OR-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: October 15, 2012 Week ending: October 14, 2012 OR-CW2912 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: October 15, 2012 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: October 14, 2012 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 29-12 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Oregon cooled down this week following the first rain of fall, with most stations reporting high temperatures in the upper 70's and measurable precipitation. Medford had the highest record temperature at 81 degrees, above its normal high for this time of fall. Almost all stations in eastern Oregon continued to have below freezing overnight temperatures. Christmas Valley and Burns both had the lowest recorded temperature at 15 degrees. The first rainfall of the season occurred for several counties, relieving fire danger in some areas and improving soil moisture for fall crops. Tillamook recorded receiving 2.05 inches of rain, slightly above its normal precipitation for this time of the year. Some areas reported the first rain since July. Field Crops: In north Willamette Valley, fall wheat was dusted in. Field corn silage finished there. Soil was being prepared for new rye grass planting. First rains since July fell on Friday, providing some relief to dry conditions. In anticipation of rain showers, a lot of fall pre-emergent field spraying for weeds were going on in perennial grass seed fields. Klamath potato harvest continued. Some producers were still harvesting fourth cutting alfalfa. Malheur hay, potatoes, corn and sugarbeets were being harvested. This week had ideal harvesting conditions. In the Union/Baker County area, sugarbeet harvest continued. Sunflowers and corn have not been harvested; farmers expect some delays next week if forecasted rain arrives. Umatilla County potato harvest was wrapping up, with corn harvest (yellow corn for grain) in full swing. Wheat plantings have slowed, as conditions were dry and producers were waiting for more available moisture; wheat producers hoped for upcoming rain. The weekend precipitation and cooler temperatures should help the germination and emergence of recent wheat seedings. Seeding continued, as the region had enough rain to settle the dust and hopefully improve seeding conditions. Sherman County was 75 percent seeded and had about 40 percent of grain up. Wasco County was much lower seeded as direct seeders were waiting for moisture. Things did get busy this week in Wasco County, however. The region had some light precipitation earlier this past week, the first precipitation in 84 days. Fruits and Nuts: Winter pear harvest continued in mid and upper Hood River Valley, while wine grape and apples continued harvest throughout the Valley. Pear and wine grape harvest continued in Douglas County, harvesting good quality fruit. Late season apple harvest continued in western Oregon; the crop appears to have fewer issues with the codling moth than last year. Everbearing strawberry harvest ongoing. Hazelnut harvest continued, appearing to have fair yields and good quality. Good quality walnuts were starting to drop. Cranberry producers continued preparation for the upcoming harvest season. Vegetables: Sweet corn harvest continued for Oregon, nearing completion. Farmers expect late blight in tomatoes after first fall rain. Pumpkin and squash were being harvested. Powdery mildew has been hitting pumpkin, squash, and cucumber crop hard in Lane County. Malheur onions harvested. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Nurseries and greenhouses were removing unwanted arborvitae from plantation. They were continuing irrigation on shrubs. Fall sales of plants and shrubs were happening. Livestock, Range and Pasture: Pastures need rain. Supplemental feeding has been keeping stock in good shape. Animals were moved from area to area to graze where there might be green. Some producers were starting to ship cattle to winter pastures. In Coos and Curry counties, better than average feed in some areas for this time of year, but the uplands continue to be dry. Cattle were mostly off the bottoms and were being gathered off the hills. In Klamath County, some were irrigating pastures, pre-irrigation for 2013 was occurring. Soil Moisture - Week Ending 10/14/12 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 34 35 31 0 Subsoil : 41 31 28 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress - Week Ending 10/14/12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat planted : 51 37 - 66 Winter wheat emerged : 24 17 - 30 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 6.5 6.9 4.8 5.5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition - Week Ending 10/14/12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn : 0 0 27 73 0 Range and