OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: November 28, 2011 Week ending: November 27, 2011 OR-CW3511 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: November 28, 2011 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: November 27, 2011 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 35-11 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: It was generally a warmer and wetter week, with the bulk of the precipitation in the West. Most areas had fair conditions by the weekend. All but one station, Florence, reported warmer than normal temperatures. The average temperature across Oregon of 43.23 degrees was 4.98 degrees above normal. Low temperatures ranged from 36 degrees in several cities, down to 15 degrees in Rome. High temperatures ranged from 51 degrees in Agency Lake, up to 68 degrees in Echo and Hermiston. Forty-two of the forty-three stations reported measurable precipitation, with eighteen stations receiving more than half an inch. Tillamook reported the most of 5.84 inches followed by Astoria at 5.13 inches. The average precipitation level across the western stations was 3.30 inches, whereas the rest of the State was at 0.23 inches. Field Crops: Field work slowed this week as rain fell in much of the State. There was some late spraying and slug baiting. In Marion County, new grass seed rows were visible and wheat plantings were doing well. Washington County farmers applied weed control to winter wheat. Geese were unwelcome in wheat and grass fields. Sugarbeet harvest was wrapping up in Malheur County, and field corn harvest continued where field conditions permitted. Fertilizing and grain planting continued as well. Sherman County reported slow grain growth and development, but good moisture. Fruits and Nuts: Hazelnuts were being pruned. Newly planted hazelnut trees were being trained. Some lime was being applied in orchards. Walnut harvest was ongoing. Berry and tree fruit crops had reached the end of the season. Wine grapes were fermenting in tanks and barrels. Vegetables: Mulch left from vegetable crops was worked into the soil. A few cole crops were still growing well in Lane County. Truck farms were winding down or closed. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Greenhouses continued putting out holiday decorative foliage and plants that included Christmas greens, wreaths and poinsettias. Nurseries were busy selling fall items and continued maintenance of current stock. Christmas tree harvest was in full swing and shipments were underway. Livestock, Range and Pasture: There was significant rain in the western part of the State, where pastures received any moisture that had been needed. Clackamas reported that some pasture sod had started to break down in high traffic areas. Livestock were being moved to winter feeding areas and supplemental feeding continued. Calves were sorted for weaning and backgrounding. Soil Moisture - Week Ending 11/27/11 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 5 5 72 18 Subsoil : 5 10 77 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress - Week Ending 11/27/11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat emerged : 88 83 98 94 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 3.8 3.8 1.8 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition - Week Ending 11/27/11 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 0 3 30 45 22 Range and pasture : 6 11 31 50 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon CLACKAMAS: Wet mostly but with some beautiful late fall days. Snow level was down to Cascade foothills. Fieldwork limited to some late spraying, slug baiting, and mole/gopher trapping. Christmas tree harvest was at full speed. Pasture sod started to break down in high traffic spots. Time to lock cows into winter feeding areas. COOS/CURRY: First storm of the year last week, with five plus inches of rain and 85 mph winds. Heaviest precipitation was mid week for both counties, with