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Weekly Ag Update

Issue 55-15

April 4, 2005

Included in this Issue

Crop Weather
Ag Prices
Prospective Plantings


CROP SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING APRIL 3, 2005


NEW MEXICO: There were 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture was 2% very short, 19% short, 74% adequate, and 5% surplus. Freeze damage was 7% light, 17% moderate and 1% severe. Wind damage was 16% light , 27% moderate and 3% severe. Farmers were busy with land preparation, planting chile, working on ditches and irrigating alfalfa. Alfalfa was in fair to excellent condition and the first cutting was 23% complete. Lettuce was listed as 5% fair, 65% good and 30% excellent. Onions were 64% good, 35% excellent, and 100% planted. Chile was 70% planted and was listed in mostly fair to excellent condition. Wheat was in mostly good condition and 35% was being grazed. Ranchers were busy watering branding and maintaining herds. Supplemental feeding is decreasing. Cattle were listed as 1% very poor, 1% poor, 30% fair, 58% good, and 10% excellent. Sheep were 2% very poor, 4% poor, 33% fair, 51% good and 10% excellent. Range and pasture was listed as 3% very poor, 12% poor, 37% fair, 45% good, and 3% excellent. There was a lot of wind, rain and snow especially in the north east part of the state.

CROP PROGRESS PERCENTAGES WITH COMPARISONS
CROP PROGRESS This Last Week Last Year 5-Year
CHILE Planted 70 63 70 59
COTTON Planted 4 N/A 5 5
WHEAT (ALL) Grazed 35 51 27 N/A


CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITION PERCENTAGES
Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent
Alfalfa -- 1 30 50 19
Chile -- -- 60 22 18
Lettuce -- -- 5 65 30
Onions -- -- 1 64 35
Wheat (All) -- -- 20 70 10
Cattle 1 1 30 58 10
Sheep 2 4 33 51 10
Range/Pasture 3 12 37 45 3
            

SOIL MOISTURE PERCENTAGES
Very
Short 		Short Adequate Surplus
Northwest 2 8 87 3
Northeast -- 19 78 3
Southwest 4 35 56 5
Southeast 2 16 72 10
State Current 2 19 74 5
State-Last Week 1 5 81 13
State-Last Year 9 40 47 4
State-5-Yr Avg. 23 32 43 2


WEATHER SUMMARY
Relatively cool weather continued over New Mexico for much of the week, with the statewide temperature averaging between 5 and 6 degrees below normal. Warmer weather developed late in the week, and afternoon readings hit 80 degrees at Tucumcari and Tatum on the 3rd. Precipitation was spotty and light over most of the state, but a winter storm brought heavier precipitation to the northeast quarter of New Mexico around mid-week. Raton (.66") and Red River (.52") were the only locations that measured over a quarter of an inch of moisture. Note: Weekly average temperatures for stations with missing data are incorrect.

NEW MEXICO WEATHER CONDITIONS - MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2005
Temperature
Precipitation
Station
Mea n
Maximu m Minimu m 03/28
04/03 		03/01
04/03
Normal
Apr
01/01
04/03 		Normal
Jan-Apr
Farmington 44.9 75 20 0.04 0.00 0.51 3.40 2 .48
Gallup 42.3 71 20 0.02 0.00 0.64 5.48 3 .23
Capulin 37.1 65 22 0.02 0.00 1.01 2.80 2 .86
Chama 34.8 61 7 0.10 0.00 1.27 9.36 6 .61
Johnson Ranch 39.7 69 16 0.04 0.00 0.49 3.71 2 .47
Las Vegas 41.9 68 16 0.00 0.00 0.83 3.76 2 .54
Los Alamos 38.3 61 22 0.01 0.00 1.00 6.77 3 .88
Raton 38.7 69 2 0.66 0.00 1.06 4.26 2 .90
Red River 31.4 56 1 0.52 0.00 1.68 7.26 5 .75
Santa Fe 40.1 67 16 0.03 0.00 0.81 5.62 2 .87
Clayton 48.4 75 26 0.19 0.00 0.94 3.19 2 .04
Clovis 50.1 76 29 0.05 0.05 0.81 4.62 2 .30
Roy 43.8 71 19 0.00 0.00 0.82 4.54 2 .14
Tucumcari 51.4 80 28 0.22 0.22 0.87 5.14 2 .00
Grants 40.4 70 11 0.03 0.00 0.45 3.58 1 .95
Quemado 41.7 66 14 0.00 0.00 0.60 3.27 2 .95
Silver City 45.7 69 20 0.00 0.00 0.53 7.66 3 .90
Albuquerque 48.4 71 28 0.00 0.00 0.52 4.24 1 .96
Carrizozo 47.0 68 24 0.00 0.00 0.36 5.78 2 .10
Socorro N/A N/A N/A 0.00 0.00 0.36 3.40 1 .41
Gran Quivera 43.4 68 17 0.01 0.00 0.64 5.25 2 .88
Moriarty 41.4 69 13 0.00 0.00 0.66 4.86 2 .10
Ruidoso 44.6 65 15 0.00 0.00 0.63 6.05 4 .24
Carlsbad 53.8 80 28 0.02 0.02 0.49 3.02 1 .49
Roswell 50.6 79 25 0.00 0.00 0.65 2.64 1 .99
Tatum 54.5 80 31 0.00 0.00 0.64 2.49 2 .05
Alamogordo 53.4 72 31 0.00 0.00 0.26 4.61 1 .93
Animas 53.4 76 34 0.00 0.00 0.20 4.67 1 .86
Deming 52.4 79 31 0.00 0.00 0.18 3.21 1 .54
Las Cruces 52.1 79 33 0.00 0.00 0.21 3.60 1 .26
T or C 53.3 77 31 0.00 0.00 0.22 2.67 1 .40
(T) Trace (-) No Report (*) Correction
All reports based on preliminary data. Precipitation data corrected monthly from official observation forms.