pasture : 23 40 22 15 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Oregon COOS/CURRY: Lows were 2 - 3+ degrees below the 5-year average for both counties. Coos County high temperature was 0.84 degrees below the 5-year average. Highs were over 9 degrees below the 5-year average in southern Curry County. Cool mornings and overcast conditions prevailed all week along the Coast, and first rainfall of the season started to ease fire danger in some area, while other areas didn't settle the dust. Better than average feed in some areas for this time of year, but the uplands continue to be dry. Cattle were mostly off the bottoms and were being gathered off the hills. Cranberry producers continued preparation for the upcoming harvest season. Bandon (Coos and Northern Curry): Official Low temperature for the period was 42.31 degrees, 1.07 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 68.34 degrees, 2.61 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.0 inches, which is 0.53 inches below the 5-year average for the week. Weather year 2012 (through 9/30/2012) ended with a total of 65.04 inches, 11.27 above the 5-year average, and 4.64 above the historical average. Weather year 2013 (began 10/1/2012) precipitation stands at 0.09 inches, 0.66 inches below the 5-year average. Historical average precipitation for October is 4.07 inches. Brookings (Southern Curry): Low temperature for the period was 43.67 degrees, 2.27 degrees below the 5-year average. High temperature for the period was 63.42 degrees, 9.09 degrees below the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.57 inches, which is 0.87 inches below the 5-year average. Weather year 2012 (through 9/30/2012) ended with a total of 91.91 inches, 11.61 above the 5-year average, and 18.43 above the historical average. Weather year 2013 (began 10/1/2012) precipitation stands at 0.57 inches, 0.87 inches below the 5-year average. Historical average precipitation for October is 5.22 inches. DOUGLAS: Dry weather has really pushed irrigation late into the fall. Orchard and vineyard owners have had good harvest conditions because of the dry fall. Pear harvest was about 50 percent complete and wine grape harvest was about 70 percent complete. Good quality fruit crops are being harvested this year. Fall field crops are waiting for a few fall rains before being planted. JACKSON: The streak of 84 consecutive days without measurable precipitation ended on Friday. The rain is a welcome sight. JOSEPHINE: First portion of the week had overnight temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees with daytime temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees. A few nights with fog. Later part of reporting period had overnight temperatures of 48 to 60 daytime 59-70. Wonderful working weather but still need rain. No precipitation other than fog without dew. Harvesting and watering most urgent. Grape harvest continued looking at the best year for most vineyards. Vegetation very crisp where no irrigation. Animals were being moved from area to area to graze where there might be green. LANE: Apple crop looked excellent, with fewer codling moths this year. However scab was very bad this year. Powdery mildew was hammering cucumber, pumpkin, and squash crops; fortunately it is near the end of the season. Warm season crops were nearing end of season. Rain is much needed. Farmers expect late blight in tomatoes after Friday rain. Fall agronomy crops were going in LINN: MARION: First rains since July fell on Friday, providing some relief to dry conditions. In anticipation of rain showers, a lot of fall pre-emergent field spraying for weeds were going on in perennial grass seed fields. POLK: One of the best weather seasons for western Oregon for wine grapes in memory. WASHINGTON: Fall wheat was dusted in. Field corn silage finished. Soil was being prepared for new rye grass planting. Blackberries weed control was applied. Irrigation equipment removed from fields. Filberts were being processed, appearing to have fair yields. Good quality walnuts were starting to drop. Everbearing strawberries continued to produce. Sweet corn harvest completed. Pumpkins and squash were being harvested and potatoes were being dug. Nurseries and greenhouses were removing unwanted arborvitae from plantation. They were continuing irrigation on shrubs. Fall sales of plants and shrubs were happening. Pastures need rain. Supplemental feeding has been keeping stock in good shape. High temperature 71 degrees, low 39 degrees. Fall apples were ready to pick. YAMHILL: Hazelnut harvest continued. Some fall copper sprays were being applied in apple orchards. Late season apple harvest continued. Eastern Oregon HARNEY: Conditions are dry. Rain was in the forecast for the weekend; everyone was looking forward to some much needed moisture. HOOD