OR-Crop-Weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: August 27, 2012 Week ending: August 26, 2012 OR-CW2212 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: August 27, 2012 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: August 26, 2012 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 22-12 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Last week was mildly warm and relatively dry for the State east of the Coast, as most counties reported high temperatures in the 80's or the low 90's. Ontario had the highest recorded temperature at 96 degrees, slightly above its normal measure high of this time of summer. Low temperatures decreased relative to mid August, with some low temperature recorded below freezing; Christmas Valley reported the lowest record temperature at 30 degrees. Klamath and Jackson counties reported some days with smoky skies, resulting from the wildfires in neighboring counties and states. Some counties reported light precipitation, mainly in south central counties. Klamath Falls received the most rain at .29 inches, above its normally measured amount for this time of the year. Field Crops: Winter wheat was finished in Washington County, with a good yield this year. There were several isolated reports in Marion County that producers were having the highest soft white wheat yields in years. Grass seed harvest has been almost completed, with only bentgrass fields left. Grass fields have been baled and were in the process of being hauled off. Field corn was growing well due to the last few weeks of warm weather. Red clover harvest near. Second cutting of hay was taking place in Josephine and Lake counties. Mint harvest was also underway in Eastern Oregon. Barley and spring wheat harvests continued in several eastern counties as well. Some potatoes have been rolled to kill off the vines in preparation for harvest in Klamath County. Fruits and Nuts: Blueberry harvest was nearing completion, and the apple harvest looked good in Lane County. Blueberries in Washington County continued to produce. Hazelnut orchards have been swept and cleaned in order to prepare for harvest. Everbearing raspberries continued to produce. Asian pears were sizing, and prunes were near to picking size. Peach harvest has continued as well, and tart cherry harvest in Yamhill County has neared completion. Early plum harvest has begun. In the lower Hood River Valley, growers continued their summer pear harvest, while Upper Valley growers prepared for summer harvest. There was a late infestation of codling moth last week in one apple variety in Lane County. Hot weather has brought pear harvest on a little early in southern Oregon. There were reports of orchards being picked on the east side of the Rogue Valley Vegetables: Sweet corn harvest started this week in Marion County. It was entering local farmers' markets and farm stands in Washington County. Carrots, beets, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, cole crops at market too. Cooler weather this week increased concern of late blight for tomatoes, which need another four weeks of good weather. Celery was nearly ready for harvest. A majority of vegetables, including peppers, peas, cabbage, and broccoli, were doing well. Some vegetables, eggplants and basil, were experiencing slow growth. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Irrigation of nursery crops continued last week, with pruning and weeding going on as well. Livestock, Range and Pasture: The Barry Point Fire continued to burn rangeland in Lake County. At the end of last week, it was reported to be 73% contained. Irrigation has remained a major occupation and concern for ranchers. Cattle and calves in Washington County were doing well, though their pastureland was in need of more rain. Soil Moisture - Week Ending 08/26/12 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 15 46 39 0 Subsoil : 19 36 45 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress - Week Ending 08/26/12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Alfalfa hay, second cutting : 91 86 91 98 Alfalfa hay, third cutting : 30 22 14 52 Winter wheat harvested : 94 87 82 94 Barley harvested : 84 70 79 89 Spring wheat harvested : 82 68 61 85 