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 5^th cutting complete, 59% of the 6^th cutting complete, and 22% of the 7^th 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. 

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: Alfalfa 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.

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. 

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.