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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.