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.9 6.9 6.8 6.4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition - Week Ending 08/26/12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 0 4 29 45 22 Spring wheat : 0 5 26 56 13 Barley : 1 4 22 61 12 Corn : 0 0 17 80 3 Range and pasture : 5 13 39 41 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon COOS/CURRY: Lows were below the 5-year average in both Coos and Curry counties. Highs were 4.5 degrees below the 5-year average in Curry and 2 1/2 below the 5-year average in Coos County. Cool, foggy mornings and breezy conditions prevailed all week in both Coos and Curry counties, with no rainfall for the week until Sunday afternoon. Bandon (Coos and Northern Curry): Official Low temperature for the period was 46.43 degrees, 3.69 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 68.45 degrees, 2.55 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.04 inches, which is 0.12 inches below the 5-year average for the week. Weather year 2012 (began 10/1/2011) precipitation stands at 64.98 inches, 12.43 inches above the 5-year average. Average precipitation through the month of August is 58.74 inches. Brookings (Southern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 46.99 degrees, 3.69 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 73.5 degrees, 4.64 degrees below the 5- year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.41 inches, which is 0.41 inches above the 5-year average. Weather year 2012 (began 10/1/2011) precipitation stands at 91.68 inches, 13.21 inches above the 5-year average. Historical average precipitation through August is 71.53 inches. JACKSON: Cooler this past week with temperatures dropping back into the 90s. Hot weather has brought pear harvest on a little early. There were reports of orchards being picked on the east side of the Rogue Valley. JOSEPHINE: End of July and first 2 weeks in August were a very hot month ranging from 90-103 degree days, with nights exceeding 60 degrees. This last week though had 3 nights below 45 degrees. Watering principle occupation. Second cutting of grass hay being raked now. LANE: Looks like cooler weather, which means the likelihood of late tomato blight soon. Tomato crop needed 4 more weeks of good weather. Apple crop looked good. Noticed a late infestation of codling moth in one apple variety 1 1/2 weeks ago. Pear crop was small but good. Blueberries were nearly done. Vegetables have mostly been doing very well. Peppers were now doing well. Eggplants have been slow. Basil was slow. Celery after 12 weeks, finally nearly ready. Peas were doing well. Cabbage looked like an excellent crop. Broccoli was going for crop number three. MARION: Sweet corn harvest was starting this week with row crops still being harvested. Ground preperation for hazelnut orchards meaning they have been cleaned and swept for harvest. Grass seed harvest was almost complete with bentgrass fields remaining. Grass fields have been baled and were in the process of being hauled off. Isolated reports indicated a small number of producers having the highest soft white wheat yields in 3 years. Producers were getting ready to start ground preparation for fall planted crops. WASHINGTON: Winter wheat done, with yield and grade above average. Field corn growing well with last couple of weeks' high temperatures. Red clover harvest near. Blueberries continued to produce, as did everbearing raspberries. Asian pears sizing, and prunes near to picking size. Sweet corn at local farmers markets and farm stands. Carrot, beets, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, cole crops at market too. Irrigating nursery crops, pruning and weeding too. Pastures needed a lot of rain. Cattle and calves doing well. High temperatures 84 degrees, low 41 degrees. Light rain Sunday evening. YAMHILL: Peach harvest continued. The tart cherry harvest was nearing completion. Some early plum harvest had begun. Early apple harvest had begun. Eastern Oregon HOOD RIVER: Relatively mild temperatures and dry conditions prevailed through the week. Summer pear harvest continued in the lower Hood River Valley and got under way in the mid Valley. Upper Valley growers prepared for summer pear harvest. KLAMATH: