Released: October 31, 2005 -- 3:00 pm CST For Week Ending October 30, 2005 SD-CW4405 Volume 54 Issue 44

AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY:   Warm, dry weather last week allowed producers to nearly finish soybean harvest, with the progress of combining corn, sorghum, and sunflower advancing ahead of normal. Farmers and ranchers throughout the state continue to utilize field residue as an additional food source, with many also beginning to bale corn stalks. Other major farm activities included row crop harvest, fall tillage, moving hay and grain, machinery maintenance, weaning calves, moving cattle to field residue, and caring for livestock. Statewide, there were 6.7 days reported suitable for fieldwork. This report is based on information from county extension educators, Farm Service Agency county directors, and other reporters across the state.

WEATHER INFORMATION:   Last week's temperatures averaged almost 4 degrees above normal, with average temperatures mostly in the upper 40's. The high temperature for the week was 79 degrees, reported in Rapid City; while the low for the week was 14 degrees, reported in Faulkton. Precipitation was minimal again last week, with only 28 of the 43 reporting weather stations receiving moisture. Buffalo reported the highest amount of precipitation received, at 0.64 inch.

SOIL CONDITION:   Both topsoil and subsoil moisture levels fell last week, with little precipitation being received across the state. Topsoil moisture is currently rated at 66 percent adequate to surplus. Subsoil moisture is rated at 54 percent adequate to surplus, below last year's rating of 66 percent adequate to surplus.

FIELD CROPS REPORT:   Row crop harvest was the main farm activity for much of the state last week, with soybean harvest nearing completion at 98 percent complete for the state. Corn harvest advanced to 75 percent complete last week, well ahead of last year's 31 percent and the five-year average of 62 percent. Sorghum harvest progressed to 94 percent complete, ahead of last year's 69 percent and the five-year average of 83 percent. With warm, dry weather helping the later-planted sunflower fields reach maturity, harvest has advanced to 78 percent complete. Sunflower harvest is well ahead of last year's progress at 34 percent, and the five-year average of 73 percent. Recent weather remains beneficial to the winter wheat crop across the state, with the condition rating increasing to 51 percent good to excellent. Winter wheat emergence is 88 percent complete, slightly behind last year's 89 percent yet ahead of the five-year average of 82 percent.

LIVESTOCK, PASTURE, AND RANGE REPORT:   Mild weather has been beneficial to livestock across the state, with cattle and sheep rated in mostly good to excellent condition. Range and pasture conditions fell slightly, from 47 percent good to excellent the previous week, to 43 percent good to excellent last week. Stock water supplies remain similar to the previous week, at 61 percent adequate to surplus, with feed supplies rated at 91 percent adequate to surplus.

          FEED AND WATER SUPPLIES COMPARISON
                 AS OF OCTOBER 30, 2005 

       FEED SUPPLIES      STOCK WATER
        This  Last 5-Yr.   This  Last  5-Yr.
RATING   Week  Year  Ave.   Week  Year   Ave.

                       Percent
Very 
 Short      3    11    11     16     17   24
Short       6    18    22     23     22   24
Adeq.      83    66    62     58     58   49
Surplus     8     5     5      3      3    3



        SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON
           AS OF OCTOBER 30, 2005 

               TOPSOIL         SUBSOIL
         This   Last  Last  This   Last  Last
RATING   Week   Week  Year  Week   Week  Year
                       Percent
Very 
 Short     10    10     5     18     18    14
Short      24    23    15     28     26    20
Adeq.      62    63    73     51     52    63
Surplus     4     4     7      3      4     3


                        
          CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS
              AS OF OCTOBER 30, 2005 

ITEM        V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL
                          Percent
Winter wheat   1       8     40      40     11
Cattle         0       1     13      62     24
Sheep          0       1     10      55     34
Range &                                        
  Pasture      8      15     34      37      6
                  


      CROP PROGRESS AS OF OCTOBER 30, 2005  1/                                                                         
                                                                           
                    This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
                         Percent
Corn        
 grain harvested     75     52     31      62
Sorghum       
 grain harvested     94     86     69      83
Soybeans      
 harvested           98     94     94      95 
Sunflower   
 mature              97     93     95      99
 harvested           78     61     34      73 
Winter wheat
 emerged             88     85     89      82

1/ Percents represent all acreage in or beyond each stage. 



