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Released: April 24, 2000 -- 3:00 p. For Week Ending April 23, 2000 Volume 49 Issue 8

GENERAL:    Rain, sleet, and snow mid-week through week's end provided most of the state with 1 to 4 inches of needed topsoil moisture but stopped all field work for a couple of days, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. However, with warmer, wetter soils, winter crops and pastures are greening-up. Major activities by ranchers and farmers were working with calves and calving, lambing, fenc ing, spreading fertilizer, and tillage. Statewide there were 3.0 days suitable for field work. This report is based on information from county extension educators, farm service agency county directors, and other reporters across the state.

SOIL CONDITIONS: Topsoil moisture improved from 45 percent last week to 26 percent short or very short this week. Reports of tilling in areas that have been too wet in past years and reports of concern over water in stock dams continue, indicating that many areas are still dry. Many reports of high winds, but blowing soil was at a minimum. With warming soils and 69 percent of the state with adequate topsoil moisture, conditions are good for crop development. Areas with subsoil moisture considered very short or short totaled 42 percent, down 4 percent from last week. 

SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON 

               TOPSOIL         SUBSOIL
          This  Last Last  This  Last  Last
RATING    Week  Week Year  Week  Week  Year

                       Percent
Very 
 Short      5    10    0     8    10     0
Short      21    35    0    34    36     1
Adeq.      69    50   69    54    48    64
Surplus     5     5   31     4     6    35

CROPS:    Soils were too wet to plant most of last week with spring wheat, barley, and oats seeding advancing only 9, 7, and 12 percent, respectively. Many reports of farmers planning to begin planting corn in earnest on April 24th. Emergence of small grains has been delayed by cold nights, but spring wheat is 16 percent ahead of last year and five times the five-year average. Emerged barley is three times the five-year average and oats is nearly five times. 


        CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Winter Wheat   0       3     27      56     14
Winter Rye     0       5     26      60      9
Cattle         0       0      6      69     25
Sheep          0       0      4      65     31
Range & 
   Pasture     2       6     27      56      9

LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE:    With increased warmth and moisture, pastures and alfalfa have begun greening-up. Calving and lambing are proceeding well, despite the change from excellent weather. Calving is 71 percent complete, with only weather-related deaths reported. Lambing is 78 percent complete.

WEATHER:    Statewide, temperatures ranged from 6 degrees below normal at Porcupine to 5 degrees above normal in the northwest, west central and southeast. Average temperatures ranged from 42 degrees at Porcupine to 55 degrees at Armour and Vermillion. The lowest temperature, 15 degrees, was recorded at Porcupine. Huron , at 83 degrees, tied with Pierre for the warmest. Precipitation in the forms of rain, hail, ice, and snow were all reported this week. Precipitation ranged from zero at Buffalo (the only station reporting no precipitation) to 4.65 inches at Rapid City. 

             

      CROP PROGRESS - APRIL 9 1/
                                                                                                    
     This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
 
                         Percent
Barley  
 seeded            51     44     31     24
 emerged            6      2      3      2
Spring Wheat
 seeded            72     63     50     25
 emerged           25     13      9      5
Oats    
 seeded            63     51     35     21
 emerged           19      8      6      4
Corn    
 planted            3      0      1      1
Winter wheat
 boot               1      0     NA     NA
Winter rye
 boot               1      0     NA     NA
1/ Percents represent all acreage in or beyond each stage.






               SOIL TEMPERATURES         
WEEK ENDING APRIL 16  (4-inch Depth)

LOCATION      TEMP             LOCATION   TEMP

Beresford      47              Gettysburg   47
Brookings      44              Nisland      47
Caputa         42              Pierre       48
Chamberlain    51              Redfield     45
Cottonwood     44              Watertown    43






