OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: September 4, 2012 Week ending: September 2, 2012 OR-CW2312 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: September 4, 2012 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: September 2, 2012 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 23-12 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: The past week was warm and dry for most of the State, as many counties reported high temperatures either in the 80's or the low 90's. Ontario had the highest recorded temperature at 94 degrees, above its normal measure high of this time of the year. Cool mornings and evenings continued from late August, with some south central and northeastern counties reporting low temperatures below freezing; both Burns and Lakeview reported the lowest record temperature at 29 degrees. The Barry Point fire is now considered contained. Smoke from wildfires are still affecting the air quality of southeastern counties, negatively impacting the drying of hay and general outdoor work in Klamath County. Some counties reported light precipitation, mainly in the Willamette Valley and in the Coast. Crescent City received the most rain at 0.24 inches, slightly below its normally measured amount for this time of the year. Field Crops: Red clover was swathed in Washington and Yamhill counties; field corn has silking ears, wheat straw baled and oats ready to combine. Second cuttings of alfalfa were finishing up around the State, and third cuttings were underway as well. Most grain harvest was completed in Sherman and Wasco counties, some spring barley was ripe but the straw was too green to cut. Grass seed fields were mowed and post harvest weed spraying on fallow ground took place as well. Peppermint harvest neared completion. Field corn may have experienced some problems with pollination this year due to the extreme heat; too early to tell though as harvest had not started yet. Fruits and Nuts: Warm and dry weather has allowed for orchard, berry and vineyard crops to be able to continue maturing nicely. Apples looked to be very good, with a great crop in Lane County, while Douglas expects to start harvesting various varieties within the next few weeks. Gravensteins in Washington were also ripe. Blueberries are nearly finished in Lane County, with a great blackberry crop expected and some fall raspberries have already come in as well. Looks to be a good hazelnut crop this year. Orchard floor prep for hazelnuts has been ongoing. Bartlett pear harvests were in full swing, with a nice initial crop. Asian pears coloring and prunes were ripening. Peak pear harvest was expected for next week, with winter pears about 3-4 weeks away from their peak harvest time, although harvests in Hood River County have nearly been completed. Limited grapes were sent to wineries in Yamhill County. There was some late season pressure on crops in Douglas County by the Spotted Winged Drosophila, but other pest problems appeared to have been minor. Vegetables: Sweet corn harvest continues in Marion County, reporting to be in good quality; in contrast, sweet corn in Umatilla County suffers heat-related stress, and some may even not be adequately pollinated. A great variety of vegetables are at farmers markets and stands, including but not limited to, sweet corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant. Most vegetables are maturing well with the warm weather in the Northwestern parts of the state. Potatoes harvest is slowly beginning, as potatoes were being rolled to kill off vines. Onion harvest, storage, and packing have started. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Irrigation of nursery crops continued last week. Livestock, Range and Pasture: The Barry Point Fire has been contained; it burned a total of 93,071 acres of land in both Oregon and California. Other fires have still persisted in the eastern part of the State due to the lack of precipitation. Pastures in Washington County looked good, but were in need of more rainfall. Irrigation is still a major concern for ranchers. Soil Moisture - Week Ending 09/02/12 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 25 47 28 0 Subsoil : 28 36 36 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress - Week