or-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: May 18, 2009 Week ending: May 17, 2009 OR-CW0709 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: May 18, 2009 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: May 17, 2009 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 08-09 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Less precipitation and warmer conditions were experienced throughout the State compared to last week. High temperatures ranged from 94 degrees in Medford and Rome, down to 61 degrees in Crescent City. Low temperatures ranged from 42 degrees in Portland, down to 17 degrees in Christmas Valley. Forty of the forty three stations reported a measurable amount of precipitation last week. The Detroit Lake station reported the most with 1.58 total inches. Field Crops: Growers took advantage of the warm and dry weather conditions this past weekend to catch up on field work and farming operations. Weeds were being controlled as many grass and grain crops progressed well. Grass for seed crops looked good. Some Red clover was cut for hay and silage in Washington County. Statewide, barley and wheat were reported mostly in fair to good condition. Vegetables: Many vegetable crops were planted throughout the State. Radish seed fields were beginning to bloom in Yamhill County. Clackamas County growers were harvesting rhubarb. Fruits and Nuts: Orchards were well leafed out in Jackson County, with normal cover sprays and weed control. Vineyards were showing good growth. Douglas County fruit set looked very good, spraying of fungicides continued for fruit and vineyards. Blueberry yields were looking good in Washington County. Walnuts were leafing out and they were mowing under filbert trees. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Nurseries continued preparing trees and shrubs for shipment. Nurseries also continued getting new starts planted. Greenhouses remained busy with vegetable and ornamental starts. Many producers were busy with weed control and spraying activities. Livestock, Range and Pasture: Livestock continue to look good across the State. The warmer weather and precipitation encouraged pasture growth. Cattle were prepped for the higher ranges. Pastures were reported to be ready for heavier grazing. Soil Moisture-Week Ending 05/17/09 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 0 8 84 8 Subsoil : 5 11 77 7 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress-Week Ending 05/17/09 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat headed : 9 4 4 17 Barley planted : 93 93 93 95 Barley emerged : 82 75 82 80 Spring wheat emerged : 89 78 89 90 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 5.3 3.9 5.3 6.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition-Week Ending 05/17/09 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 1 20 35 40 4 Spring wheat : 0 8 43 40 9 Barley : 0 4 69 23 4 Range and pasture : 1 3 28 54 14 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon BENTON/LANE/LINN: Spring showers continued and made planting and field work challenging. Grass and grain crops looked very good. Much of the winter wheat was treated for septoria; some was also treated for cereal leaf beetle and aphids. Head was emerging on early tillers. Rust in grass seed has been slow to develop. However, recent rain has given a boost to spring wheat and the grass crops. CLACKAMAS: Last week was fair early in the week, very wet mid week, and then quite warm for the late part of the week. Spring seedings have done very well due to abundant moisture. Any tree, shrub, or bush that had not bloomed yet started blooming this week. Crops were looking good. Pastures were well ahead of the cattle now. Grasses were beginning to bolt. The first haylage was made this weekend and crimson clover started blooming. Meadowfoam was in bloom as well and rhubarb was ready. CLATSOP: Received cold and wet conditions. Some grass silage was being made in Tillamook. COLUMBIA: Black walnut and wine grapes have sprouted leaves. Red clover has begun to bloom and was around 20 percent bloomed. Farmer's were continuing to plow and prepare fields in the North Willamette Valley. Saturday was warm with little wind and worker's were walking the perennial rye fields doing spot spraying of herbicide and working the ditches around the fields. COOS/CURRY: Low temperatures were only slightly below the 5-year average for the week in both Coos and Curry counties. High temperatures through the week were 7.5 degrees below average for the week in southern Curry and over 6 degrees below the 5-year average in Coos. Precipitation early in the week in Coos, but the area was clear and sunny from Thursday through Sunday. Southern Curry had over 2 inches of rain on Thursday, but dried out for the weekend. Producers were taking advantage of the weather for farming operations. Some additional cattle were moved to the bottoms. Bandon (Coos & Northern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 40.19 degrees, 1.07 degrees below the 5- year average. High temperature for the period was 64.99 degrees, 6.07 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.23 inches, compared to a 5-year (including drought in 2004 & 2005) average of 0.12 inches. Precipitation for current weather