OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: August 13, 2012 Week ending: August 12, 2012 OR-CW2012 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: August 13, 2012 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: August 12, 2012 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 20-12 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Last week continued to be seasonably warm, as highs remained to be in triple digits for several areas, and many others reaching the high 90's. Medford had the highest recorded temperature at 105 degrees, experiencing near 100 degrees or over most of last week. The Dalles also climbed to 105 degrees, above its normal measured high for this time of year. There were no reports of freezing temperatures, with Christmas Valley and Lorrella having the lowest recorded temperature of 36 degrees. Severe thunderstorms early last week in Klamath County generated strong winds, rain, hail, thunder and lightning, causing some wind-related damage to crops. Another storm also hit Jackson County, downing a few trees and causing some damage. Very little precipitation occurred this past week, as most stations reported no measured rainfall. Klamath Falls received the most rain, with 0.58 inches resulting from severe thunderstorms, above its normal measure amount for this time of summer season. Field Crops: Wheat harvest mostly done in several areas but not complete. Yields were good. Limited harvest of grain has begun in Klamath County. Haying was active. Field corn tasseling and ears setting, irrigation ongoing in the Willamette Valley. Flailing straw removed from grass seed fields. Fruits and Nuts: Blueberry and blackberry harvests have been progressing well, with initial yields looking good. Tart cherry harvests continued as well last week in Yamhill and Hood River counties. Growers began to prepare for pear harvests. Grapes were looking good. Local apricots were ripening and Asian pears were sizing in Washington County. Routine summer orchard operations continued throughout the Hood River Valley. Filbertworm has been found in Lane County, but in small numbers. No sign of walnut husk flies there yet, although there was some spraying for the fly in Yamhill County. Vegetables: Green bean harvests have looked good so far. Bush beans, along with green beans, were going to processor. Cole crops were abundant in Lane County, namely broccoli and cauliflower. Zucchini was also plentiful. Onion harvest has just started in Malheur County. Nurseries and Greenhouses: New evergreen shrubs were planted and irrigated. Livestock, Range and Pasture: Cows, calves, buffalo and their calves were doing well in Washington County, all were on supplemental feeding. Ranchers in Umatilla County began to wean their spring calves. The lack of rain has led to increased fire danger, and previous fires have had a significant impact on ranchers in Malheur County. Soil Moisture - Week Ending 08/12/12 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 23 46 31 0 Subsoil : 27 33 39 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress - Week Ending 08/12/12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Alfalfa hay, second cutting : 81 69 71 90 Winter wheat harvested : 66 47 47 78 Barley harvested : 48 23 39 65 Spring wheat harvested : 49 30 19 61 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition - Week Ending 08/12/12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 0 11 30 43 16 Spring wheat : 0 8 30 51 11 Barley : 1 5 23 58 13 Corn : 0 0 20 79 1 Range and pasture : 7 17 34 34 8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon JACKSON: Sunday, August 5th, there was a wind storm across the Valley that caused some downed trees, and one producer reported that they had two acres of sweet corn flattened from the storm. The temperature was near 100 or over most of the last week. With irrigation, some producers were starting their third cutting of hay. LANE: Green bean harvest looked very good so far. Peach crop was very nice but some catfacing has been found across the Valley, unsure of why yet. Blueberry and blackberry crops were progressing well with good yields. Lots of zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. Filbertworm has been found, but in small numbers. No walnut husk flies have been found yet. MARION: Wheat and grass seed harvests were mostly normal year, although they were a few days late. Small grain yields average to above average. High grain prices may induce more acreage next year as an alternative to grass for seed. WASHINGTON: High temperatures 88 degrees, low 54 degrees, no rain. Winter wheat harvest in full swing. Flailing straw removed from grass seed fields. Warm dry weather was aiding in good wheat harvest. Reports of tall fescue yields down 15 to 30 percent. Blueberries producing well and being irrigated, everbearing raspberries ongoing, local apricots ripening, Asian pears sizing. Grapes were looking good. Green and bush beans were going to processor, yields seemed to be good. Red clover setting seed, honey bees in fields. Field corn tasseling and ears setting, irrigation ongoing. Zucchinis abundant, tomatoes ripening. New evergreen shrubs planted