Ending 09/02/12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Alfalfa hay, second cutting : 94 91 94 99 Alfalfa hay, third cutting : 33 30 35 69 Winter wheat harvested : 98 94 92 98 Barley harvested : 94 84 93 96 Spring wheat harvested : 92 82 79 93 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.9 6.9 6.8 6.5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition - Week Ending 09/02/12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 0 6 23 48 23 Spring wheat : 0 7 28 57 8 Barley : 1 4 21 64 10 Corn : 0 0 17 83 0 Range and pasture : 10 33 25 29 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon DOUGLAS: Warm dry weather continued to allow orchard, berry, vineyard and vegetable crops to mature nicely. We have seen some late season pressure on berry crops from Spotted Wing Drosophila but other pest problems have been minor. Bartlett pear crops were beginning to be harvested. Peak harvest was about a week away. Winter pears are still about 3-4 weeks away from harvest. Gala apple crops are within a week of harvest but other commercial varieties are still 3-4 weeks away from their peak harvest. Water supply for irrigation continued to be good and irrigation continues to be a primary activity as temperatures are still daily reaching into the 80's. Next week looks hotter so irrigation needs will continue for several weeks. JOSEPHINE: Night temperatures ranged from 39-50 degrees to 80-95 degrees during the day. Plants subjected to sunburn and extreme heat, have been under stress in August. Extreme fire danger with curtailed mechanical activity except for agriculture and that has to comply with safety regulations. Summer produce was ripening quickly where water was in good supply. LANE: Good weather continued. Mornings were cool, but day time temperatures still good. Apples looking very good; a great crop with little insect damage even for those who didn't spray. Blueberries nearly done. Blackberries going crazy. Some fall raspberries were already in. Vegetables mostly doing very well. Tomatoes turning color nicely. Huge hazelnut crop this year. Bartlett pears in full harvest, nice crop. WASHINGTON: Red clover swathed and some harvested, field corn has silking ears, wheat straw baled and oats ready to combine. Gravenstien apples ripe, Asian pears coloring and prunes ripening. Filberts dropping hulls and blackberry harvest ongoing. Sweet corn looked good, great variety of vegetables at farmers markets and stands. Nursery's irrigating. Pastures were dry but cattle look good. High temperature 78 degrees, low 40 degrees and no rain. YAMHILL: Sweet corn and green bean continued to be harvested. Radish for seed still waiting to harvest, but should be ready next week. Orchard floor prep for hazelnuts was in full swing. Some grapes were seen headed to the winery over the weekend but it was very limited. Some red clover seed went through combines this week and other fields were just getting swathed. Ground being worked up for fall planting was dry. Grass seed fields are getting mowed. Third cutting of alfalfa was started this week with swathing occurring. Corn for silage was looking good but is still a month out. Eastern Oregon HOOD RIVER: Pear harvest was getting close to done. KLAMATH: Smoke from fires continued to make working outdoors challenging. Those with health issues encouraged to remain indoors. The smoke may have also caused delays for drying of hay. Grain harvest was well underway. Potatoes were being rolled to kill off vines. Temperatures were in the high 70's and low 80's with some frost in portions of the county. LAKE: Did not receive any precipitation during the week--county was currently 80 percent of normal for the water year. The Barry Point Fire was considered contained--it burned a total of 93,071 acres of private and USFS land in Oregon and California. MALHEUR: Weather continued to be hot and dry. Lots of smoke and fires. High temperature of 96 was about 10 degrees above normal and lows were around 50- 55. Normal low was 56. No precipitation. Onion harvest, storage, and packing started. Potato harvest was slowly getting started. Wheat harvest should be done except for some straggler fields. SHERMAN/WASCO: Most grain was harvested. A little wheat was saved for seed and a little