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Weekly Ag Update

Issue 55-41

October 3, 2005

Included in this Issue

Crop Weather
Agricultural Prices Received
Wheat
Grain Stocks



 

CROP SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 2, 2005

NEW MEXICO:There were 6.6 days suitable for field work. Topsoil moisture was 20% very short, 30% short, 49% adequate, and 1% surplus. Wind damage was 8% light and 8% moderate. There was some pecan wind damage reported in Doña Ana County. Farmers were busy with irrigation and harvesting hay, silage, grains, chile, cotton, peanuts, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkins. Alfalfa was in fair to excellent condition, with 95% of the 5th cutting complete, 59% of the 6th cutting complete, and 22% of the 7th cutting complete. Northern counties are working on earlier cuttings. Cotton was listed as fair to excellent, with 78% of bolls opening and harvest had just begun a 4% complete. Corn was in fair to excellent condition. The crop was 93% mature and 15% of the grain corn was harvested. Corn for silage was 92% harvested. Sorghum was in mostly poor to good condition, with 80% coloring, 15% mature, and 1% harvested for grain. Sorghum silage was also being cut. Winter wheat was in mostly fair to good condition. Planting had reached 94% complete and 82% had emerged. Army worm problems have been reported with emerging wheat. Peanuts were listed as fair to good with 10% harvested. Lettuce was fair to excellent and harvest is expected to begin soon. Chile was in mostly fair to excellent condition. Green chile was 86% harvested and red chile was 3% harvested. Fall onions were 25% planted. Pecans were reported in fair to excellent condition. Ranchers spent the week marketing calves, culling herds, and contracting winter feed. Cattle were 6% poor, 22% fair, 68% good, and 4% excellent. Sheep were listed as 1% very poor, 5% poor, 27% fair, 60% good, and 7% excellent. Range and pasture conditions were reported as 5% very poor, 23% poor, 36% fair, 33% good, and 3% excellent. 

 
CROP PROGRESS PERCENTAGES WITH COMPARISONS
CROP PROGRESS This Week Last Week Last Year 5-Year Average
    APPLES Harvested 84 75 65 65
    CHILE Harvested-Green 86 85 96 93
    CORN  Harvested-Grain 15 13 3 31
    CORN Mature 93 80 90 92
    CORN  Harvested-Silage 92 88 98 98
    COTTON Opening Bolls 78 58 64 77
    PEANUTS Harvested 10 7 5 14
    SORGHUM Mature 15 11 9 25
    SORGHUM Coloring 80 52 64 78
    WHEAT Emerged 82 50 76 60
CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITION PERCENTAGES
Very Poor Poor  Poor Fair Good Excellent
Alfalfa -- -- 29 45 26
Chile -- 8 27 49 16
Corn -- -- 22 60 18
Cotton -- -- 27 44 29
Lettuce -- -- 13 52 35
Peanuts -- -- 20 80 --
Pecan -- -- 14 32 54
Sorghum (All) -- 16 38 45 1
Cattle  -- 6 22 68 4
Sheep 1 5 27 60 7
Range/Pasture 5 23 36 33 3
Wheat (All) -- 8 46 46 --
SOIL MOISTURE PERCENTAGES
Very

Short

Short Adequate Surplus
Northwest 23 57 20 --
Northeast 8 32 58 2
Southwest 57 10 33 --
Southeast -- 13 87 --
State Current 20 30 49 1
State-Last Week 11 51 36 2
State-Last Year 3 25 67 5
State-5-Yr Avg. 33 34 32 1

WEATHER SUMMARY

Unusually warm temperatures were recorded for much of the week across the state despite a mid week bout with widespread moderate to heavy rain. Temperatures even with the mid week plunge still averaged 5 to 14 degrees above normal. The mix of a strong upper level disturbance and a plume of tropical moisture produced widespread rains on Tuesday night and Wednesday with many locations in the central Rio Grande Valley from Socorro to Santa Fe and also over the northeast plains receiving a good soaking rain of 1.5 to 2.0 inches.