PROSPECTIVE PLANTINGS
NEW MEXICO: Corn growers intend to plant 120,000 acres of corn for all purposes in 2005, down 4 percent from 2004. Sorghum is expected to hold at 140,000 planted acres. Winter wheat planted acreage is also unchanged in 2005, at 490,000 acres. Peanut intended plantings are up 6 percent to18,000 acres. Upland cotton producers intend to plant 2,000 more acres for a total of 70,000 acres. Pima cotton acreage is expected to be down 6 percent this year to 10,000 acres. All hay to be harvested intentions are estimated at 330,000 acres for 2005.


UNITED STATES: Corn planted area for all purposes is estimated at 81.4 million acres, up 1 percent from 2004 and 4 percent above 2003. If realized, this would be largest corn acreage since 1985. Expected acreage is up from last year throughout much of the Corn Belt and southern Great Plains. All wheat planted area is expected to total 58.6 million acres in 2005, down 2 percent from 2004. All cotton plantings for 2005 are expected to total 13.8 million acres, 1 percent above last year. Upland acreage is expected to total 13.5 million acres, also up 1 percent. American-Pima cotton growers intend to increase their plantings 10 percent from 2004, to 275,000 acres. Peanut producers intend to plant 1.60 million acres of peanuts in 2005, up 12 percent from last year. The 2005 intended sorghum area planted for all purposes is estimated at 7.40 million acres, down 1 percent from last year. Hay producers expect to harvest 62.9 million acres of all hay in 2005, up 2 percent from last year.
    
Crop Summary, Acres Planted, New Mexico and U.S., 2003-2005
New Mexico
United States
2003 2004 2005 1/ 2005/200 4 2003 2004 2005 1/ 2005/20 04
--------------1,000 Acres----- ------ --Percent- - -----------------1,000 Acres--------- ------- -- Percent_
Corn 130 125 120 96 78,603 80,930 81,413 101
Sorghum 140 140 140 100 9,420 7,486 7,400 99
Oats --- --- --- --- 4,597 4,085 4,267 104
Barley --- --- --- --- 5,348 4,527 3,974 88
All Wheat 500 490 490 100 62,141 59,674 58,592 98
Winter 500 490 490 100 45,384 43,350 41,613 96
Other Spring --- --- --- --- 13,842 13,763 14,371 104
Soybeans --- --- --- --- 73,404 75,208 73,910 98
Peanuts 18.0 17.0 18.0 106 1,344.0 1,430.0 1,597.0 112
All Cotton 59.1 78.6 80.0 102 13,479.6 13,658.6 13,815.0 101
Upland 53.0 68.0 70.0 103 13,301.0 13,409.0 13,540.0 101
A-P 6.1 10.6 10.0 94 178.6 249.6 275.0 110
All Hay 2/ 300 330 330 100 63,383 61,916 62,940 102
1/ Intended plantings in 2005 as indicated by reports from farmers. 2/ Intended area harvested in 2005 as indicated by reports from farmers.

    
AGRICULTURAL PRICES RECEIVED

Alfalfa hay prices in March averaged $124.00 per ton, $1.00 above the previous month's price of $123.00. All hay prices in march averaged $121.00 per ton, also $1.00 above the February 2005 price. Cow prices in the state dropped by $0.90 to $53.70 per hundredweight, but were still above the national average of $53.60 per hundredweight. Steer and heifer prices increased by $1.00 to $105.00 per hundredweight. This compares to the national average price of $96.30. Calf prices rose by $4.00 from $126.00 in February to $130.00 in March. The national average for March was $132.00. Milk prices in the state for March were $15.60 per hundredweight, an increase of $0.90 over the previous month's price and in line with the national average price which also came in at $15.60 per hundredweight.

Prices Received by Farmers: Selected Commodities, February 2005 and March 2004-05
Commodity Unit
New Mexico
U.S. 1/
Mar 2004 2/ Feb 2005 2/ Mar 2005 1/ Mar
----------------------------------------------------Dollars------------------------------------------
CROPS
Grain Sorghum Cwt. _ _ _ 3.17
Cotton, Upland Lb. _ _ _ .422
Potatoes Cwt. _ _ _ 6.16
Hay, all baled Ton 139.00 120.00 121.00 89.10
Alfalfa, baled Ton 142.00 123.00 124.00 96.40
Peanuts Lb. _ _ _ .186
Corn Bu. _ _ _ 2.03
Wheat, all Bu. _ _ _ 3.53
LIVESTOCK
Sheep 3/ Cwt. _ _ _ 51.30
Lambs 3/ Cwt. _ _ _ 114.00
Cows Cwt. 48.00 54.60 53.70 53.60
Steers & Heifers Cwt. 93.50 104.00 105.00 96.30
Calves Cwt. 111.00 126.00 130.00 132.00
Milk Cwt. 14.40 14.70 15.60 15.60
1/ Mid-month 2/ Entire month 3/ March - entire month


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