and irrigated. Cover crops being disked under. Weeding and pruning ongoing. Cows, calves, buffalo and their calves doing well, all on supplemental feeding. Irrigation systems were running at full capacity. YAMHILL: Tart cherry and peach harvests continued. There was some spraying for walnut husk fly in walnuts. Eastern Oregon HOOD RIVER: The week was dry with variable, but seasonable temperatures. Cherry harvest continued in the middle and upper Hood River Valley. Lower Valley growers prepared for summer pear harvest. Routine summer orchard operations continued throughout the Valley. KLAMATH: Severe thunderstorms at the beginning of the week brought a mixed bag of weather, including strong winds, rain, hail, thunder, and lightning. There was some damage because of the winds, however it was not widespread. Limited harvest of grain has begun. Some third cutting has been dropped and most of the second was finishing up. Hot temperatures at the end of the week will help the crops ripen. MALHEUR: Weather continued to be hot. Temperatures were still hovering around the upper 90s to 100s. Normal low of around 60. No precipitation. Wheat harvest was about done. Onions were starting to be harvested with wheat harvest wrapping up. Irrigation has been the main focus for now. Fires and fire danger everywhere due to the lack of rain. The multiple fires that have occurred have had major impacts on the ranchers in Malheur County. SHERMAN/WASCO: Wheat harvest was winding down in north end of Sherman as it began in the south end of both counties. Yield reports were good with good quality. UMATILLA: Wheat harvest was wrapping up across the County, with just acres in the northeastern part of the County left to be combined. Yields and quality remained high throughout harvest. Corn crop continued to mature; male rows on seed corn continue to be destroyed. Ranchers were beginning to wean spring calves. WALLOWA: Hot weather has pushed grain harvest up on the calendar in the dryland areas of the County. The second cutting of hay crops was beginning in the lower Valley. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: August 12, 2012 (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 : 53 71 62 +2 88 +11 - -0.24 - 71.77 +6.28 110 192 Bandon 8/ : 46 67 59 -1 61 -2 - -0.19 - 65.58 +7.34 113 180 Crescent City : 50 65 58 -2 56 -7 0.04 -0.15 2 59.83 -4.73 93 137 Florence : 46 71 59 -2 68 -9 0.02 -0.24 1 73.80 -1.75 98 174 North Bend : 50 70 60 +0 75 +4 - -0.18 - 40.47 -22.17 65 136 Tillamook : 52 72 62 +4 88 +25 - -0.32 - 61.83 -25.60 71 188 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 52 97 71 +4 145 +26 - -0.18 - 44.59 +4.19 110 188 Corvallis : 49 95 69 +3 131 +14 - -0.16 - 46.57 +4.46 111 179 Detroit Lake 8/ : 49 95 72 +9 155 +64 - -0.25 - 98.63 +31.94 148 180 Eugene : 48 95 68 +0 131 +5 - -0.21 - 42.21 -6.42 87 145 Hillsboro : 49 97 70 +4 138 +25 - -0.21 - 31.81 -5.05 86 156 McMinnville : 50 99 70 +4 141 +22 - -0.14 - 40.32 -2.35 94 162 Portland : 58 94 72 +4 157 +24 - -0.21 - 40.23 +4.67 113 164 Salem : 52 95 70 +4 143 +24 - -0.14 - 44.91 +6.26 116 153 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 52 97 74 +2 167 +13 - -0.07 - 28.40 -2.26 93 127 Medford : 56 105 77 +4 192 +28 - -0.10 - 17.61 -0.88 95 101 Roseburg : 55 95 72 +3 157 +17 - -0.14 - 30.70 -1.59 95 135 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 50 98 75 +9 175 +61 - -0.14 - 15.10 +1.50 111 103 Echo 8/ : 49 103 78 +6 197 +36 - -0.07 - 8.43 -0.26 97 97 Heppner : 53 98 76 +6 181 +41 - -0.14 - 12.78 -0.68 95 91 Hermiston : 50 103 77 +5 192 +31 - -0.07 - 9.35 +0.66 108 81 Madras 8/ : 44 99 73 +7 164 +43 - -0.12 - 8.65 -1.41 86 91 Moro : 47 99 74 +7 171 +43 - -0.07 - 10.69 -0.09 99 88 Parkdale 8/ : 44 97 70 +3 143 +21 - -0.11 - 46.33 +15.93 152 160 Pendleton : 52 101 78 +5 196 +34 - -0.11 - 12.10 +0.44 104 90 Prairie City 8/ : 44 99 73 +7 164 +43 - -0.12 - 8.65 -1.41 86 91 The Dalles : 53 105 79 +12 202 +83 - -0.08 - 13.09 +0.94 108 95 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 38 93 64 +2 104 +11 - -0.14 - 14.36 -1.37 91 88 Bend : 48 92 70 +7 145 +47 - -0.14 - 9.90 -1.44 87 45 Burns : 44 96 70 +5 144 +35 - -0.14 - 8.66 -0.90 91 72 Christmas Valley 8/ : 36 98 66 -3 115 -13 0.01 -0.13 1 5.76 -6.25 48 82 Klamath Falls : 43 96 69 +2 133 +9 - -0.14 - 7.47 -5.67 57 74 Klamath Falls 8/ : 44 95 69 +2 133 +9 0.58 +0.44 1 9.74 -3.40 74 97 Lakeview 8/ : 40 92 68 +2 123 +9 - -0.12 - 7.90 -7.36 52 88 Lorella 8/ : 36 96 66 -2 114 -10 - -0.14 - 8.70 -4.44 66 83 Redmond : 41 97 71 +5 148 +36 0.01 -0.13 1 8.39 +0.17 102 65 Worden 8/ : 40 93 65 -4 107 -17 - -0.14 - 7.78 -5.36 59 76 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 43 98 70 +3 142 +23 - -0.21 - 8.12 -2.18 79 82 Joseph : 54 95 73 +12 164 +87 - -0.22 - 13.43 -10.70 56 125 La Grande : 45 102 75 +5 175 +35 - -0.21 - 12.00 -4.89 71 93 Imbler 8/ : 46 100 73 +7 164 +45 - -0.17 - 17.49 -5.40 76 125 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 52 104 81 +7 218 +40 - -0.07 - 7.78 -1.59 83 65 Rome : 50 101 76 +5 183 +34 - -0.07 - 5.87 -2.05 74 55 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Summary based on NWS data. Copyright 2012: 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.