OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: July 13, 2009 Week ending: July 12, 2009 OR-CW1509 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: July 13, 2009 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: July 12, 2009 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 15-09 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Conditions were warm with some light moisture reported. High temperatures ranged from 98 degrees in Hermiston, down to 63 degrees in Crescent City. Low temperatures ranged from 35 degrees in Christmas Valley, Redmond and Worden, to 56 degrees in Portland. Twenty-three of the forty three stations reported a measurable amount of precipitation last week. The Corvallis station reported the most with 0.67 total inches. Field Crops: Mild weather this past week allowed for favorable haying conditions. The first cutting of hay is wrapping up across most of the state, while the second cutting gained momentum. Wheat harvest has started in north central areas. Most wheat farmers however are still preparing for harvest. Small grains and field corn continued to be reported in good condition. The swathing of tall fescue seed, crimson clover, bluegrass seed and ryegrass continued. Vegetables: It was a good week for vegetables with green bean, squash, and cucumber harvest well underway. Early plantings of sweet corn were starting to tassel and tomatoes were starting to show some fruit as well. Also, plenty of cultivation and irrigation was being applied. Fruits and Nuts: Strawberry harvest is finished across the State. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries continued to be harvested. All berry crops reportedly are yielding very well. Cherry crop harvest peaked in Douglas County, and the Rainier and Bing cherry harvest will conclude this coming week. In Hood River, Rainier and Bing cherry harvest continued. Cherry yields were reportedly very good. Fruit orchards looked good and cover sprays were applied in some areas. Filbertworm spraying occurred in some orchards. Vineyards experienced good vine growth due to the warmer temperatures. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Nurseries and greenhouses remained busy with irrigation and plant care activities. Nursery activities included stock upkeep, and sales of potted flowering plants and shrubs. Greenhouse sales included flowering pots and hanging baskets. Livestock, Range and Pasture: Livestock were being moved to higher ground or irrigated pasture as the non-irrigated pastures dry up. Livestock still looked good. Some fall calves were being weaned and show animals were being prepped for the fairs. Soil Moisture-Week Ending 07/12/09 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 15 45 39 1 Subsoil : 14 38 47 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress-Week Ending 07/12/09 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Alfalfa hay, first cutting : 98 92 98 81 Alfalfa hay, second cutting : 26 22 37 31 Winter wheat harvested : 6 1 6 7 Spring wheat headed : 94 90 96 93 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.6 6.8 7.0 6.7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition-Week Ending 07/12/09 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 3 14 36 45 2 Spring wheat : 0 19 37 38 6 Barley : 0 2 42 49 7 Corn : 0 0 8 68 24 Range and pasture : 6 12 26 45 11 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon BENTON/LINN/LINCOLN: Cooler weather had combining starting a little later in the day. Swathing continued for the later grasses. Annual ryegrass was being harvested, along with some early fescue crops. CLACKAMAS: Somewhat cool this week. Weather forecasts predicted showers several times without any result other than cool cloudy mornings. Grass seed swathing continued. Raspberry harvest started. Marion berry harvest was starting as well. Pastures were drying down. Fall wheat and now spring barley turning toward harvest colors. Spring oats still green. Cherries were ripe. Early peach harvest will be starting soon. COLUMBIA: Grass seed and hay was being cut and some was bailed this week also. Blueberries and raspberries were being harvested. Some of the Himalayan blackberries were just starting to ripen. CURRY: It was dry, windy, and warm, and all but sub-irrigated pastures were drying up. DOUGLAS: A mild weather week allowed growers to get fields well hydrated again with heavy irrigation. The raspberry harvest is complete. June strawberries were also done producing. Early blueberry varieties were finished with harvest. All berry crops yielded very well. Cherry