sc-crop-weather State South Carolina Crop Weather Release Date, Week Ending Date Week Ending September 25, 2005 Issue SC-CW1431 Agricultural Summary The dominating weather story for South Carolina last week was hot and dry. Hotter than average temperatures and dry conditions have reduced soybean and cotton yield throughout most of the State. Some cotton fields were being defoliated while bolls were still opening in other fields. Small grain planting was falling behind due to the dry conditions. Soil moisture was 42% very short, 31% short and 27% adequate. There were no significant insect or disease problems to report. There were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork. Field Crops Report CORN was 89 percent harvested by week's end. SOYBEANS were 3 percent matured, but beginning to show the stress of the hot, dry weather as the crop condition dropped to mostly fair. COTTON harvesting began last week with 66 percent of bolls opened. Growers were becoming concerned about yields as the dry spell continued. SORGHUM harvesting was slightly behind last year with 41 percent of the crop out of the fields. PEANUT harvesting sped up in areas receiving rains last week with 15 percent completed. TOBACCO stalks were 77 percent destroyed by week's end as harvesting was ending. Fruits, Vegetables and Specialty Crops Report PEACH harvesting was mostly finished by week's end. APPLE harvesting was about one-half completed by the end of last week with the crop remaining in mostly good condition despite the heat. Livestock, Pastures and Small Grains Report LIVESTOCK condition deteriorated slightly from last week but animals remained in mostly good shape overall. PASTURE condition declined more as soil moisture levels decreased. Producers continued to be hesitant to plant small grains under such dry conditions. CROP PROGRESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 Yr : 5 Yr Crop Phase 2005 2004 Avg :Crop Phase 2005 2004 Avg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --Percent-- --Percent-- Apples Harvested 51 44 54 :Sorghum Harvested 41 42 51 Corn Harvested 89 91 90 :Soybeans Pods Set 97 99 96 Cotton Open Bolls 66 70 63 :Soybeans Turning Color 27 25 28 Cotton Harvested 2 4 7 :Soybeans Leaves Dropped 6 8 11 Peaches Harvested 99 100 100 :Soybeans Mature 3 3 5 Peanuts Harvested 15 8 20 :Sweetpotato Harvested 20 24 30 Rye Planted 3 3 6 :Tobacco Harvested 99 99 99 Sorghum Turned Color 98 99 98 :Tobacco Stalks Dest. 77 70 78 Sorghum Matured 72 72 75 :Winter Gaz. Planted 22 25 25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONDITION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Very Excel- Very Excel- Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent :Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Percent -- -- Percent-- Apples 0 13 25 62 0 :Peanuts 1 4 17 58 20 Cotton 0 4 25 68 3 :Sorghum 0 1 4 92 3 Livestock 0 3 30 63 4 :Soybeans 5 9 51 30 5 Pastures 9 26 40 22 3 :Sweetpotato 0 0 41 59 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending September 25, 2005 High temperatures on Monday were close to fifteen degrees above normal. Easterly winds late Tuesday forced the development of a few isolated showers across the Pee Dee sections. The first official day of Autumn 2005 began on Thursday under conditions more like mid-summer. More cloudiness over the weekend brought periods of shade and a decrease in the heat. Spotty thundershowers fell during the late afternoon and evening hours. Nearing month’s end finds most of the state into week four with no measurable rain. For the period, the state average temperature was seven degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 98 degrees at the University of South Carolina in Columbia on September 19. The lowest official temperature reported was 60 degrees at Pickens on the morning of September 25. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.16 inches at Bennettsville ending at 7:00 a.m. on September 21. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.1 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 82 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 79 degrees. Precipitation Weekly Jan 1 Deviation Total Total From Avg Greer 0.00 40.3 2.2 Columbia 0.00 36.6 -2.0 Orangeburg 0.04 30.8 -7.7 Charlotte, NC 0.06 28.7 -4.0 Augusta, GA 0.00 37.6 2.5 Florence 0.00 33.1 -2.1 Myrtle Beach 0.01 27.8 -7.5 Charleston 0.11 33.6 -8.2 Savannah, GA 0.02 33.4 -7.2 Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday. Contact Information: Robert A. Graham, Director Jean Besco, IT Specialist Phone: 803-765-5333 E-mail: nass-sc@nass.usda.gov Website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/sc