             TEMPERATURE  |    -----  PRECIPITATION -----   | GDD BASE 50F
             -----------  |       SINCE  SINCE  SINCE  SINCE| ------------
            CURRENT WEEK  | CURR  JAN 1  APR 1  JAN 1  APR 1|SINCE APRIL 1
STATION    AVG DFN  HI  LO| WEEK  TOTAL  TOTAL    DFN    DFN| TOTAL   DFN
-------     --  --  --  --|-----  -----  -----  -----  -----| -----  ----
Bison       51  +5  76  24| 0.66   3.61   1.08  -0.09  -0.60|    38   +10
Buffalo     51  +5  78  24| 0.00   1.19   0.44  -1.03  -0.56|    47   +19
Newell      44  -3  72  20| 1.76   3.47   1.91  +0.77  +0.75|     8   -21
Timber      48  +1  76  24| 1.42   6.03   1.61  +2.46  +0.05|    22   -10
Aberdeen    45  -3  76  28| 1.51   3.99   1.82  +0.28  +0.35|    13   -24
Eureka      49  +3  76  28| 0.45   4.50   0.55  +1.42  -0.90|    16    -8
Faulkton    47  +1  78  30| 2.33   4.78   2.63  +1.06  +1.07|    28    +2
Mobridge    48  +1  77  27| 0.99   3.66   1.06  +0.15  -0.49|    20   -10
Britton     49  +2  75  31| 0.41   1.98   0.82  -1.12  -0.56|    16   -21
Sisseton    45  -5  74  32| 1.24   3.90   1.64  -0.28  -0.05|     8   -30
Webster     48  +2  75  31| 0.54   2.99   1.26  -0.71  -0.10|    16   -16
Watertown   45  -3  80  26| 0.53   2.34   0.97  -1.89  -0.67|    18    -9
Faith       47  -1  77  24| 0.72   3.88   1.01  +0.61  -0.40|    38    +2
Lead        47  +5  67  19| 2.25  10.65   4.26  +2.35  +1.30|     7    -6
Long Valley 51  +3  78  28| 1.78   6.29   2.41  +2.79  +0.84|    38    -1
Philip      47  -3  78  24| 2.14   4.74   2.64  +1.79  +1.37|    40    -3
Rapid City  44  -4  71  24| 4.65   8.74   5.06  +5.34  +3.65|    31    +4
Chamberlain 49  -2  81  28| 0.74   2.32   1.37  -1.02  -0.15|    38   -12
Highmore    52  +4  80  30| 1.48   3.76   2.13  -0.12  +0.39|    31    -5
Huron       50  +2  83  29| 0.70   2.30   1.20  -2.07  -0.36|    39    -1
Pierre      50  +1  83  29| 0.71   2.09   0.87  -1.55  -0.68|    52   +11
Brookings   45  -2  79  27| 0.24   3.15   0.94  -0.43  -0.60|    18    -5
Madison     46  -2  78  30| 0.17   2.82   0.93  -2.17  -0.88|    21    -8
Mitchell    49  -2  79  28| 0.93   4.81   1.48  +0.28  -0.35|    30   -16
Sioux Falls 48  -2  79  27| 0.78   4.60   1.94  -0.17  +0.03|    31    -8
Custer      43  +1  62  24| 1.91   3.49   2.37  +0.22  +1.02|     6    -5
Hot Springs 49  -2  71  25| 2.34   4.77   2.59  +2.07  +1.42|    22   -27
Porcupine   42  -6  75  15| 2.80   7.39   3.05  +4.66  +1.84|    16   -13
Murdo       46  -2  78  26| 1.45   4.27   1.99  +0.31  +0.35|    25    -4
Winner      53  +2  80  29| 0.72   1.97   1.09  -2.94  -0.93|    56    -9
Armour      55  +5  81  28| 0.24   2.97   0.90  -1.72  -0.84|    60    +1
Vermillion  55  +2  81  30| 0.10   3.73   1.43  -0.72  -0.33|    69    -7
Yankton     50  +0  80  31| 0.30   4.58   1.69  +0.49  +0.16|    45    -4

bar chart showing crop progress compared to the last 10 years


 
 
 
South Dakota county map showing topsoil moisture South Dakota county map showing subsoil moisture

Topsoil image in 'TIF' format for publishers
Subsoil image in 'TIF' format for publishers
 

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