OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: August 17, 2009 Week ending: August 16, 2009 OR-CW2009 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: August 17, 2009 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: August 16, 2009 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 20-09 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Temperatures were closer to normal ranges across Oregon, and light rain continued early in the week especially in the Willamette Valley and Coastal Areas. High temperatures ranged from 96 degrees in Medford, down to 69 degrees in Crescent City. Low temperatures ranged from 30 degrees in Agency Lake, up to 55 degrees in Portland. In addition to Agency Lake, Christmas Valley and Lorella also reported below-freezing temperatures. Twenty-four of the forty-three stations received a measurable amount of precipitation last week, led by Tillamook with the most rain totaling 1.25 inches. Field Crops: Rain early in the week delayed wheat, mint and hay harvests, and there was some concern about wheat sprouting. Second and third cuttings of alfalfa continued. Wheat harvest in central Oregon was in full swing. Hop harvest started in the Willamette Valley. Cooler weather and precipitation have helped field crops to develop nicely this week. Vegetables: Irrigation continued. Vegetables continue to fill road side stands and farmers markets, particularly sweet corn. Processed corn harvest started last week. Fruits and Nuts: Peach harvest continued across the State. Bartlett pears were harvested in Douglas and Jackson counties. In Washington County berry harvest continued; blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries were all available. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Greenhouse and nursery operations were busy with irrigation and weed control. Livestock, Range and Pasture: Livestock continued to do well. Supplemental feed and water were needed on dryland pastures. Late fall calves were being worked and weaned in preparation for sale. Soil Moisture-Week Ending 08/16/09 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 36 39 25 0 Subsoil : 28 44 28 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress-Week Ending 08/16/09 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Alfalfa hay, second cutting : 100 90 100 - Alfalfa hay, third cutting : 49 25 34 10 Winter wheat harvested : 94 86 93 88 Barley harvested : 74 70 89 78 Spring wheat harvested : 77 65 86 74 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.3 5.9 6.9 6.8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition-Week Ending 08/16/09 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 10 25 32 29 4 Spring wheat : 8 37 37 13 5 Barley : 4 10 35 45 6 Corn : 0 1 13 62 24 Range and pasture : 18 22 33 25 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon CLACKAMAS: This week was cooler with scattered rain in the first half of the week. Cool mornings all week slowed down seed and grain harvest. COLUMBIA: There was significant (and unseasonable) rain in one-inch plus quantities in most areas of the County. Irrigation of vegetable crops continued. Several grass seed fields were disked up. It was not clear if they were replanting or putting in a new commodity. COOS/CURRY: Low temperatures were below the 5-year average in Curry County and at the 5-year average in Coos. High temperatures through the week were 2 to 3 degrees above the 5-year average on the southern Oregon coast. Only a trace of precipitation for the week in both Curry and Coos. Bandon (Coos & Northern Curry): The low temperature for the period was 49.0 degrees, 0.4 degrees above the 5-year average. The high temperature for the period was 70.3 degrees, 2.74 degrees above the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.01 inches, at the 5-year (including drought in 2004 & 2005) average of 0.01 inches. Precipitation for the current weather year precipitation (began 10/08) stands at 40.8 inches, 14.56 inches below the 5 year average, and 17.94 inches below the long-term historical average. Historical average precipitation through August is 58.74 inches. Brookings (Southern Curry): The low temperature