 
 
NEW MEXICO WEATHER CONDITIONS - SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 2, 2005
Temperature
Precipitation
Station
Mean 
Maximum Minimum 09/26

10/02

09/26

10/02

Normal

Oct

01/01

   10/02

Normal

Jan-Oct

Farmington 64.1 88 43 0.32 0.00 0.85 7.62 7.18
Gallup 62.6 85 40 0.06 0.00 1.29 11.30 10.96
Capulin 57.1 82 37 0.00 0.00 0.97 16.28 16.27
Chama 55.1 79 31 0.52 0.00 1.96 25.19 18.09
Johnson Ranch 57.7 85 35 0.41 0.00 1.11 7.69 10.16
Las Vegas 57.3 76 43 2.60 0.00 1.51 16.86 17.78
Los Alamos 59.4 80 41 2.46 0.00 1.32 20.11 16.62
Raton 58.7 85 36 0.07 0.00 0.97 15.44 15.61
Red River 50.2 75 30 0.51 0.00 1.46 20.34 18.15
Santa Fe 61.4 87 44 1.16 0.00 1.04 11.72 12.58
Clayton 65.3 90 44 0.22 0.00 0.90 14.62 14.28
Clovis 67.7 91 48 0.29 0.00 1.34 15.57 16.24
Roy 61.4 86 41 1.16 0.00 1.05 18.49 14.79
Tucumcari 68.3 94 49 1.23 0.00 0.94 18.29 13.39
Grants 59.9 86 35 0.42 0.00 1.05 7.36 9.56
Quemado 59.7 83 31 0.82 0.00 1.18 13.01 12.59
Albuquerque 67.9 89 51 1.56 0.00 0.89 10.29 7.95
Carrizozo 66.6 89 44 0.05 0.00 1.19 13.21 11.31
Socorro 67.4 91 49 0.77 0.01 1.11 7.61 8.48
Gran Quivera 62.7 86 44 1.72 0.00 1.27 16.31 14.01
Moriarty 58.8 88 38 1.60 0.00 1.10 10.22 11.77
Ruidoso 59.6 81 36 0.12 0.00 1.31 15.92 18.84
Carlsbad 75.6 99 54 0.00 0.00 1.05 8.56 11.79
Roswell 68.9 91 48 0.15 0.00 1.19 11.06 11.83
Tatum 68.6 94 47 0.04 0.00 1.49 10.13 15.02
Alamogordo 75.8 95 57 0.20 0.01 1.30 10.80 11.21
Animas 75.1 96 54 0.07 0.07 1.15 9.07 9.91
Deming 73.3 98 46 0.05 0.01 0.98 6.03 9.09
Las Cruces 74.3 97 55 0.00 0.00 0.91 9.51 8.19
T or C 73.3 93 53 0.03 0.00 0.95 10.51 8.62
(T) Trace (-) No Report (*) Correction

All reports based on preliminary data. Precipitation data corrected monthly from official observation forms.


AGRICULTURAL PRICES RECEIVED

NEW MEXICOAlfalfa hay prices in September averaged $129.00 per ton, a $3.00 drop from the previous month. All Hay in September also decreased by $3.00 to $127.00 per ton. Cow prices in New Mexico declined by $0.90 to $53.30 per hundredweight but remained higher than the U.S. average price of $50.40. Steer and Heifer prices increased from $107.00 per hundredweight in August to $111.00 per hundredweight and were $19.70 above the national average of $91.30. Calf prices for September dropped by $2.00 from the August price of $135.00 and were in line with the U.S. average of $133.00 per hundredweight. Milk prices for the month increased by $0.30 to $14.50 per hundredweight but were under the national average of $15.10.

 
Prices Received by Farmers: Selected Commodities, August 2005 and September 2004-05
Commodity Unit
New Mexico
U.S. 1/
Sept. 2004  Aug. 2005 2/ Sept. 2005 1/ Sept.
-----------------------------------------------Dollars-----------------------------------------------
CROPS
Grain Sorghum Cwt. 3.13
Cotton, Upland Lb. .474
Potatoes Cwt. 6.40
Hay, all baled Ton 115.00 130.00 127.00 99.00 
Alfalfa, baled Ton 118.00 132.00 129.00 107.00 
Peanuts Lb. .176
Corn Bu. 1.73
Wheat, all Bu. 3.34
LIVESTOCK
Sheep 4/ Cwt. 42.30
Lambs 4/ Cwt. 108.00 
Cows Cwt. 54.60 54.20 53.30 50.40
Steers & Heifers Cwt. 111.00  107.00  111.00  91.30
Calves Cwt. 126.00  135.00  133.00  133.00 
Milk Cwt. 14.70 14.20 14.50 15.10
 
1/ Mid-month. 2/ Entire month. 3/ Price not published to avoid disclosure of individual firms. 4/ August - Entire Month. 

WINTER WHEAT

NEW MEXICO: The 2005 winter wheat production for New Mexico is estimated at 9.7 million bushels, up 25 percent from last year. Yield is 36.0 bushels per acre, compared to 26.0 bushels last year. Acres harvested for grain is estimated at 270,000.

