OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: September 10, 2012 Week ending: September 9, 2012 OR-CW2412 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: September 10, 2012 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: September 9, 2012 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 24-12 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: This week was hot and dry for the State east of the Coast, with most counties reporting high temperatures in the high 80's to high 90's. Medford reported the highest recorded temperature at 100 degrees, above its normal high of this time of the summer. Few south central counties reported low temperatures below freezing; Christmas Valley had the lowest reported temperature, at 30 degrees. A few counties throughout the State reported trace amounts of precipitation, mainly near the Coast. La Grande received the most rain at 0.12 inches. Field Crops: Peppermint harvest was completed in Lane County with average yields. Ryegrass seeding has begun; radish, vegetable, and clover, all for seed, were being threshed now also. Field corn ears filling in Washington County. Spring oats combined and straw baled. Corn detassling was taking place in Umatilla County, and some seed corn has already been harvested. Klamath County farmers were considering a fourth cutting of alfalfa if weather permits. Wheat harvests were finishing up, with many farmers looking forward to winter seeding. Malheur early potato harvest started. Tillage and soil preparation for fall crops was well underway. Fruits and Nuts: Warm and dry weather continued to help the maturing of orchard, berry and vineyard crops. Douglas County wine grape, apple, and pear crops were all a few weeks ahead of the past two years. The heat experienced in July and August had vineyard growers optimistic about good yields of high quality fruit. Pear harvest was more aligned with normal years due to hot temperatures, as harvest of Bartlett pears harvest continued closer to completion. Bosc and d'Anjous pears were close to harvest in Wasco County. Summer pear harvest continued in the upper Hood River Valley. Lower Valley growers prepared for winter pear harvest. Blueberries continued to produce and prune harvest started in the Willamette Valley. Hazelnut harvest was almost underway. Orchard floors were cleaned up and waiting for nuts to fall or start to fall. Hazelnut plantings were on the rise in Washington County. Cranberries were looking good as farmers prepared for the upcoming harvest season. The heat of the past month seems to have significantly reduced the Spotted Winged Drosophila population in Douglas County, with low trap counts since early August. Prune harvest was under way. Vegetables: The hot and dry weather continued, benefiting the harvest of many vegetables. Harvest of beets, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumber, peppers, cauliflower, onions, and summer squash continued. Sweet corn harvest was underway, with almost average yield so far. Sweet corn harvest for the processed market was starting, while bean crop harvest was almost completed. Onion harvest continued in Malheur County. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Continuing irrigation of nursery crops remained a primary focus last week. Livestock, Range and Pasture: There have been no new fires to report, but rangeland remained dry and fire danger also remained high, and was considered Extreme in Jackson County. Ranchers in Umatilla counties began to wean their calves, and the pastures there were also beginning to dry. In Lake County several ranchers reported that they were moving their cattle off of their allotments early, and may have to start feeding them hay. Washington County rangeland was dry and grass quality was poor, but the cattle and calves were still doing well. The southern portion of Harney County remained at "D2 and D3" levels on the drought monitor. Soil Moisture - Week Ending 09/09/12 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 28 40 32 0 Subsoil : 24 32 44 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress - Week Ending 09/09/12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Alfalfa hay, second cutting : 97 94 99 100 Alfalfa hay, third cutting : 44 33 55 81 Winter wheat planted : 6 - 1 - Barley harvested : 96 94 99 99 Spring wheat harvested : 95 92 89 97 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition - Week Ending 09/09/12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Spring wheat : 0 8 30 57 5 Barley : 0 4 32 62 2 Corn : 0 0 19 78 3 Range and pasture : 10 26 34 29 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon COOS/CURRY: Lows were well below the 5-year average in both Coos and Curry counties. Highs were 4 1/2 degrees below the 5-year average in Coos and over 20 degrees below the 5-year average in southern Curry County. Cool foggy mornings and breezy conditions prevailed all week in both Coos and Curry counties, with only a trace of rainfall for the week. The cool weather meant pastures, both hillside and bottom, remained in good condition, with better than average feed for this time of year. Some cattle were starting to be shipped out to feedlots off the bottoms and hills in preparation for the coming wet weather. Cranberries were looking good as farmers prepared for the upcoming harvest season. Bandon (Coos and Northern Curry): Official Low temperature for the period was 44.49 degrees, 3.51 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 64.8 degrees, 4.55 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.03 inches, which is 0.19 inches below the 5-year average for the week. Weather year 2012 (began 10/1/2011) precipitation stands at 65.02 inches, 12.43 inches above the 5- year average. Average precipitation through the month of September was 60.4 inches. Brookings (Southern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 46.16 degrees, 2.45 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 61.74 degrees, 20.76 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.05 inches, which is 0.37 inches below the 5-year average. Weather year 2012 (began 10/1/2011) precipitation stands at 91.88 inches, 12.95 inches above the 5-year average. Historical average precipitation through September was 73.48 inches. DOUGLAS: Hot and dry weather continued to help mature irrigated crops, but it was stressing non irrigated crops. Wine grape, apple, and pear crops were all about 2-3 weeks ahead of the past two, cooler, years. Wine grapes and late maturing tree fruit were right on the 30 year average pace of crop development. The heat of the past few weeks seemed to have knocked the Spotted Wing Drosophila population pretty hard. Trap counts have been very low since early August. Field work for planting fall crops was moving along nicely with grains and cover crop planting to begin within the next week or two with the cooler weather forecast. JACKSON: Had above average temperatures for this time of year all week long. Temperatures reached the mid 90s for the latter part of the week. The above normal temperatures have gotten pear harvest back on track with more normal years. Native rangeland was pretty dry and fire danger remains at Extreme. JOSEPHINE: Second crop grass hay cut, baled and in. Yield good. Harvest of tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, corn, peppers and summer squash continued; bountiful. Still have acorn squash, butternut squash to harvest, not ripe yet. LANE: Ground preparation for fall planted crops was in full swing. Peppermint harvest was completed in most areas with average yields reported. Sweet corn harvest was underway with early yields near average. Annual ryegrass seeding has begun. Radish seed, oats, vegetable seed, and clover seed were being threshed now. Tillage and soil preparation was well underway, as was lime applications. Fall fertilizer was also being applied to perennial grass seed crops. MARION: Processed green bean crop harvest was near completion. Producers were gearing up for processed corn harvest. Vegetable seed crops have been swathed and are nearing harvest. Ground preparation has begun for fall planting of crops. Warmer weather was expected towards the end of the week. WASHINGTON: Vineyard growers were optimistic about good yields with high quality fruit due to heat units experienced in July/August. Observed that hazelnut plantings are on the rise in Washington County. Sweet corn and red table beets were being harvested. Spring oats combined and straw baled, spring wheat combined. Field corn ears filling. Blueberries continued to produce, filberts starting to fall. Sweet corn harvest to processors starting, cauliflower harvest ongoing. Cover crops cut, soil prepared for fall. Range dry and grass poor, cattle and calves good. High temperature of 84 degrees, low of 48 degrees. Trace amounts of precipitation. YAMHILL: Prune harvest was under way. Lots of dirt flying as fall preparation work was getting underway too. Hazelnut orchards floor clean up was almost complete and waiting for the nuts to fall. Not much planting yet, still waiting for that first rain. Eastern Oregon HARNEY: County