RIVER: Mild temperatures and mostly dry weather prevailed through the week. Winter pear harvest continued in the mid and upper Hood River Valley. Apple and wine grape harvest continued throughout the Valley. KLAMATH: Another week of unseasonable temperatures. Potato harvest continued. Some producers were still harvesting fourth cutting alfalfa. Some were irrigating pastures, pre-irrigation for 2013 was occurring. There were only two nights of below freezing temperatures. The little rain on Saturday didn't cause delays in potato harvest but caused issues for some farms that had hay still down. LAKE: Some producers in the area were still irrigating from wells. Some were starting to ship cattle to winter pastures. MALHEUR: High and low temperatures were mostly 75 and 36, respectively. Normal was 68 and 42. No precipitation. Hay, onions, potatoes, corn and sugarbeets were being harvested. This week had ideal harvesting conditions. SHERMAN/WASCO: Sherman County was actually about 75 percent seeded and has about 40 percent of grain up. Wasco County was much lower seeded as direct seeders were waiting for moisture. Things did get busy this week in Wasco County, however. The region had some light precipitation earlier this past week, the first precipitation in 84 days. UNION/BAKER: Sugarbeet harvest continued. Sunflowers and corn has not been harvested; farmers expect some delays next week if forecasted rain arrives. UMATILLA: Potato harvest was wrapping up, with corn harvest (yellow corn for grain) in full swing. Wheat plantings have slowed, as conditions were dry and producers were waiting for more available moisture; wheat producers hoped for upcoming rain. The weekend precipitation and cooler temperatures should help the germination and emergence of recent wheat seedings. Seeding continued, as the region had enough rain to settle the dust and hopefully improve seeding conditions. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: October 14, 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 : 40 60 52 -2 20 -5 1.89 +0.77 3 2.12 -2.94 42 7 Bandon 8/ : 37 64 53 -2 27 -3 0.09 -0.64 2 0.14 -2.89 5 7 Crescent City : 44 64 55 -2 35 -9 0.61 -0.25 2 0.68 -2.65 20 9 Florence : 36 63 51 -5 16 -22 1.45 +0.31 3 1.51 -3.08 33 6 North Bend : 45 64 55 +0 40 +2 0.43 -0.40 1 0.43 -2.88 13 1 Tillamook : 36 63 52 -2 21 -4 2.05 +0.67 3 2.10 -4.30 33 6 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 35 72 55 +2 38 +11 1.57 +0.96 3 1.67 -1.30 56 5 Corvallis : 31 73 53 -2 28 -2 1.71 +1.14 2 2.03 -0.54 79 3 Detroit Lake 8/ : 35 77 54 +6 36 +22 1.66 +0.76 3 1.83 -2.09 47 5 Eugene : 33 73 55 +0 39 +3 0.51 -0.08 2 0.53 -2.20 19 4 Hillsboro : 33 71 53 -2 23 -3 0.97 +0.44 2 1.01 -1.50 40 4 McMinnville : 34 72 54 -1 30 -1 0.82 +0.22 2 0.82 -1.96 29 2 Portland : 40 72 57 +2 49 +11 1.02 +0.51 2 1.06 -1.66 39 3 Salem : 38 73 55 +2 40 +13 1.05 +0.50 2 1.09 -1.50 42 5 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 39 79 58 +2 60 +10 0.09 -0.35 1 0.09 -1.61 5 1 Medford : 40 81 60 +4 70 +25 0.23 -0.05 1 0.23 -1.14 17 1 Roseburg : 41 75 59 +3 65 +17 0.26 -0.15 1 0.26 -1.63 14 1 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 35 75 55 +6 36 +23 0.14 -0.07 1 0.17 -0.91 16 3 Echo 8/ : 26 80 56 +4 40 +14 0.29 +0.16 3 0.35 -0.28 56 4 Heppner : 38 76 57 +4 49 +24 0.27 +0.06 2 0.27 -0.96 22 2 Hermiston : 28 78 55 +3 38 +12 0.29 +0.16 3 0.32 -0.31 51 4 Madras 8/ : 27 75 53 +3 24 +4 0.11 -0.03 2 0.17 -0.61 22 5 Moro : 32 76 54 +4 31 +15 0.25 +0.11 2 0.25 -0.57 30 2 Parkdale 8/ : 29 77 54 +3 32 +10 0.34 -0.05 4 0.36 -1.51 19 6 Pendleton : 32 76 57 +4 52 +23 0.35 +0.19 3 0.35 -0.55 39 3 Prairie City 8/ : 27 75 53 +3 24 +4 0.11 -0.03 2 0.17 -0.61 22 5 The Dalles : 32 79 58 +8 60 +42 0.11 -0.03 2 0.11 -0.72 13 2 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 18 77 48 +1 - -8 - -0.27 - - -1.12 - - Bend : 23 74 53 +5 26 +13 - -0.14 - - -0.68 - - Burns : 15 78 49 +3 4 -3 0.01 -0.13 1 0.01 -0.83 1 1 Christmas Valley 8/ : 15 77 49 -3 2 -19 0.03 -0.18 2 0.03 -0.93 3 2 Klamath Falls : 26 75 52 +1 15 -4 - -0.21 - - -0.92 - - Klamath Falls 8/ : 29 76 52 +2 17 -2 0.01 -0.20 1 0.01 -0.91 1 1 Lakeview 8/ : 22 77 50 +1 10 -5 0.01 -0.22 1 0.02 -1.06 2 2 Lorella 8/ : 21 78 50 -2 6 -13 0.01 -0.20 1 0.01 -0.91 1 1 Redmond : 22 76 51 +2 10 -6 0.02 -0.07 1 0.07 -0.49 13 3 Worden 8/ : 21 76 50 -2 5 -14 0.06 -0.15 1 0.06 -0.86 7 1 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 18 74 49 +2 4 -7 0.03 -0.11 1 0.09 -0.92 9 3 Joseph : 32 72 53 +10 26 +22 0.05 -0.33 1 0.46 -1.64 22 3 La Grande : 23 75 50 -1 19 +0 - -0.28 - 0.14 -1.30 10 2 Imbler 8/ : 23 76 53 +4 23 +8 0.18 -0.17 3 0.21 -1.51 12 6 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 26 78 55 +3 39 +14 0.01 -0.13 1 0.10 -0.65 13 3 Rome : 24 79 54 +4 28 +9 - -0.10 - 0.15 -0.65 19 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.