nd-crop-weather STATE NORTH DAKOTA CROP, LIVESTOCK & WEATHER REPORT RELEASE DATE, MONTH ENDING DATE Released: March 28, 2005 For Month Ending: March 27, 2005 ISSUE ND-CW1305 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY General: Mild weather during March provided favorable calving and lambing conditions, according to the North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. Much needed moisture was received in the southern part of the state; however, dry soil conditions still prevailed. Producers were preparing machinery and lining up inputs for spring fieldwork. On average, statewide, there were 0.9 inches of snow cover on March 27, compared to 0.8 inches last year on March 28 and 0.9 inches last month. The south central district reported the most snow cover with an average of 3.8 inches followed by 2.2 in the northeast district. The east central district reported no snow cover. County and secondary roads were rated 96 percent open, 3 difficult and 1 closed. Road conditions were 78 percent dry, 1 drifted and 21 muddy. FIELD CROPS REPORT Crops: The statewide average starting date for fieldwork is expected to be April 16, 2005, 2 days behind last year. The expected starting dates range from April 10 in the southeast district to May 4 in the north central district. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Livestock: Mild weather conditions during the month helped maintain feed resources. Calving and lambing proceeded during March with little difficulty due to mild conditions. Calving was 41 percent complete and lambing was 59 percent complete compared with 41 and 61 percent last year, respectively. Shearing was 80 percent complete. Cattle conditions were rated 2 percent poor, 12 fair, 72 good and 14 excellent. Calf conditions were 1 percent poor, 11 fair, 77 good and 14 excellent. Sheep conditions were rated 1 percent poor, 13 fair, 74 good and 12 excellent. Lambing conditions were rated 11 percent fair, 80 good and 9 excellent. Hay and forage supplies were rated 2 percent very short, 15 short, 77 adequate and 6 surplus. This compared to last year's rating of 2 percent very short, 15 short, 79 adequate and 4 surplus. Grain and concentrate supplies were 1 percent very short, 4 short, 84 adequate, 11 surplus. All pastures were still dormant. WEATHER SUMMARY Weather: March 2005 ended as a dry month with temperatures close to average for the state. Temperatures for the month ranged from 5 degrees below normal in the northeast part of the state to 3 degrees above normal in the west. Precipitation was below normal across the state. The driest conditions were found in the Red River Valley, with Fargo and Grand Forks running deficits over 0.5 of an inch. Little snowfall was reported across the state. A storm on the 10th brought a couple of inches of snow to the northern and northeastern sections of the state. Another storm on the 22nd brought 1-3 inches of snow across the central and western areas of the state. Outlook, April: The outlook for April calls for temperatures to be at or slightly above normal. Fairly mild temperatures should prevail through the first half of the month. Precipitation for the month of April looks to be above normal. Precipitation for the first half of the month looks to be below average, with only minor chances for precipitation through the first week. A storm system will bring a chance for rain across the state on the 4th. A more active weather pattern looks to take shape for the second and third week of the month, bringing wetter conditions to the state. WEATHER INFORMATION TABLE TEMPERATURE, March 1-27, 2005 District & Temperature Stations High Low Average Depart/Norm 1/ (Degrees F) NORTHWEST 55 2 27 2 Bowbells NA NA NA NA Williston 61 7 31 3 Mohall 51 0 25 0 Minot 54 -1 27 2 NORTH CENTRAL 50 -3 23 1 Baker 52 1 23 1 Bottineau 48 -6 23 1 Rugby NA NA NA NA NORTHEAST 50 -11 20 -3 Cando 50 -7 21 -4 Cavalier 48 -14 20 -4 Forest River 56 -11 22 -2 Grand Forks 57 -11 22 1 Langdon 42 -12 18 -4 St. Thomas 48 -14 19 -5 WEST CENTRAL 61 1 29 1 Hazen 64 -2 29 2 Turtle Lake 58 -3 27 0 Watford City 61 8 31 0 CENTRAL 54 -7 23 -2 Carrington 59 -2 25 -1 Harvey 56 -3 26 1 Jamestown 62 0 27 0 Robinson 61 -1 26 0 Streeter 63 -1 26 -1 EAST CENTRAL 59 -6 25 -1 Dazey 60 -6 25 -1 Fargo 57 -4 26 0 Hillsboro 59 -8 24 -2 SOUTHWEST 64 9 32 2 Beach 62 10 32 2 Bowman 64 11 32 3 Dickinson 63 8 31 2 Hettinger 65 8 32 2 SOUTH CENTRAL 67 1 29 1 Mandan 67 1 29 1 Linton 67 1 29 0 SOUTHEAST 61 -9 27 1 Edgeley 62 -4 27 0 Oakes 62 -13 27 1 Wyndmere 58 -10 27 1 1/ Normal is the 1961-90 average. NA=Not Available. Weather data collected from NDAWN stations and compiled by UND Aerospace Regional Weather Information Center. CONTACT INFORMATION North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA Cooperating with: NDSU Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, ND Ag Weather Network (NDAWN) and UND Aerospace Regional Weather Information Center FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: David Knopf, Director North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service NDSU, IACC Bldg., Room 448 P.O. Box 3166 Fargo, ND 58108-3166 Telephone: (701) 239-5306 E-Mail: nass-nd@nass.usda.gov Internet: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nd/