for the period was 48.62 degrees, 2.65 degrees below the 5-year average. The high temperature for the period was 78.6 degrees, 3.66 degrees above the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.01 inches, compared to a 5-year (including drought in 2004 & 2005) average of 0.01 inches. Precipitation for the current weather year precipitation (began 10/08) stands at 70.59 inches, 9.76 inches below the 5 year average. Historical average precipitation through August is 71.53 inches. DOUGLAS: Cooler weather has allowed farmers time to get crop fields recharged again through heavy irrigation. The irrigation supply is running a little low. Current river levels were low enough that some areas had difficulty keeping water intake pipes in the free flowing river areas. Crops continued to develop nicely. Peaches and Bartlett pears were in the midst of heavy harvest. Vegetable crop production was also going well. JACKSON: Hay making continued, but grass hay was not quite ready for a second cutting. Second and third cuttings of alfalfa were still being done. Grains were being cut as they ripened and were ready to harvest. Some peaches and Bartlett pears were being picked. Many wild blackberries were still being picked. Lots of fresh vegetables were at roadside stands, and u-pick signs showed up. With the dry weather it was a task to keep things watered and still do harvest. All livestock on irrigated pastures looked good. Those on dry ground pastures really needed supplemental feeding. Irrigated pastures still looked quite good, but needed lots of irrigation. Some late fall calves were being worked and weaned getting ready for sale. It was another very good week for haying and other harvesting. Ranchers stayed busy with irrigation, and worked feeders getting ready for sale. This week was a bit cooler, but still very dry, with late afternoon breezes that really dry out the ground. Day time highs were near 90 degrees, and nights in mid to upper 50's. JOSEPHINE: Nights were cool, in the lower 40s in our area. Weather was conducive to outside work. There was extreme fire danger and several local fires. Fortunately firefighters were available to get right on them. There was not a lot of total acreage burnt, just a lot of small fires. Gardens were doing well. Truck gardens were doing good business. There was not as much traffic going through as in past years, which cut into their sales. The economy in our area has been tough. Animals were still doing well; most were on irrigated acreage and had lots of pastures. The vineyards will be glad for the weather next week. POLK: Some rain last week helped with soil moisture, but didn't have much impact on crops as most are harvested and it dried out quickly enough to not cause much sprout. TILLAMOOK: We received some much needed rain, which should help bring back some pastures for fall. WASHINGTON: Most winter wheat was harvested. Field corn loved the hot weather and grew rapidly. Blueberries were being picked; ever bearing strawberries were available and blackberries were abundant. Sweet corn was in various stages; early sweet corn was harvested and at farmers markets and roadside stands. Greenhouse and nursery crops were irrigated and weeded. Cows and calves were doing well. High temperatures reached 80 degrees, and lows 45 degrees. The high humidity was 90 percent and the low 45%. We received 1.5 inches of welcome rainfall. YAMHILL: The processed corn harvest started this week. Lots of ground work continued for fall planting, so planting also occurred. The wheat harvest was able to continue late in the week but sprouting was expected after rain in the week. Lots of oats were still in the fields as well. Eastern Oregon CROOK/DESCHUTES/JEFFERSON: The wheat harvest has been happening the last two weeks. This last week it was in full swing. The third cutting of alfalfa started. Hot weather at the end of maturation of the wheat crop could have affected test weights and yield in some fields. The previous week's rain caught some hay down in the fields. Cooler weather (70s-80s) prevailed this last week, down considerably from the previous two weeks of temperatures in the mid 90s to