sc-crop-weather State South Carolina Crop Weather Release Date, Week Ending Date Week Ending November 20, 2005 Issue SC-CW1439 Agricultural Summary Harvest activities continued in full swing for many crops. Apple, peanut and sorghum harvests were all completed last week. Above normal temperatures at the start of the week gave way to falling temperatures by week’s end. Many non- coastal areas experienced hard overnight freezes late in the week. The weekend brought some much needed rainfall to many areas; just not nearly enough to quench the current dry spell. No crop or disease damage was reported last week. Soil moisture was 21% very short, 44% short and 35% adequate. There were 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork, no change from the previous week. Field Crops Report SOYBEAN yields in Georgetown county continued to be good this year. Soybean harvest was 58 percent complete, ahead of last year and the five year average. COTTON harvest was sped up with limited rainfall last week and was 81 percent harvested. SORGHUM harvest was completed last week, slightly ahead of last year and the five year average. PEANUT harvest also wrapped up last week. Fruit, Vegetables and Specialty Crops Report APPLE harvest came to a close. PECAN harvest was 58 percent complete and continued to follow the 5 year average. Livestock, Pastures and Small Grains Report LIVESTOCK and PASTURE condition improved slightly with scattered rains in many areas. WINTER WHEAT and other small grain seeding continued to be slowed due to dry soils. WINTER GRAZINGS remained in mostly good condition and was 88 percent planted by week’s end. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 Yr : 5 Yr Crop Phase 2005 2004 Avg :Crop Phase 2005 2004 Avg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --Percent-- --Percent-- Apples Harvested 100 99 100 :Sorghum Harvested 100 99 98 Barley Planted 80 91 86 :Soybeans Leaves Dropped100 97 97 Barley Emerged 60 74 69 :Soybeans Mature 97 91 90 Cotton Harvested 81 77 74 :Soybeans Harvested 58 53 54 Oats Planted 70 88 80 :Sweetpotato Harvested 99 99 99 Oats Emerged 52 71 66 :Winter Grz. Planted 88 95 89 Peanuts Harvested 100 99 99 :Winter Grz. Emerged 70 88 75 Pecans Harvested 58 57 58 :Winter Wht. Planted 46 63 48 Rye Planted 64 81 77 :Winter Wht. Emerged 35 52 36 Rye Emerged 49 65 62 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Condition Table ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Very Excel- Very Excel- Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent :Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Percent -- -- Percent-- Barley 0 0 50 50 0 :Rye 0 20 70 10 0 Livestock 0 2 23 73 2 :Soybeans 4 16 43 37 0 Oats 0 10 50 40 0 :Winter Grz. 13 12 25 50 0 Pastures 1 23 50 26 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending November 20, 2005 Isolated, light showers were observed early in the week. Afternoon high temperatures were 15 to 20 degrees above normal. A sharp cold front cleared the state late Wednesday with gusting northerly winds and falling temperatures. Hard overnight freezes followed for sites away from the coast. On Friday at 10:00 a.m., Rock Hill noted a barometric pressure of 30.44 inches. Milder temperatures paired with increasing clouds and passing rains late Saturday over eastern counties. A cyclonic feature developed Sunday near the Gulf Coast forcing a shield of wet weather northward. By Sunday evening, welcomed rains were falling over dry South Carolina grounds. For the period, the state average temperature was near normal. The highest official temperature reported was 85 degrees at Orangeburg on November 16. The lowest official temperature reported was 19 degrees at Lake Bowen on the morning of November 18 and at Cedar Creek on the morning of November 19. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 0.80 inches at Caesars Head ending at 7:00 a.m. on November 16. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.4 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 62 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 62 degrees. Precipitation Weekly Jan 1 Deviation Total Total From Avg Greer 0.05 44.6 -0.6 Columbia 0.73 39.8 -4.1 Orangeburg 0.78 36.6 -7.3 Charlotte, NC 0.11 33.7 -5.6 Augusta, GA 0.41 42.0 1.5 Florence 0.59 37.2 -3.2 Myrtle Beach 0.12 38.2 -3.0 Charleston 0.42 40.0 -7.4 Savannah, GA 0.82 41.3 -4.7 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