year precipitation (began 10/08) stands at 40.0 inches, 12.77 inches below the 5 year average, and 15.97 inches below the long-term historical average. Historical average precipitation through May is 55.97 inches. Brookings (Southern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 41.65 degrees, 2.22 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 66.58 degrees, 7.51 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 2.92 inches (2.39 inches on Thursday), compared to a 5-year (including drought in 2004 & 2005) average of 0.39 inches. Precipitation for current weather year precipitation (began 10/08) stands at 69.95 inches, 5.7 inches below the 5 year average, and 0.86 inches below the long-term historical average. Historical average precipitation through May is 70.81 inches. DOUGLAS: Dry weather with warming temperatures late in the week helped all growers to complete some field work. Orchard and vineyard spraying has been kicking in with fungicides being the major spray. Fruit set looked very good for all stone fruit, apples, pears, blueberries, and strawberry flowering has gone very nicely. Hay crops were heading and looked that they may have good yield potential. Grass seed was also beginning to head out. Nursery crops have had a few disease and insect outbreaks but nothing out of control. Mowing and weed control were the biggest work in progress for most crops at the moment. JACKSON: Field crops and hay crops were still a little behind normal. Minimal spraying has been completed. Orchards were well leafed out, with the normal cover sprays being applied. Also lots of weed control being applied. Vineyards also were showing lots of good growth, but could use some warmer weather. Increased precipitation made gardening difficult. Crops that were planted were getting started, but so were the weeds. Greenhouses were still working with vegetable and ornamental starts. There seemed to be quite a lot for sale at outlets. Nurseries were still moving out some trees and shrubs, but most were potted, or bagged in burlap. They also were still trying to get their new product starts planted. With lots of good forage now, most livestock was looking good. Some ranchers were doing the shots, marking and sorting to get herds ready to take to higher ranges. Pastures were looking ok, but hotter weather may dry out the forage. Temperatures reached into the mid eighties by Saturday. JOSEPHINE: Received 0.20 inches of rain this week with windy conditions and temperatures into the mid seventies and upper nineties through the end of the week. High temperatures were tough on transplants but got people to begin planting tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn, cucumbers, beans, and squash (winter and summer). Fire season was fast approaching therefore, clearing, cleaning, pruning, and mowing to eliminate debris build-up continues. Table and wine grapes were looking good with no signs of fungus on the leaves. Animals were looking good, should be haying in another week or two. MARION: This week started cool and rainy and warmed up to a high of 84 degrees on Sunday. Many vegetable and flower crops were getting planted. Those already planted were growing rapidly with warmer days and plenty of soil moisture. Some first cutting alfalfa was cut and dried. Wheat heads were emerging. Weather was good for field work whenever it was not raining. Nurseries were still busy preparing and shipping their product. WASHINGTON: Most of the winter wheat was in the boot stage, some have headed out. It appears that this year's blueberry crop is going to be a higher yielding year. Newly planted corn fields were emerging and farmers markets have started in the area. Red clover was cut for hay and silage, and alfalfa was ready for cutting. Crimson clover was blooming and soon will be in full bloom while grass for hay was four feet tall. Walnuts leafing out and they were mowing under filbert trees. Sweet corn planting has gone on and irrigation has started on potted plants. Livestock was doing well and pastures were ready for heavier grazing. High temperature was 78.3 degrees and low temperature was 36.7 degrees with a fourth of an inch of rain. YAMHILL: Some grass hay and grass silage were cut this week. Crimson clover loved the heat and has blossomed. Radish was starting to bloom. First strawberries of the season were available last weekend and through the week. Winter wheat was about 24 inches tall, tall fescue and the rye grasses were heading out. Red clover should be ready for silage or flailing next week. Heavy rainfall this week kept orchardists from doing any spraying. The sweet cherry crop looked to be a decent set. Eastern Oregon BAKER: Pasture has been slow due to cold, wet weather. Some wheat has been drowned out. Farmers were having difficulty finishing spring seedings due to rain. GILLIAM: Temperatures in the upper 80's made stress evident in shallower soil in isolated fields already short of moisture. GRANT/ HARNEY: Temperatures warmed considerably towards the latter part of the week on into the weekend. A few small precipitation events occurred, leaving the Harney Basin with a total of approximately 0.1 inches for the week. Cattle on range pastures were looking good for the most part, and taking advantage