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Released: May 22, 2000 -- 3:00 p. For Week Ending May 21, 2000 Volume 49 Issue 12

GENERAL:    Precipitation fell a second week across nearly all of the state providing added moisture for the soil profile, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricul tural Statistics Service. Rains during the week slowed some fieldwork. Major activities by farmers and ranchers were planting small grains and row crops, machinery maintenance, working calves, and moving cattle to pasture. Statewide, there were 3.9 days suitable for fieldwork. This report is based on information from county extension educators, farm service agency county directors, and other reporters across the state.

SOIL CONDITIONS:    Soil moisture conditions improved over the prior week, which had already been noted as welcomed relief from dry conditions. Subsoil moisture conditions are improving, but still 18 percent of the state is rated short or very short, compared to 29 percent last week. 



   SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON 

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

                       Percent
Very 
 Short      0     2    0     3     6     0
Short       7    15    0    15    23     0
Adeq.      82    77   60    73    64    59
Surplus    11     6   40     9     7    41

CROPS:    Seeding of small grains neared completion last week, while corn planted increased 11 percentage points to 93 percent. Corn emerged, at 66 percent, is considerably ahead of last year. Soybeans planted jumped 27 percentage points to 63 percent completed. There have been reports of alfalfa weevil activity in several areas of the state. There have also been reports of crop damage in the northern parts of the state from frost that occurred early last week, while other areas received hail damage late in the week. 


       CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Winter Wheat   0       3     15      55     27
Winter Rye     0       3     16      52     29
Barley         0       1      5      72     22
Oats           0       1      9      70     20
Spring Wheat   0       1     10      65     24
Corn           0       2     12      70     16
Cattle         0       0      4      72     24
Sheep          0       0      6      64     30
Range & 
   Pasture     1       3     17      63     16

LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE:    Generally, livestock are in good condition. Calving and lambing are nearing completion, at 95 and 94 percent, respectively. Range and pasture are responding to the recent rains across the state.

WEATHER:    Statewide, temperatures ranged from 7 below to 3 degrees above normal. Average temperatures ranged from 48 degrees at Custer to 61 degrees at Vermillion. Highs in the low to mid 80's occurred from Faulkton down through Pierre to Winner and Yankton. The low for the week occurred at Custer, with 30 degrees. Sisseton received the least reported precipitation at 0.02 inch, while Sioux Falls received 3.17 inches. 

             
     CROP PROGRESS - MAY 21     1/
                                                                                                    
                  This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM              Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
                         Percent
Barley  
 seeded            98     97     85     78
 emerged           91     84     64     51
Spring Wheat
 emerged           97     89     79     63
Oats    
 seeded            98     95     89     82
 emerged           92     81     68     57
Corn    
 planted           93     82     48     55
 emerged           66     38     16     NA
Sorghum 
 seeded            22      9      5     11
Soybeans
 planted           63     36     17     24
 emerged           23      9      3     NA
Sunflower
 seeded            12      8      5      9
Winter wheat
 boot              57     26     63     30
 headed             5      0      1      2
Winter rye
 boot              59     38     45     28
 headed             5      0      0      6
Alfalfa  
 1st cutting         2     NA      1      1

1/ Percents represent all acreage in or beyond each stage.





             SOIL TEMPERATURES         
      WEEK ENDING MAY 21  (4-inch Depth)

LOCATION      TEMP             LOCATION   TEMP

Beresford      56              Gettysburg   57
Brookings      53              Nisland      57
Caputa         56              Pierre       60
Chamberlain    59              Redfield     56
Cottonwood     58              Watertown    54




              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        57  +1  76  33| 0.36   7.44   4.91  +1.33  +0.82|   220   +58
Buffalo      56  +1  76  32| 0.51   4.43   3.68  +0.12  +0.59|   210   +64
Newell       50  -7  72  31| 0.89   6.48   4.92  +1.56  +1.54|   114   -40
Timber Lake  57  -2  77  34| 0.23   8.37   3.95  +2.35  -0.06|   211   +21
Aberdeen     56  -3  73  33| 0.41   6.93   4.76  +1.18  +1.25|   234   +28
Eureka       56  -1  78  36| 0.27   7.81   3.86  +2.71  +0.39|   231   +63
Faulkton     60  +3  82  37| 0.21   7.00   4.85  +0.97  +0.98|   295  +114
Mobridge     56  -3  71  38| 0.50   6.09   3.49  +0.33  -0.31|   207   +14
Britton      58  -2  79  40| 0.15   5.06   3.90  -0.23  +0.33|   254   +36
Sisseton     56  -4  70  34| 0.02   5.81   3.55  -0.89  -0.66|   231    +2
Webster      56  -2  77  40| 0.08   4.78   3.05  -1.27  -0.66|   225   +25
Watertown    56  -3  73  38| 0.36   4.50   3.13  -2.27  -1.05|   237   +46
Faith        55  -4  74  33| 0.24   9.19   6.32  +3.38  +2.37|   207   +15
Lead         54  +3  73  32| 0.96  14.14   7.75  +1.87  +0.82|   101   +27
Long Valley  58  -1  79  34| 1.07   9.50   5.62  +3.63  +1.68|   241   +31
Philip       56  -4  78  35| 0.39   6.71   4.61  +1.45  +1.03|   230    +4
Rapid City   55  -2  74  34| 0.84  12.29   8.61  +6.64  +4.95|   187   +36
Chamberlain  56  -5  80  38| 1.10   5.08   4.13  -0.65  +0.22|   245   -19
Highmore     59  +1  81  40| 0.74   6.58   4.95  +0.26  +0.77|   277   +60
Huron        58  -1  74  36| 1.93   6.31   5.21  -0.48  +1.23|   301   +86
Pierre       59  +0  82  38| 0.09   4.00   2.78  -2.05  -1.18|   326   +97
Brookings    54  -4  73  34| 2.94   8.72   6.51  +2.77  +2.60|   193   +30
Madison      55  -4  73  34| 2.53   8.48   6.59  +0.99  +2.28|   232   +34
Mitchell     57  -4  76  36| 1.86   8.25   4.92  +1.06  +0.43|   283   +20
Sioux Falls  55  -5  75  32| 3.17   9.97   7.31  +2.58  +2.78|   269   +41
Custer       48  -3  71  30| 0.78   6.43   5.31  +0.58  +1.38|    67    +7
Hot Springs  55  -3  78  31| 0.55   7.91   5.73  +2.86  +2.21|   178   -30
Porcupine    54  -4  77  33| 1.10  11.42   7.08  +6.35  +3.53|   176    -5
Murdo        57  -2  79  38| 0.26   7.33   5.05  +0.99  +1.03|   238   +39
Winner       60  -2  82  35| 1.12   6.50   5.62  -1.63  +0.38|   343   +38
Armour       60  -2  81  38| 2.05   7.10   5.03  -0.26  +0.62|   364   +70
Vermillion   61  -2  80  36| 1.80   6.56   4.26  -0.89  -0.50|   400   +55
Yankton      58  -3  82  39| 1.62   6.95   4.06  -0.06  -0.39|   328   +60
 
Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches.
Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit.

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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