crop harvest peaked last week and is winding down. Bing and Rainier will be finished this week. Yields were also very good. Vegetable crops were looking good. A heavy harvest of green beans was going. Greens were winding down. Squash and cucumber crops look very good and harvest was rolling. JACKSON: This was another busy week making hay. Some cuttings were still first cuttings of grass, so as might be expected it was quite ripe. Still, most of it will make good hay for cattle. Grain crops were getting ripe as the warmer weather continued. Cherries and some caneberries were being picked. Fruit orchards were looking good with some cover sprays being applied. Vine growth in vineyards showed good growth, as the warmer weather heated up. Some early plantings of sweet corn started to show tassle. It won't be long until fresh corn will be ready. Also, early plantings of tomatoes now have fruit set on them. There was a lot of cultivation and irrigating of vegetable gardens. Greenhouses were still doing some flowering pots and hanging baskets. Nurseries were busy with stock upkeep, with lots of watering and feeding of stock on hand. There were still some sales of potted flowering plants and shrubs. Dry ground pasture was getting quite dry and the quality of that forage was getting poor, so most livestock was on irrigated ground or on higher ranges. Most all the livestock was still looking quite good. This week was a bit cooler, but still warm and dry, and good haymaking weather. It was good for any other field work needing to be done. Some fall calves were weaned and sold to back-grounding operators. All in all, it was not a bad week for farm and ranch work. The second cutting for alfalfa hay was 25%. JOSEPHINE: Weather this week was very comfortable. Night time temperatures were in the low 40s and 50s, with daytime highs in the 80s. Cloud cover most mornings was burnt off by the afternoon. Some fog laid in the valley in the early morning. We had a couple of showers run through the area. Humidity was high most of the week. Truck gardens offered raspberries, summer squash, and local blueberries. Livestock looked good. Crops were all looking good. Some corn showed, and will probably be ripe this week or next. Tomato set and eggplant set appeared delayed due to night time temperatures. It was a good working week. Weeding, watering, and grooming preparations went on for the fair. It's a busy time. POLK: Thunder showers contributed to localized significant rainfall. Some areas received little or no rain, while others received in excess of 1/4 inch and possibly 1/2 inch. Much of the grass seed (approx. 90%) was cut, with most of that waiting to be combined. Yields could be decreased due to rain damage (seed shatter/sprout) in localized areas. Cherries seemed to be holding well with few reports of splitting at this time. Some farmers took hay off early. Silage was getting a good quality second cutting due to rainfall on non-irrigated fields. Pasture growth has been better than average. TILLAMOOK: We received some much needed moisture over the weekend of July 11, 2009. It would be nice to have a few days for light rain. WASHINGTON: Crimson harvest has been completed. Tall fescue seed has been swathed. June strawberry harvest is finished. Caneberries and blueberries are being harvested. The alfalfa second cutting was 30%. The crimson clover harvest finished and red clover was enjoying the bees. Most grass for seed was swathed. Field corn was looking good. Everbearing strawberries are at farmer markets as were raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Cherries are available. Irrigated sweet corn fields were growing rapidly with the hot weather. Many varieties of vegetables are at markets. Nursery and greenhouse irrigation and maintenance was ongoing. Dry weather took its toll. Light rain over weekend will help. The high temperature was 91 degrees, with a low of 47 degrees. Humidity had a high of 82 percent and a low of 37 percent. There were 0.25 inches of rainfall. YAMHILL: Tall Fescue grass seed was swathed down this week. Crimson clover was harvested. Blueberries continued as did blackberries and raspberries. Filbertworm spraying occurred in some orchards. Tart cherry harvest was wrapping up. Eastern Oregon HARNEY: Temperatures were near normal with no precipitation received during the week. The favorable weather allowed the harvest of most first cutting alfalfa and meadow hay acreage in the county. Summer range was still in good condition for the most part. HOOD RIVER: Mild weather prevailed through the week. Rainier