relatively dry weather on Friday and Saturday. Pastures were no longer water limited. Low temperatures were slightly below the 5-year average in Brookings (southern Curry) and nearly 4 degrees below the 5-year average in Bandon (Coos County). High temperatures through the week were slightly above the 5- year average in southern Curry, and slightly below the 5-year average in Bandon. Bandon (Coos and Northern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 32.76 degrees, 3.95 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 60.83 degrees, 0.35 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 4.27 inches, which is 2.61 inches above the 5-year average for the week. Precipitation for the 2011 weather year (began 10/10) final precipitation was 61.32 inches, 6.18 inches above the 5 year average. Weather year 2012 (began 10/1/2011) precipitation stands at 11.16, 0.92 inches below the 5-year average. Average precipitation through the month of November is 13.44 inches. Brookings (Southern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 38.2 degrees, 0.27 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 59.5 degrees, 0.23 degrees above the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 4.16 inches, compared to a 5-year average of 2.44 inches. Weather year 2012 (began 10/1/2011) precipitation stands at 17.75 inches, 0.48 inches below the 5-year average. Historical average precipitation through November is 15.8 inches. DOUGLAS: Heavy rains the past week shut down field work. Douglas County received about 4 inches of rain across most of the major crop regions. These rains were welcome as fall has been quite dry. Fall seeded crops and pastures were looking better. JACKSON: Not much activity in this area. The fall planted crops looked to be getting started, and the rains have really helped. Fruit harvest was over, and now some fall dormant spraying will be done, along with fall pruning too. It was time to work in the mulch left from the vegetable crops. Greenhouses that produced holiday foliage and decorative plants were busy getting out those items. Nurseries were busy with fall selling items, and stock up-keep. Some fall sorting and weaning of early spring calves. The rains have been helping fall pastures. Livestock in pasture look to be in good condition. There was a lot of rain this week so not much field work done, soil too damp. There was some sorting of cattle for weaning and backgrounding. It was also a good week to do some farm and ranch up-keep and maintenance. JOSEPHINE: Overnight temperatures were between 38 - 45 degrees and daytime temperatures 40 - 55 degrees. Heavy rains scattered throughout the week. Some work was able to get done between showers with the moderate temperatures. Truck gardens were winding down, some closed. LANE: Berry and tree fruit crops at end of season. A few cole crops were still growing well. Irrigation systems were being drained and equipment winterized. WASHINGTON: Goose degradation was prevalent in wheat and grass fields. Walnut harvest ongoing and filberts were being pruned. Wine grapes were fermenting in tanks and barrels. Cover crops were planted in gardening areas. Greenhouses were selling holiday and Christmas greens, wreaths, and poinsettias. Christmas tree harvest continued and shipments were underway. Pastures were wet, supplemental feeding ongoing. High temperature 50 degrees, low 31 degrees, 1.3 inches of rain. YAMHILL: Newly planted hazelnut trees were being trained. Some liming was going on in orchards. Eastern Oregon HARNEY: Warmer than normal temperatures early in the week gave way to cooler daytime highs and nighttime lows over the weekend. Some precipitation was received earlier in the week and rain in the middle of the week. A slow week due to the time of year and the Thanksgiving holiday left little to report from an agricultural operations standpoint. Many ranchers were feeding hay or letting cattle graze rake-bunch on hay meadows. MALHEUR: Temperatures were mild for the week, low of 32 degrees and a high of 56 degrees. Only about a tenth of an inch of rain early in the week. Agricultural activity was slowing down. There was some field work, fertilizing, grain planting, and corn harvesting. SHERMAN: Weather was warmer than predicted earlier, and there was some moisture. Precipitation levels still lag the long term average for the crop year. A warm weekend after Thanksgiving perked crops up, and then closed with a shower, which plants took up quickly. UMATILLA: Cold spring, cool summer, and warm fall. Some crops did very well, wheat as a prime example. Other crops struggled early such as potatoes and sweet corn. Beautiful fall allowed many crops to catch up such as potatoes and field cron. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: November 27, 2011 (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 : 35 57 48 +3 5 -1 5.13 2.61 7 16.96 -0.65 96 50 Bandon 8/ : 33 61 49 +2 9 -4 4.27 1.89 6 11.80 -2.28 84 42 Crescent City : 36 58 50 +1 10 -4 3.88 1.22 5 12.27 -3.80 76 25 Florence : 32 58 46 -2 4 -3 3.08 0.16 6 14.64 -4.00 79 42 North Bend : 36 63 50 +2 12 -2 2.41 -0.22 6 7.98 -7.57 51 32 Tillamook : 36 61 49 +5 11 +4 5.84 2.55 7 15.41 -7.14 68 52 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 35 60 47 +5 5 +3 3.09 1.50 7 9.06 -1.43 86 52 Corvallis : 35 60 47 +5 5 +3 2.27 0.52 6 8.02 -2.64 75 43 Detroit Lake 8/ : 33 58 41 +6 - +0 4.78 2.06 6 16.20 -0.42 97 41 Eugene : 32 60 48 +4 7 +1 1.88 -0.25 6 6.16 -6.34 49 31 Hillsboro : 33 56 46 +4 2 +2 3.75 2.28 7 7.14 -2.27 76 40 McMinnville : 35 59 48 +5 7 +4 4.02 2.29 7 9.03 -1.75 84 42 Portland : 36 59 48 +5 6 +2 4.11 2.72 6 9.05 -0.11 99 42 Salem : 36 60 49 +7 8 +7 3.00 1.39 6 8.11 -2.01 80 40 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 35 55 45 +2 1 +1 2.01 0.65 6 5.67 -2.39 70 24 Medford : 32 62 47 +6 11 +11 0.79 -0.05 5 2.61 -2.61 50 21 Roseburg : 36 61 49 +5 7 +7 1.73 0.27 5 5.58 -2.99 65 28 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 21 56 41 +7 3 +3 0.01 -0.48 1 1.74 -1.69 51 19 Echo 8/ : 28 68 46 +8 19 +16 0.07 -0.28 4 1.02 -1.18 46 20 Heppner : 28 62 44 +6 7 +5 0.05 -0.37 2 1.58 -1.81 47 18 Hermiston : 26 68 44 +6 17 +14 0.04 -0.31 3 1.01 -1.19 46 21 Madras 8/ : 26 62 44 +7 2 +2 0.12 -0.26 4 0.66 -1.89 26 13 Moro : 25 62 41 +5 5 +5 0.14 -0.28 4 1.50 -1.27 54 18 Parkdale 8/ : 26 61 40 +1 - -5 2.80 1.47 6 8.31 0.45 106 40 Pendleton : 27 64 47 +9 14 +11 0.16 -0.26 1 1.64 -1.21 58 18 Prairie City 8/ : 26 62 44 +7 2 +2 0.12 -0.26 4 0.66 -1.89 26 13 The Dalles : 31 62 46 +10 7 +7 0.34 -0.13 4 2.12 -0.79 73 24 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 23 51 37 +5 - +0 0.21 -0.35 4 1.36 -2.68 34 17 Bend : 18 55 38 +4 - +0 0.03 -0.39 1 0.36 -2.15 14 4 Burns : 16 55 37 +7 - +0 0.02 -0.29 1 1.85 -0.56 77 13 Christmas Valley 8/ : 16 59 38 +3 - +0 0.04 -0.38 2 0.82 -2.21 27 12 Klamath Falls : 23 57 39 +5 - +0 0.27 -0.22 4 1.02 -2.35 30 13 Klamath Falls 8/ : 24 56 38 +5 - +0 0.32 -0.17 4 1.27 -2.10 38 17 Lakeview 8/ : 21 57 36 +3 - +0 0.17 -0.34 3 1.20 -2.49 33 17 Lorella 8/ : 21 59 39 +6 - +0 0.18 -0.31 3 1.12 -2.25 33 14 Redmond : 19 62 44 +9 2 +2 0.03 -0.25 1 0.56 -1.43 28 9 Worden 8/ : 17 55 38 +4 - +0 0.28 -0.21 3 1.11 -2.26 33 16 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 18 52 37 +5 - +0 0.13 -0.11 1 1.73 -0.48 78 15 Joseph : 16 55 35 +6 - +0 0.16 -0.58 4 2.87 -2.96 49 33 La Grande : 21 55 40 +5 - +0 0.10 -0.39 5 2.69 -1.39 66 28 Imbler 8/ : 23 55 41 +7 - +0 0.09 -0.68 3 2.76 -2.80 50 28 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 21 56 39 +5 - +0 0.07 -0.28 1 1.67 -0.62 73 15 Rome : 15 56 39 +4 - +0 - -0.21 - 1.64 -0.27 86 9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Summary based on NWS data. Copyright 2011: 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, 2011. 6/ DFN=Departure from normal (using 1961-1990 normal period). 7/ Precipitation days = Days with precipitation of 0.01 inch or more. 8/ Agri-Met weather stations.