------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure from Normal.