low 100s. Hotter weather is supposed to return this coming week. HARNEY: Temperatures cooled significantly during the week. Scattered thunderstorms brought trace amounts of precipitation to parts of the county, but not enough rainfall was received to adversely affect haying operations. Livestock on irrigated pastures and higher elevation range were in good to excellent condition. KLAMATH: Temperatures were cooler during the week, with one night of freezing temperatures. The second cutting for hay was under way. The grain harvest was in full swing. LAKE: There was no precipitation during the week. MORROW: Scattered showers were hit or miss throughout the County, and off and on for three days. Except in rare spots, the rain was not enough to completely stop harvest, but certainly caused delays, late morning starts, and some quality issues (more trash). Most of the remaining harvest is re- crop, and much of that was planted for clean up of weeds as allowed by insurance programs UNION/BAKER: Rain continued to interrupt harvesting. There was some concern about possible sprout in winter wheat. Mint and hay harvests were also delayed. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: August 16, 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 : 53 71 62 +2 88 +11 0.70 0.43 4 59.45 -6.42 90 169 Bandon 8/ : 49 70 59 +1 69 +6 0.01 -0.20 1 41.08 -17.51 70 177 Crescent City : 47 69 60 +1 69 +6 0.03 -0.18 3 47.98 -16.96 74 129 Florence : 41 74 59 -3 66 -11 0.19 -0.09 1 64.36 -11.64 85 145 North Bend : 48 73 61 +1 75 +3 - -0.21 - 45.38 -17.64 72 146 Tillamook : 46 79 62 +4 88 +22 1.25 0.90 2 45.44 -42.50 52 155 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 50 84 65 -2 107 -11 0.50 0.29 3 32.24 -8.41 79 150 Corvallis : 46 85 63 -4 95 -19 0.16 -0.03 2 27.85 -14.55 66 159 Detroit Lake 8/ : 47 86 65 +3 105 +14 0.21 -0.07 3 79.46 12.35 118 170 Eugene : 46 88 65 -3 109 -17 0.06 -0.16 2 26.87 -22.08 55 126 Hillsboro : 47 83 63 -4 91 -21 0.67 0.44 1 23.22 -13.92 63 123 McMinnville : 43 83 64 -4 97 -22 0.50 0.36 2 18.55 -24.40 43 117 Portland : 55 83 66 -4 115 -18 0.53 0.31 3 26.10 -9.70 73 147 Salem : 48 87 66 -2 112 -7 0.09 -0.05 1 26.90 -11.98 69 129 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 48 95 69 -3 137 -17 - -0.09 - 23.28 -7.59 75 112 Medford : 48 96 71 -3 152 -9 - -0.13 - 13.81 -4.83 74 93 Roseburg : 50 93 69 -2 137 -2 - -0.14 - 23.26 -9.23 72 117 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 40 89 64 -3 99 -13 - -0.14 - 11.50 -2.18 84 93 Echo 8/ : 50 90 71 -3 145 -13 - -0.07 - 7.55 -1.19 86 91 Heppner : 46 89 67 -4 119 -19 0.06 -0.08 1 11.49 -2.06 85 97 Hermiston : 48 93 72 -2 153 -5 - -0.07 - 6.37 -2.37 73 77 Madras 8/ : 38 90 63 -5 95 -24 - -0.14 - 8.10 -2.05 80 85 Moro : 42 83 63 -5 96 -30 - -0.08 - 10.21 -0.64 94 79 Parkdale 8/ : 40 83 61 -7 76 -43 0.01 -0.13 1 37.23 6.61 122 124 Pendleton : 48 88 68 -5 128 -31 0.02 -0.12 1 13.07 1.31 111 92 Prairie City 8/ : 38 90 63 -5 95 -24 - -0.14 - 8.10 -2.05 80 85 The Dalles : 51 88 70 +3 140 +21 0.02 -0.09 1 12.15 -0.11 99 98 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 30 85 57 -6 51 -39 - -0.16 - 13.89 -1.97 88 84 Bend : 36 89 62 -2 89 -6 0.12 -0.02 2 11.35 -0.10 99 56 Burns : 35 92 61 -5 78 -27 - -0.14 - 11.15 1.52 116 93 Christmas Valley 8/ : 31 88 59 -10 62 -63 0.01 -0.13 1 9.40 -2.72 78 100 Klamath Falls : 38 88 62 -6 84 -37 - -0.14 - 9.01 -4.24 68 85 Klamath Falls 8/ : 39 89 62 -6 84 -37 0.01 -0.13 1 10.81 -2.44 82 108 Lakeview : 36 88 60 -7 69 -41 - -0.14 - 9.53 -5.84 62 102 Lorella 8/ : 31 88 59 -9 62 -59 - -0.14 - 7.95 -5.30 60 79 Redmond : 36 90 63 -4 90 -21 - -0.14 - 7.74 -0.56 93 71 Worden 8/ : 35 87 59 -9 64 -57 - -0.14 - 7.41 -5.84 56 93 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 33 93 61 -7 80 -37 0.24 0.03 3 11.33 0.93 109 114 Joseph : 38 87 59 -3 65 -12 0.67 0.42 3 21.82 -2.50 90 125 La Grande : 39 91 66 -5 112 -25 0.12 -0.09 1 12.29 -4.71 72 87 Union : 42 90 65 -2 110 -9 0.32 0.11 3 15.15 1.89 114 111 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 47 94 71 -5 149 -24 - -0.07 - 9.92 0.50 105 74 Rome : 37 95 67 -4 120 -24 - -0.10 - 9.89 1.91 124 78 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.