remained dry at this time. A little rain fell late last week in the southern part of the County. The southern part of the County remained in the "D2 and D3" level on the Drought Monitor. No new fires to report at this time. HOOD RIVER: Mild to warm temperatures and dry conditions prevailed through the week. Summer pear harvest continued in the upper Hood River Valley. Lower Valley growers prepared for winter pear harvest. KLAMATH: Hot dry weather continued. Some farmers were evaluating options for a fourth cutting of hay if weather and water holds. LAKE: Received small amount of precipitation during the week. Some producers reported that they were moving cattle off of allotments early--may have to start feeding hay. MALHEUR: High temperatures were mostly around 90. Low temperatures around 50. Normal high was 84, while the normal low was 55 for last week. No precipitation was recorded. Onion harvest continued. Early potatoes started. SHERMAN/WASCO: Some fallow spraying and deciding on varieties to plant. Bartlett pear harvest was almost over and d'Anjous and boscs were starting up harvest. UMATILLA: Cooler evening temperatures were signaling fall. Corn detassling was taking place, and some seed corn has already been harvested. Wheat harvest was finished, and farmers were looking towards winter seeding. Ranchers were beginning to wean calves, and pastures were beginning to dry. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: September 9, 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 : 50 84 61 +2 81 +13 0.04 -0.52 1 0.04 -0.66 6 1 Bandon 8/ : 44 65 56 -4 41 -15 0.03 -0.32 3 0.03 -0.41 7 3 Crescent City : 44 61 53 -7 21 -42 0.03 -0.31 3 0.03 -0.39 7 3 Florence : 41 68 55 -6 39 -37 0.02 -0.45 1 0.02 -0.57 3 1 North Bend : 48 70 57 -4 48 -18 - -0.35 - - -0.45 - - Tillamook : 45 72 60 +2 69 +9 - -0.73 - - -0.91 - - WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 46 95 67 +5 123 +28 - -0.36 - - -0.46 - - Corvallis : 46 94 66 +3 111 +16 - -0.30 - - -0.38 - - Detroit Lake 8/ : 45 98 69 +12 131 +71 0.01 -0.45 1 0.01 -0.57 2 1 Eugene : 45 95 66 +2 114 +11 - -0.35 - - -0.45 - - Hillsboro : 45 94 66 +4 116 +27 - -0.33 - - -0.41 - - McMinnville : 45 96 66 +3 116 +20 - -0.33 - - -0.41 - - Portland : 55 95 70 +6 142 +33 - -0.40 - - -0.50 - - Salem : 49 95 67 +4 121 +25 - -0.31 - - -0.39 - - SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 45 95 69 +3 138 +17 - -0.16 - - -0.20 - - Medford : 49 100 73 +6 162 +35 - -0.20 - - -0.24 - - Roseburg : 49 96 69 +4 137 +27 - -0.25 - - -0.31 - - NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 46 88 66 +7 112 +40 0.02 -0.19 1 0.02 -0.25 7 1 Echo 8/ : 44 92 67 +2 121 +8 0.01 -0.13 1 0.01 -0.17 6 1 Heppner : 43 88 66 +4 116 +20 - -0.16 - - -0.20 - - Hermiston : 42 93 67 +2 121 +8 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Madras 8/ : 42 88 65 +5 107 +26 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Moro : 45 87 65 +4 107 +22 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Parkdale 8/ : 41 88 64 +3 101 +13 0.02 -0.23 2 0.02 -0.29 6 2 Pendleton : 47 94 68 +3 127 +13 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Prairie City 8/ : 42 88 65 +5 107 +26 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - The Dalles : 50 94 71 +10 148 +61 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 31 85 59 +3 62 +7 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Bend : 40 87 63 +7 97 +38 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Burns : 32 93 64 +7 99 +40 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Christmas Valley 8/ : 30 90 60 -2 73 -10 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Klamath Falls : 38 88 63 +2 94 +11 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Klamath Falls 8/ : 41 88 64 +3 97 +14 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Lakeview 8/ : 36 91 63 +3 90 +18 0.01 -0.13 1 0.01 -0.17 6 1 Lorella 8/ : 31 92 63 +2 91 +8 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Redmond : 35 89 62 +3 82 +13 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Worden 8/ : 32 88 61 -2 77 -6 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - NORTHEAST : Baker City : 32 89 61 +2 78 +6 - -0.21 - - -0.27 - - Joseph : 43 88 62 +8 88 +42 - -0.28 - - -0.36 - - La Grande : 36 93 64 +2 101 +10 0.12 -0.09 1 0.12 -0.17 41 1 Imbler 8/ : 37 93 64 +4 98 +22 - -0.21 - - -0.27 - - SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 46 95 70 +5 141 +26 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - Rome : 41 95 69 +7 137 +46 - -0.14 - - -0.18 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.