and Bing cherries were harvested in the lower valley. Summer orchard operations continued throughout the Hood River Valley. JEFFERSON: We have had good weather for bluegrass seed harvest and carrot seed pollination. Onions for the 2010 seed crop were planted this week. KLAMATH: Temperatures were in the 70s during the week. Scattered rain showers left no measureable precipitation. Early varieties of potatoes were blooming. Irrigation continued. LAKE: We received a small amount of precipitation during the middle of the week. Day time temperatures were mild for this time of year--mid 70s for most of the week. SHERMAN: The harvest just started this week for the early birds. No yield or quality reports yet. On Monday we expect to see a big jump in the number of harvesters. Temperatures were relatively mild during the day and with a touch of dew at night creating a nice head filling time for grains. WALLOWA: Good weather helped the hay growers with their first cuttings. All grain crops still looked good. WASCO: The wheat harvest started on several farms east of The Dalles this week. Temperatures were generally hot with mild winds. Other grain producers scrambled to finish repairs on harvest equipment so they could start cutting. Growers were excited, hoping for good grain yields. The first grain fire happened Friday in the lower eight mile area. Other field activity included summer fallow cultivation and fertilization. The second cutting of alfalfa hay was underway all week. Livestock in good condition with adequate forage. Apricots were being picked. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: July 12, 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 : 50 75 59 +0 69 +3 0.39 0.09 4 58.49 -6.25 90 159 Bandon 8/ : 46 65 58 +0 58 +2 0.09 0.00 3 41.04 -16.95 71 173 Crescent City : 50 63 57 -2 49 -7 0.02 -0.06 1 47.89 -16.44 74 121 Florence : 41 69 58 -2 60 -10 0.14 -0.08 2 64.08 -10.94 85 142 North Bend : 50 66 59 +1 67 +4 0.09 -0.03 2 45.30 -17.12 73 145 Tillamook : 48 77 61 +4 81 +25 0.15 -0.26 2 43.91 -42.49 51 150 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 53 87 64 -2 102 -7 0.26 0.10 1 31.69 -8.21 79 146 Corvallis : 46 83 62 -4 87 -18 0.67 0.53 1 27.62 -14.14 66 155 Detroit Lake 8/ : 47 81 63 +2 94 +7 0.23 0.00 1 78.88 12.79 119 163 Eugene : 44 83 63 -4 95 -22 0.65 0.51 2 26.75 -21.51 55 123 Hillsboro : 48 88 63 -4 88 -18 0.01 -0.13 1 22.43 -13.97 62 121 McMinnville : 47 84 63 -4 89 -17 0.02 -0.12 1 17.66 -24.76 42 114 Portland : 56 89 66 -2 112 -11 0.02 -0.12 1 25.25 -9.75 72 143 Salem : 52 83 64 -3 98 -12 0.27 0.13 1 26.39 -11.90 69 126 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 49 89 69 -3 132 -15 - -0.06 - 22.75 -7.83 74 109 Medford : 49 89 69 -4 132 -23 - -0.07 - 13.43 -4.85 73 92 Roseburg : 52 80 66 -2 116 -9 0.13 0.03 1 23.23 -8.79 73 116 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 42 91 63 -3 91 -16 - -0.12 - 11.20 -1.94 85 92 Echo 8/ : 45 97 69 -4 137 -18 0.04 -0.03 1 7.36 -1.12 87 89 Heppner : 47 94 67 -2 122 -7 0.02 -0.05 1 10.88 -2.18 83 93 Hermiston : 46 98 70 -3 143 -12 - -0.07 - 6.11 -2.37 72 75 Madras 8/ : 42 90 62 -5 87 -27 - -0.14 - 8.02 -1.69 83 83 Moro : 44 94 65 -2 109 -9 - -0.07 - 9.98 -0.54 95 78 Parkdale 8/ : 41 87 61 -6 76 -37 - -0.07 - 37.22 6.96 123 123 Pendleton : 49 94 69 -4 132 -24 - -0.07 - 12.04 0.70 106 89 Prairie City 8/ : 42 90 62 -5 87 -27 - -0.14 - 8.02 -1.69 83 83 The Dalles : 51 95 70 +4 138 +26 - -0.07 - 12.12 0.21 102 96 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 38 80 57 -7 49 -44 - -0.07 - 13.64 -1.68 89 81 Bend : 40 92 61 -2 79 -10 - -0.14 - 10.66 -0.26 98 53 Burns : 40 86 63 -3 93 -16 - -0.08 - 10.83 1.74 119 90 Christmas Valley 8/ : 35 84 59 -10 61 -65 - -0.14 - 8.19 -3.39 71 95 Klamath Falls : 38 81 59 -9 66 -53 - -0.07 - 8.67 -4.06 68 81 Klamath Falls 8/ : 38 80 59 -9 62 -57 - -0.07 - 10.60 -2.13 83 104 Lakeview : 36 81 59 -8 66 -48 - -0.07 - 9.17 -5.77 61 99 Lorella 8/ : 38 81 58 -9 60 -59 - -0.07 - 7.58 -5.15 60 75 Redmond : 35 90 62 -4 83 -23 - -0.13 - 6.40 -1.42 82 67 Worden 8/ : 35 78 56 -12 46 -73 - -0.07 - 7.24 -5.49 57 88 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 37 89 63 -4 92 -19 0.10 -0.04 1 9.91 0.27 103 106 Joseph : 43 83 60 +2 72 +6 0.12 -0.09 3 18.72 -4.66 80 118 La Grande : 44 88 65 -4 108 -22 0.04 -0.10 1 10.95 -5.28 67 83 Union : 44 94 65 -1 105 -4 0.11 -0.04 1 13.49 0.96 108 103 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 51 91 71 -6 148 -34 0.02 -0.05 1 9.26 0.08 101 69 Rome : 44 90 67 -5 121 -28 0.10 0.03 1 9.55 1.95 126 75 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.