of rapid forage growth in response to recent spring precipitation. Flood meadows with adequate water were rapidly growing. JEFFERSON: Potato planting was underway. KLAMATH: Warm weather during the week with spring planting continued. Some grain crops were emerging. Irrigation continued. LAKE: Received some precipitation during the middle of the week. Irrigation was underway in the majority of the County. Some producers were tilling fields for spring planting. MALHEUR: Mild week with lots of field activity. SHERMAN: Crops were looking good and producers have been able to timely spray crops due to fair weather. Warmer temperatures will provide good growing conditions. Ground moisture was marginal at this point in time. Received continued showers this week, which were welcomed for crops, but delayed farming practices. There was a rush to complete farming as warm dry weekend weather moves in. There was hope for continued cool temperatures and rains. Discovered some winter grain mites but the spread was limited and treatment was applied. WALLOWA: Moisture received during the past week continued to add to snow pack and soil moisture levels. Warm weather arrived towards the end of the week, which will help spring plantings. There may be some prevented plantings for spring wheat in parts of the County. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: May 17, 2009 (as of 11:00 am) 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Growing : Last week precip. 4/ : Season cum. precipitation 5/ : Air temperature 2/ : degree days 3/ :-------------------------------------------------------------- Station :-------------------------------:-----------------: Total : : : Total : : Pct. : : Low : High : Avg. :DFN 6/ : Total :DFN 6/ : inches :DFN 6/ :Days 7/: inches :DFN 6/ : normal :Days 7/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ COASTAL AREAS : Astoria/Clatsop : 38 73 52 +1 24 +8 1.50 0.82 4 57.00 -3.52 94 141 Bandon 8/ : 40 65 51 -1 13 -1 0.23 -0.40 4 40.28 -14.91 73 158 Crescent City : 41 61 51 -2 13 -15 1.10 0.40 3 47.68 -13.98 77 111 Florence : 37 74 51 -2 18 -3 1.33 0.46 4 62.60 -8.03 89 130 North Bend : 41 66 52 -3 16 -6 0.31 -0.36 4 43.85 -15.58 74 131 Tillamook : 36 72 52 +1 19 +5 0.96 -0.06 4 42.82 -37.72 53 140 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 38 85 56 +2 50 +16 0.65 0.16 3 30.43 -6.53 82 133 Corvallis : 36 80 54 -1 37 +6 0.95 0.52 4 26.23 -13.23 66 145 Detroit Lake 8/ : 37 88 54 +5 41 +28 1.58 0.81 4 76.54 14.47 123 148 Eugene : 36 79 55 -1 41 +2 0.52 0.03 3 25.14 -20.52 55 116 Hillsboro : 35 82 55 +0 43 +10 0.55 0.20 3 20.87 -13.16 61 112 McMinnville : 36 81 54 -2 38 +0 0.38 -0.04 3 17.36 -23.00 43 108 Portland : 42 84 58 +2 61 +15 0.65 0.16 4 23.48 -8.89 73 132 Salem : 38 83 56 +3 49 +19 0.50 0.08 4 24.45 -11.38 68 116 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 38 93 59 +1 68 +8 0.14 -0.14 2 21.50 -7.97 73 100 Medford : 37 94 62 +5 83 +30 0.17 -0.04 2 11.94 -5.22 70 82 Roseburg : 40 88 60 +5 73 +27 0.16 -0.19 3 22.32 -8.07 73 111 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 28 78 52 +2 24 +8 0.16 -0.09 2 10.00 -1.33 88 84 Echo 8/ : 35 89 56 -4 41 -19 0.11 -0.03 3 7.16 -0.47 94 85 Heppner : 31 79 53 -2 31 -6 0.21 -0.14 3 9.86 -1.52 87 85 Hermiston : 34 90 57 -2 51 -9 0.14 0.00 2 5.79 -1.84 76 69 Madras 8/ : 29 86 53 -1 35 +5 0.01 -0.14 1 6.58 -1.69 80 74 Moro : 29 80 52 -2 25 +1 0.06 -0.15 2 9.55 0.12 101 74 Parkdale 8/ : 30 85 51 -5 25 -13 1.14 0.93 4 36.88 7.84 127 117 Pendleton : 33 86 56 -2 46 -6 0.16 -0.05 3 10.98 0.86 108 83 Prairie City 8/ : 29 86 53 -1 35 +5 0.01 -0.14 1 6.58 -1.69 80 74 The Dalles : 36 91 57 +4 58 +28 0.23 0.09 3 12.07 1.24 111 94 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 26 84 52 +4 32 +23 0.02 -0.19 1 11.68 -2.18 84 69 Bend : 28 85 51 +2 25 +11 0.02 -0.13 1 6.01 -3.39 64 42 Burns : 22 88 51 +2 28 +13 0.11 -0.10 3 6.81 -0.80 89 71 Christmas Valley 8/ : 17 89 49 -5 21 -4 0.02 -0.19 2 5.89 -3.96 60 77 Klamath Falls : 28 88 53 +1 35 +12 0.03 -0.18 1 6.86 -4.62 60 63 Klamath Falls 8/ : 28 87 53 +2 36 +13 0.04 -0.17 3 7.91 -3.57 69 84 Lakeview : 22 86 50 -1 22 +6 0.02 -0.31 1 6.43 -6.49 50 82 Lorella 8/ : 23 89 51 -2 24 +1 0.01 -0.20 1 5.80 -5.68 51 63 Redmond : 26 89 51 +2 30 +15 - -0.14 - 4.70 -1.79 72 56 Worden 8/ : 24 88 51 -2 28 +5 - -0.21 - 5.05 -6.43 44 68 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 22 86 49 -4 22 +2 0.02 -0.26 2 6.93 -0.41 94 89 Joseph : 23 71 46 -2 10 +7 0.53 0.10 3 13.87 -6.37 69 95 La Grande : 29 88 54 +0 35 +6 0.40 0.05 3 9.60 -4.19 70 71 Union : 30 78 51 -1 23 +3 0.15 -0.20 3 11.83 1.95 120 88 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 28 89 57 -3 59 -7 0.03 -0.11 1 7.26 -0.69 91 55 Rome : 23 94 56 +2 51 +13 - -0.21 - 4.41 -1.57 74 57 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Summary based on NWS data. Copyright 2009: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2/ Air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. 3/ Growing degree days base-50 degrees Fahrenheit. 4/ Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. 5/ Season cumulative precipitation starts September 1, 2008. 6/ DFN=Departure from normal (using 1961-1990 normals period). 7/ Precipitation days = Days with precipitation of 0.01 inch or more. 8/ Agri-Met weather stations.