sc-crop-weather State South Carolina Crop Weather Release Date, Week Ending Date Week Ending November 28, 2005 Issue SC-CW1440 Agricultural Summary All crop activity was really starting to wind down for the season with soybean and pecan harvest nearly three quarters done. Cooler temperatures earlier in the week, gave way to mostly sunny skies for Thanksgiving. Precipitation was also felt by most of the state last week, as the average statewide rainfall for the period was over 2 inches. No crop or disease damage was reported last week. Soil moisture was 15% very short, 31% short and 54% adequate. There were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Field Crops Report SOYBEAN yield reports continue to be up and down. Soybean harvest was 70 percent complete and remained ahead of average. COTTON harvest slowed somewhat due to recent rains but remained well ahead of the five year average. Cotton was 91 percent harvested last week. Sweetpotato harvest wrapped up last week. Fruits, Vegetables and Specialty Crops Report PECAN harvest was 67 percent complete and continued to follow the 5 year average. Livestock, Pastures and Small Grains Report LIVESTOCK and PASTURE have really begun to show some improvement due to the recent rainfall we have had. WINTER WHEAT and other small grain seeding also picked up last week with the additional moisture provided. WINTER GRAZINGS were in mostly fair condition and were 92 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-- Barley Planted 87 95 94 :Soybeans Mature 99 96 96 Barley Emerged 73 83 83 :Soybeans Harvested 70 68 68 Cotton Harvested 91 88 84 :Sweetpotato Harvested 100 100 100 Oats Planted 84 94 87 :Winter Grz. Planted 92 98 93 Oats Emerged 65 81 74 :Winter Grz. Emerged 80 92 82 Pecans Harvested 67 64 67 :Winter Wht. Planted 58 71 59 Rye Planted 75 89 86 :Winter Wht. Emerged 43 59 44 Rye Emerged 61 75 72 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Condition Table ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Very Excel- Very Excel- Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent :Crop Poor Poor Fair Good lent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Percent -- -- Percent-- Barley 0 0 60 40 0 :Rye 0 20 60 20 0 Livestock 0 1 20 77 2 :Soybeans 6 14 52 26 2 Oats 0 5 45 50 0 :Winter Grz. 6 10 39 45 0 Pastures 1 13 62 24 0 :Winter Wht. 0 6 55 39 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending November 27, 2005 Periods of heavy rain fell during the passing of a large low-pressure area Monday and overnight into Tuesday. Winds gusted to 49 mph at the Isle of Palms and caused power disruptions. Fountain Inn measured 5.15 inches of rain for the event and Caesars Head observed the state’s first snowflakes of the season. At 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Darlington reported a barometric pressure of 29.29 inches. Much colder conditions replaced the exiting storm with heavy frost Wednesday morning throughout the central counties. Mostly sunny skies and light winds Thanksgiving Thursday allowed for brief warming into the 70’s for southern sites. Brisk north to northeast winds on Friday and Saturday kept high temperatures in the upper 50’s. The holidays ended Sunday with increasing clouds, fog and scattered showers. For the period, the state average temperature was three degrees below normal. The highest official temperature reported was 74 degrees at Pritchardville, Allendale, and Beaufort on November 24. The lowest official temperature reported was 23 degrees at Caesars Head on the morning of November 23. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 4.82 inches at Fountain Inn ending at 7:00 a.m. on November 22. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 2.3 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 58 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 60 degrees. Precipitation Weekly Jan 1 Deviation Total Total From Avg Greer 2.62 47.2 1.2 Columbia 1.36 41.1 -3.5 Orangeburg 1.99 38.6 -6.0 Charlotte, NC 2.62 36.3 -3.7 Augusta, GA 1.30 43.3 2.2 Florence 1.94 39.1 -1.9 Myrtle Beach 3.52 41.7 -0.2 Charleston 2.72 42.7 -5.3 Savannah, GA 1.93 43.2 -3.3 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