SOIL TEMPERATURES WEEK ENDING OCT. 30, 2005
                (4-inch Depth)

LOCATION      TEMP             LOCATION   TEMP

Beresford      48              Gettysburg   49
Brookings      47              Nisland      49
Caputa         46              Pierre       50
Chamberlain    50              Redfield     57
Cottonwood     48              Watertown    45



	     TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION
              WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 30, 2005                 

             TEMPERATURE       -----  PRECIPITATION -----    
             -----------          SINCE  SINCE  SINCE  SINCE 
            CURRENT WEEK    CURR  JAN 1  APR 1  JAN 1  APR 1 
STATION     AVG DFN HI  LO  WEEK  TOTAL  TOTAL    DFN    DFN 
-------     --  --  --  -- -----  -----  -----  -----  ----- 
Bison       49  +7  71  22| 0.29  18.82  18.05  +2.90  +4.09
Buffalo     50  +9  72  24| 0.64   8.88   8.65  -4.25  -3.30
Dupree      47  +4  69  23| 0.03  16.32  15.20  +0.61  +1.18
Mc Intosh   47  +6  70  21| 0.09  14.55  13.77  -1.05  -0.36
Newell      46  +5  73  19| 0.26  16.14  15.23  +1.94  +2.53
Timber Lake 47  +5  68  21| 0.03  13.60  11.99  -3.02  -2.67
Aberdeen    44  +3  65  17| 0.00  17.54  16.31  +0.01  +0.96
Eureka      47  +6  67  20| 0.00  15.29  14.45  -0.77  -0.03
Faulkton    42  +0  68  14| 0.00  20.33  19.03  +2.74  +3.54
Mobridge    47  +5  70  22| 0.00  14.45  13.32  -1.47  -0.70
Roscoe      42  +0  65  19| 0.00  18.15  17.11  +0.47  +1.35
Britton     48  +6  66  24| 0.00  27.29  26.21  +9.54 +10.17
Clear Lake  44  +2  63  26| 0.01  26.35  24.15  +3.77  +4.48
Sisseton    46  +3  67  24| 0.00  24.33  22.90  +4.68  +5.68
Webster     47  +6  65  27| 0.00  22.95  22.06  +3.18  +4.58
Watertown   45  +3  63  22| 0.01  18.73  17.67  -2.10  -0.63
Faith       48  +6  72  24| 0.05  14.13  12.88  -1.59  -1.03
Milesville  49  +5  75  20| 0.15  18.16  16.53  +1.13  +1.42
Long Valley 48  +3  72  16| 0.09  18.60  16.77  +1.64  +1.68
Philip      48  +3  76  18| 0.01  13.42  12.39  -1.77  -1.16
Rapid City  50  +7  79  18| 0.06  14.41  12.10  -1.17  -1.54
Spearfish   52  +9  70  21| 0.37  17.91  16.02  -2.59  -1.69
Chamberlain 46  +1  74  19| 0.00  21.70  19.45  +5.09  +4.61
Highmore    48  +5  70  19| 0.04  15.58  14.56  -3.07  -2.02
Huron       47  +4  69  21| 0.00  21.04  20.24  +2.19  +4.14
Onida       48  +5  71  19| 0.07  14.08  13.28  -3.13  -1.60
Pierre      48  +3  74  17| 0.00  12.01  11.49  -5.56  -4.04
Brookings   42  +2  64  23| 0.11  30.37  28.72  +8.66  +8.99
Madison     44  +3  65  22| 0.08  25.95  24.13  +3.74  +5.03
Mitchell    45  +0  68  21| 0.05  27.89  25.77  +7.39  +7.90
Sioux Falls 46  +4  66  23| 0.03  27.25  24.38  +5.22  +5.14
Custer      46  +6  68  23| 0.11  15.44  14.13  -2.44  -1.87
Hot Springs 49  +3  74  20| 0.03  18.88  17.37  +3.87  +3.85
Oelrichs    48  +3  76  19| 0.06  19.24  18.13  +3.41  +4.22
Porcupine   47  +5  76  15| 0.00  18.18  16.31  +3.11  +2.72
Murdo       49  +5  74  23| 0.04  17.48  15.41  +0.51  +0.70
Winner      50  +3  72  26| 0.00  21.98  19.55  -0.21  +0.19
Armour      47  +3  69  17| 0.00  26.16  24.04  +4.70  +5.46
Centerville 44  +1  67  24| 0.06  24.68  22.12  +1.35  +1.57
Marion      44  +1  66  22| 0.05  30.11  27.82  +7.49  +8.19
Pickstown   45  -2  73  20| 0.09  23.88  21.49  +3.14  +3.24
Vermillion  48  +1  68  24| 0.00  29.11  26.43  +6.21  +6.16
Yankton     45  -2  69  21| 0.10  26.52  23.52  +4.60  +4.11

Source: National Weather Service, provided by AWIS, Inc.