Harvest was well underway for grain crops. Some days with smoke filled skies due to the wildfires in neighboring counties and states. Favorable temperatures were helping hay cure and helping grain crops ripen. Some potatoes have been rolled to kill off the vines in preparation for harvest. Cooler night time temperatures. LAKE: Did not receive any precipitation during the week. Barry Point fire is reported as 73 percent contained at the end of the week. Second cutting of alfalfa started in majority of County; frost in some areas accelerated start of harvest. SHERMAN/WASCO: Weather changes have been tough on farmers. Have seen swings in temperature from being in the 100's just days ago, to now evenings, are down into the 40's. UNION/BAKER: Extremely dry. Mint harvest was well underway. Most winter wheat was in the bin. Barley and spring wheat harvests were underway. Majority of cereal grain harvested. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: August 26, 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 : 45 70 60 -1 74 +2 0.03 -0.34 1 71.81 +5.66 109 194 Bandon 8/ : 46 68 59 +1 62 +4 0.04 -0.24 1 65.62 +6.88 112 181 Crescent City : 45 65 57 -4 47 -16 - -0.28 - 59.87 -5.18 92 141 Florence : 40 72 56 -6 46 -31 0.07 -0.28 1 73.87 -2.34 97 175 North Bend : 50 75 60 +1 74 +4 - -0.28 - 40.47 -22.67 64 136 Tillamook : 43 73 60 +2 73 +10 - -0.48 - 61.83 -26.46 70 188 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 43 82 64 -3 98 -12 - -0.27 - 44.59 +3.71 109 188 Corvallis : 42 83 63 -3 95 -15 0.02 -0.20 1 46.59 +4.05 110 180 Detroit Lake 8/ : 44 88 66 +6 116 +36 - -0.35 - 98.63 +31.30 146 180 Eugene : 44 84 64 -3 102 -17 - -0.28 - 42.21 -6.96 86 145 Hillsboro : 42 81 62 -4 84 -22 - -0.28 - 31.81 -5.60 85 156 McMinnville : 43 82 64 -3 101 -10 - -0.21 - 40.32 -2.71 94 162 Portland : 49 84 66 -2 114 -13 - -0.28 - 40.23 +4.13 111 164 Salem : 45 83 65 -2 105 -8 - -0.21 - 44.91 +5.89 115 153 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 49 95 71 +2 151 +8 - -0.14 - 28.40 -2.53 92 127 Medford : 50 95 72 +1 158 +8 - -0.14 - 17.61 -1.16 94 101 Roseburg : 50 88 68 +0 130 +0 - -0.18 - 30.70 -1.91 94 135 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 38 93 66 +2 113 +14 - -0.19 - 15.10 +1.17 108 103 Echo 8/ : 39 96 69 -2 135 -8 0.01 -0.11 1 8.44 -0.44 95 98 Heppner : 41 92 66 -2 116 -8 - -0.19 - 12.78 -1.01 93 91 Hermiston : 38 95 70 -1 137 -6 0.03 -0.09 1 9.38 +0.50 106 82 Madras 8/ : 37 91 65 -1 103 -4 0.01 -0.13 1 8.66 -1.68 84 92 Moro : 39 88 64 -3 98 -15 - -0.14 - 10.69 -0.35 97 88 Parkdale 8/ : 37 88 62 -5 83 -27 - -0.16 - 46.34 +15.64 151 161 Pendleton : 43 93 68 -3 129 -15 - -0.14 - 12.10 +0.16 101 90 Prairie City 8/ : 37 91 65 -1 103 -4 0.01 -0.13 1 8.66 -1.68 84 92 The Dalles : 46 92 71 +7 152 +44 - -0.14 - 13.09 +0.66 105 95 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 31 87 59 -2 67 -10 - -0.20 - 14.46 -1.67 90 89 Bend : 39 94 65 +4 106 +24 - -0.14 - 9.90 -1.72 85 45 Burns : 37 90 65 +3 105 +17 - -0.17 - 8.66 -1.22 88 72 Christmas Valley 8/ : 30 90 62 -5 84 -26 - -0.14 - 5.75 -6.54 47 81 Klamath Falls : 36 88 64 -3 97 -11 - -0.14 - 7.54 -5.88 56 75 Klamath Falls 8/ : 38 88 64 -3 98 -10 0.29 +0.15 1 10.10 -3.32 75 99 Lakeview 8/ : 37 87 63 -2 90 -6 - -0.14 - 7.98 -7.56 51 89 Lorella 8/ : 32 89 63 -3 90 -18 - -0.14 - 8.70 -4.72 65 83 Redmond : 33 92 63 -2 90 -6 - -0.14 - 8.39 -0.11 99 65 Worden 8/ : 33 87 61 -5 76 -32 - -0.14 - 7.87 -5.55 59 77 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 32 91 63 -3 90 -12 - -0.24 - 8.12 -2.63 76 82 Joseph : 36 90 63 +5 96 +28 - -0.28 - 13.43 -11.26 54 125 La Grande : 38 93 65 -3 109 -12 - -0.23 - 12.00 -5.33 69 93 Imbler 8/ : 36 94 65 +0 105 +3 - -0.21 - 17.49 -5.82 75 125 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 44 96 73 +2 163 +11 - -0.14 - 7.78 -1.82 81 65 Rome : 39 94 71 +4 150 +25 0.01 -0.13 1 5.90 -2.30 72 57 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. NASS is currently conducting our annual September surveys on crops and livestock. In the first two weeks of September, NASS is surveying U.S. small grains growers for final production. The responses will provide the foundation for 2012 production estimates. All participating farmers should respond. Your information matters!