sc-crop-weather State South Carolina Crop Weather Release Date, Week Ending Date Week Ending October 2, 2005 Issue SC-CW1432 Agricultural Summary Temperatures remained well above normal for this time of year. Producers across most of the state desperately need some rainfall to salvage what is left of yield potential and prepare the ground for fall seeding. The entire state could use a slow soaking rain. Soil moisture was 57% very short, 28% short and 15% adequate. There were no significant insect or disease problems to report. There were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork. Field Crops Report CORN was 98 percent harvested by week's end. SOYBEANS had dropped 13 percent of their leaves by week's end and remained in mostly fair condition. COTTON harvest started to pick up with 8 percent harvested and 75 percent of bolls opened. Early planted cotton had the best yield prospects. SORGHUM harvest was half way through and the majority of the crop had turned color and matured. PEANUT harvest was slightly ahead of the five year average. TOBACCO harvest wrapped up last week. Eighty-four percent of the stalks were destroyed by week's end. Fruits, Vegetables and Specialty Crops Report PEACH harvesting was finished by week's end. APPLE harvesting was starting to wind down as the crop remained in mostly good condition. Livestock, Pastures and Small Grains Report LIVESTOCK condition remained mostly good despite the lack of precipitation. PASTURE condition continued to deteriorate. Small Grain seeding was underway reluctantly last week as WINTER WHEAT, RYE, OATS and BARLEY seeding were well behind normal. CROP PROGRESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 Yr : 5 Yr Crop Phase 2005 2004 Avg :Crop Phase 2005 2004 Avg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --Percent-- --Percent-- Apples Harvested 61 57 64 :Sorghum Matured 79 81 83 Barley Planted 2 16 16 :Sorghum Harvested 50 52 60 Corn Harvested 98 95 95 :Soybeans Pods Set 98 100 98 Cotton Open Bolls 75 80 74 :Soybeans Turning Color 41 33 38 Cotton Harvested 8 12 12 :Soybeans Leaves Dropped 13 11 15 Oats Planted 2 10 15 :Soybeans Mature 6 6 8 Peaches Harvested 100 100 100 :Sweetpotato Harvested 30 34 39 Peanuts Harvested 30 33 29 :Tobacco Harvested 100 100 100 Pecans Harvested 1 7 8 :Tobacco Stalks Dest. 84 81 85 Rye Planted 4 13 15 :Winter Grz. Planted 25 40 35 Sorghum Turned Color 99 100 99 :Winter Wht. Planted 2 22 16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONDITION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Very Excel- Very Excel- Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent :Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Percent -- -- Percent-- Apples 0 5 30 65 0 :Peanuts 3 5 33 54 5 Cotton 0 7 31 60 2 :Sorghum 0 10 19 71 0 Livestock 1 3 23 70 3 :Soybeans 6 22 46 25 1 Pastures 8 33 44 15 0 :Sweetpotato 0 0 40 60 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending October 2, 2005 Nearly stationary boundaries separated the sunny and dry weather across the midlands from the cloudy and wet conditions along the southern coast. Tropical rains fell within Charleston County on Wednesday, September 28. A weather service employee measured flooding rains of 6.12 inches on James Island. Daily high temperatures during the week were 10 to 12 degrees above normal. At month’s end, the rainfall amounts of 0.01 inches at Florence and no rain at Columbia both set September records. Cooler mornings were observed Saturday and Sunday while partly sunny afternoons mixed with isolated thundershowers. For the period, the state average temperature was four degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 93 degrees at the Orangeburg on September 29. The lowest official temperature reported was 54 degrees at Caesars Head on the morning of October 2. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.95 inches at Charleston City on September 28. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.3 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 80 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 77 degrees. Precipitation Weekly Jan 1 Deviation Total Total From Avg Greer 0.16 40.4 1.4 Columbia 0.00 36.6 -2.8 Orangeburg 0.46 31.2 -8.0 Charlotte, NC 0.19 28.9 -4.6 Augusta, GA 1.07 38.6 2.8 Florence 0.01 33.1 -2.9 Myrtle Beach 0.16 28.0 -8.4 Charleston 0.62 34.2 -8.6 Savannah, GA 0.32 33.7 -7.8 Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday. Contact Information: Robert A. Graham, Director Jim Johnson, Agricultural Statistician Phone: 803-765-5333 E-mail: nass-sc@nass.usda.gov Website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/sc