UNITED STATES: The 2005 winter wheat production is estimated at 1.49 billion bushels, down 2 percent from the August forecast and down slightly from last year. The U.S. yield is 44.4 bushels per acre, unchanged from August but 0.9 bushel above last year's final yield. Acreage for grain is estimated at 33.7 million acres, 2 percent below the last forecast and down 3 percent from the previous year. 

 
Winter Wheat: Area Planted, Harvested, Yield, and Production, 2004-2005
Crop Area Planted 1/ Area Harvested Yield Per Acre Production
2004 2005 2004 2005 2004 2005 2004 2005
-------------------------1,000 Acres------------------------ --------------------------1,000 Bushels--------------------------------
AZ 5 5 4 2 90.0 80.0 360 160
AR 670 220 620 160 53.0 52.0 32,860 8,320
CO 2,300 2,550 1,700 2,200 27.0 24.0 45,900 52,800
KS 10,000 10,000 8,500 9,500 37.0 40.0 314,500 380,000
MO 1,050 590 930 540 52.0 54.0 48,360 29,160
MT 1,900 2,100 1,630 2,050 41.0 45.0 66,830 92,250
NE 1,850 1,850 1,650 1,760 37.0 39.0 61,050 68,640
NM 490 450 300 270 26.0 36.0 7,800 9,720
OH 920 860 890 830 62.0 71.0 55,180 58,930
OK 6,200 5,700 4,700 4,000 35.0 32.0 164,500 128,000
SD 1,650 1,500 1,250 1,440 45.0 44.0 56,250 63,360
TX 6,300 5,500 3,500 3,000 31.0 32.0 108,500 96,000
UT 130 140 120 130 43.0 47.0 5,160 6,110
WA 1,800 1,850 1,750 1,800 67.0 67.0 117,250 120,600
WY 150 160 135 145 26.0 30.0 3,510 4,350
All Other States 7,935 6,845 6,783 5,853 60.7 64.0 411,424 375,369
U.S. 43,350 40,320 34,462 33,680 43.5 44.4 1,499,434 1,493,769
1/ Includes area planted in preceding fall.


GRAIN STOCKS
Corn stocks in all positions on September 1, 2005 totaled 2.11 billion bushels, up 120 percent from September 1, 2004. This is the highest September 1 stocks level since 1993. Of the total stocks, 821 million bushels are stored on farms, up 87 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 1.29 billion bushels, are up 148 percent from a year ago to the highest September 1 level since 1988. The June - August 2005 indicated disappearance is 2.21 billion bushels, compared with 2.01 billion bushels during the same period last year.

All wheat stored in all positions on September 1, 2005 totaled 1.92 billion bushels, down 1 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 719 million bushels, down 9 percent from the previous year. Off-farm stocks, at 1.20 billion bushels, are up 4 percent from a year ago. The June - August 2005 indicated disappearance is 720 million bushels, down 6 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Grain sorghum stored in all positions on September 1, 2005 totaled 57.0 million bushels, up 70 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 5.90 million bushels, are up 59 percent from last year. Off-farm stocks, at 51.1 million bushels, are up 71 percent from September 1, 2004. The June - August 2005 indicated disappearance from all positions is 56.2 million bushels, up from 47.0 million bushels during the same period a year ago.

 
 
U.S. Grain Stocks, By Position and Month 2004-2005
Date
2004
2005
On Farms Off Farms 1/ Total All Positions On Farms Off Farms 1/ Total All Positions
          ------------------------------------------------1,000 Bushels--------------------------------------------------
CORN
Mar 1 3,030,000 2,241,459 5,271,459 4,137,000 2,618,261 6,755,261
Jun 1 1,540,000 1,430,140 2,970,140 2,462,300 1,857,482 4,319,782
Sep 1 438,000 520,091 958,091 820,500 1,291,734 2,112,234
Dec 1 6,144,000 3,306,598 9,450,598
SORGHUM
Mar 1 21,000 137,652 158,652 33,400 170,122 203,522
Jun 1 7,650 72,944 80,594 16,000 97,170 113,170
Sep 1 3,700 29,849 33,549 5,900 51,107 57,007
Dec 1 78,700 203,505 282,205
ALL WHEAT
Mar 1 257,890 762,727 1,020,617 304,710 679,681 984,391
Jun 1 131,880 414,559 546,439 161,275 378,825 540,100
Sep 1 790,600 1,147,807 1,938,407 719,360 1,199,274 1,918,634
Dec 1 531,020 899,306 1,430,326
1/ Includes stocks at mills, elevators, warehouses, terminals and processors.
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