spring barley that was ripe but the straw was too green to cut. Some stubble mowing and post harvest weed spraying on fallow ground. Both County fairs are done. Sherman ran 20 degrees cooler than Wasco did last week. Winter wheat seeding began. UMATILLA: Field corn may have had some pollination issues from the peak heat this summer. Too early to tell as harvest has not started. Sweet corn appeared to be hit by the heat and some may have missed the "nick" and not adequately pollinated. Cooler temperatures were prevailing with highs in the 80s and lows in the 40s. Potato harvest started in earnest. UNION/BAKER: Peppermint harvest still underway but nearing completion. 3rd cutting of alfalfa and 2nd cutting of grass hay taking place. Warm and dry conditions persisted, along with smoke haze from wildfires in region. Certified seed potato harvest will begin very soon in the Grande Ronde Valley. Sugarbeet and sunflower seed crops doing very well under current growing conditions. Irrigation water use from surface water sources restricted due to lack of rainfall and reduced stream flow. WALLOWA: Grain harvest was underway for dryland crops, 2nd cutting of hay was finishing up. Rainfall needed. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: September 2, 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 : 44 68 58 -3 55 -15 0.02 -0.44 1 71.83 +5.22 108 195 Bandon 8/ : 44 66 56 -3 43 -13 0.01 -0.28 1 65.63 +6.60 111 182 Crescent City : 46 65 56 -4 44 -19 0.24 -0.04 2 60.11 -5.22 92 143 Florence : 38 69 56 -6 42 -35 0.09 -0.33 1 73.96 -2.67 97 176 North Bend : 46 71 59 -2 61 -9 0.09 -0.21 1 40.56 -22.88 64 137 Tillamook : 41 72 59 +1 66 +3 0.03 -0.57 1 61.86 -27.03 70 189 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 44 80 64 -1 101 -2 - -0.32 - 44.59 +3.39 108 188 Corvallis : 41 80 63 -3 91 -13 0.01 -0.27 1 46.60 +3.78 109 181 Detroit Lake 8/ : 43 84 64 +5 97 +26 - -0.40 - 98.63 +30.90 146 180 Eugene : 39 81 63 -3 94 -19 0.03 -0.32 1 42.24 -7.28 85 146 Hillsboro : 40 79 61 -4 79 -20 0.02 -0.26 1 31.83 -5.86 84 157 McMinnville : 43 81 63 -3 91 -13 0.03 -0.23 1 40.35 -2.94 93 163 Portland : 50 79 66 -1 117 -2 - -0.35 - 40.23 +3.78 110 164 Salem : 45 80 64 -2 100 -7 - -0.26 - 44.91 +5.63 114 153 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 45 87 66 -4 111 -21 - -0.14 - 28.40 -2.67 91 127 Medford : 46 88 68 -3 128 -12 - -0.14 - 17.61 -1.30 93 101 Roseburg : 46 83 66 -2 111 -10 - -0.21 - 30.70 -2.12 94 135 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 42 87 62 +1 90 +4 0.01 -0.20 1 15.11 +0.97 107 104 Echo 8/ : 44 87 67 -2 124 -4 - -0.14 - 8.44 -0.58 94 98 Heppner : 43 86 63 -3 96 -16 - -0.18 - 12.78 -1.19 91 91 Hermiston : 42 87 67 -2 120 -8 - -0.14 - 9.38 +0.36 104 82 Madras 8/ : 38 83 61 -3 80 -14 - -0.14 - 8.65 -1.83 83 91 Moro : 41 85 63 -2 90 -9 - -0.14 - 10.69 -0.49 96 88 Parkdale 8/ : 39 80 60 -5 69 -31 - -0.21 - 46.34 +15.43 150 161 Pendleton : 44 85 65 -4 109 -21 - -0.13 - 12.10 +0.03 100 90 Prairie City 8/ : 38 83 61 -3 80 -14 - -0.14 - 8.65 -1.83 83 91 The Dalles : 49 86 70 +6 140 +41 - -0.14 - 13.09 +0.52 104 95 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 30 81 56 -4 42 -25 - -0.14 - 14.46 -1.81 89 89 Bend : 39 84 60 +0 72 +1 - -0.14 - 9.90 -1.86 84 45 Burns : 29 87 60 +0 70 -3 - -0.14 - 8.66 -1.36 86 72 Christmas Valley 8/ : 30 84 57 -8 48 -49 - -0.14 - 5.75 -6.68 46 81 Klamath Falls : 36 83 59 -5 66 -29 - -0.14 - 7.54 -6.02 56 75 Klamath Falls 8/ : 38 83 60 -4 74 -21 0.12 -0.02 1 10.22 -3.34 75 100 Lakeview 8/ : 29 85 58 -5 56 -29 - -0.14 - 7.98 -7.70 51 89 Lorella 8/ : 31 85 58 -6 59 -36 - -0.14 - 8.70 -4.86 64 83 Redmond : 30 85 59 -4 64 -20 - -0.13 - 8.39 -0.24 97 65 Worden 8/ : 32 83 57 -7 48 -47 - -0.14 - 7.87 -5.69 58 77 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 30 91 62 -2 82 -6 - -0.21 - 8.12 -2.84 74 82 Joseph : 41 86 62 +5 84 +26 - -0.28 - 13.43 -11.54 54 125 La Grande : 30 88 63 -2 96 -11 - -0.24 - 12.00 -5.57 68 93 Imbler 8/ : 32 89 62 -1 85 -5 - -0.21 - 17.49 -6.03 74 125 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 45 94 71 +2 147 +13 - -0.14 - 7.78 -1.96 80 65 Rome : 40 93 68 +3 127 +19 - -0.14 - 5.90 -2.44 71 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, 2012. 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.