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Released: September 11, 2000 -- 3:00 p.m. For Week Ending September 10, 2000 Volume 49 Issue 28

GENERAL:    Hot, dry, windy weather sparked thunder storms that brought hail and a few fires started by lightning but did little to alleviate the dry conditions, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statis tics Service. Major activities by farmers and ranchers were cutting and moving hay, harvesting silage, preparing to harvest soybeans and corn, and hauling water for livestock. Statewide, there were 6.5 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:    Water quality and water quantity are serious problems for much of the state. Topsoil moisture declined 4 percentage points to 71 percent of the state now rated short or very short. Subsoil moisture conditions rated 65 percent short or very short, down 3 percentage points from last week. 



    SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON SEPTEMBER 10

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

                       Percent
Very 
 Short     29    24    1    28    24     0
Short      42    43   11    37    38    12
Adeq.      26    32   68    32    35    73
Surplus     3     1   20     3     3    15

CROPS:    Hot, dry weather is pushing and keeping crop maturity ahead of last year and the five-year averages. Crops in areas with adequate moisture are in fair to good condition. Corn silage harvest jumped 20 percentage points to 41 percent complete, while sorghum silage is 33 percent harvested. Corn in dent stage, at 75 percent, and corn rated mature, at 23 percent, are both ahead of average. Dry winds helped push soybeans dropping leaves to 41 percent, 7 percentage points ahead of the five-year average and 13 points ahead of last year. With 15 percent of soybeans mature, 12 percentage points ahead of last year, an early start to harvest seems likely. Grain sorghum harvest has begun and, at 4 percent complete, is also ahead of last year and the five year average. Sunflower crop development is ahead of the five-year average. Winter wheat and winter rye planting progress, at 9 and 6 percent respectively, are far behind the five-year averages, as many producers are waiting for rain. Dry soils are slowing growth as well, with just 1 percent of both winter wheat and winter rye emerged. 

 
     CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS SEPTEMBER 10

ITEM         V POOR  POOR   FAIR    GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Alfalfa       12      18     36      26      8
Corn           5       9     27      40     19
Soybeans       2      10     25      44     19
Sorghum        3      26     36      32      3
Sunflower      4      10     31      44     11
Cattle         0       1     17      62     20
Sheep          0       2     15      61     22
Range & 
   Pasture     8      23     34      28      7

LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE:    Water quality problems are increasing but there are few reports of related illness in livestock. Declining pastures have ranchers moving cattle, adding supplemental feed, and turning them out to graze silage stubble. Cattle are rated 82 percent in good to excellent condition and sheep 83 percent in good to excellent condition, both unchanged from last week. WEATHER:    Hot, dry and windy weather dominated the state. The high temperature, 100 degrees at Pierre and Rapid City, was lower than last week, but temperatures ranged from 3 to 13 degrees above normal. Most stations reported some precipitation last week, ranging from 0.01 inch at Philip and Pierre to 1.52 inches at Madison. 



             
      CROP PROGRESS - SEPTEMPBER 10 1/
                                                                                                    
                  This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM              Week   Week   Year    Ave
                           Percent
Corn    
 dough             94     90     96     93
 dented            75     59     72     67
 mature            23     10     13     14
 grain harvested    0      0      0      0
 silage harvested  41     21     29     17
Sorghum 
 coloring          70     53     72     69
 mature            19      8     13     17
 grain harvested    4      0      0      1
 silage harvested  33     20      9      8
Soybeans
 dropping leaves   41     23     28     34
 mature            15      6      3      9
 harvested          0      0      0      1
Sunflower
 ray flowers dry   83     71     71     82
 bracts yellow     62     43     53     61
 mature            13      4      4      9
 harvested          0      0      0      1
Winter wheat
 seeded             9      3     11     19
 emerged            1      0      1      4 
Winter rye
 seeded             6      3     12     21
 emerged            1      1      3      8  
Alfalfa  
 2nd cutting        98     94     94     NA
 3rd cutting        56     52     61     NA
1/ Percents represent all acreage in or beyond each stage.






             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       71  +9  96  42  0.00  13.43  10.90  -0.71  -1.22   2440  +259
Buffalo     68  +8  96  44  0.02   9.23   8.48  -2.19  -1.72   2404  +332
Dupree      73  +9  95  40  0.00  15.69  11.92  +1.81  -0.22   2480   +86
McIntosh    69  +8  89  41  0.26  14.99   8.72  +1.28  -3.47   2252   +21
Newell      65  +3  91  37  0.00  12.58  11.02  +0.20  +0.18   2099   -71
Timber Lake 73 +11  89  48  0.00  15.47  11.05  +0.71  -1.70   2396  +122
Aberdeen    69  +7  90  37  0.08  18.72  16.55  +3.39  +3.46   2314   +21
Eureka      69  +9  88  42  0.00  17.69  13.74  +3.65  +1.33   2321  +178
Faulkton    72 +11  93  43  0.11  19.20  17.05  +3.77  +3.78   2647  +399
Mobridge    72 +10  92  39  0.00  14.76  12.16  +0.77  +0.13   2431   +94
Roscoe      67  +5  89  44  0.08  21.65  18.06  +5.99  +4.38   2139  -112
Britton     69  +7  91  42  0.47  17.03  15.87  +1.68  +2.27   2506  +167
Clear Lake  65  +4  88  42  0.41  14.65  12.76  -4.64  -3.56   2129  -126
Sisseton    67  +5  94  43  0.09  16.63  14.37  -0.37  -0.14   2228  -159
Webster     66  +5  90  47  0.30  14.94  13.21  -2.28  -1.67   2247    +4
Watertown   67  +6  91  40  0.43  15.36  13.99  -2.47  -1.25   2262    -1
Faith       72  +9  99  41  0.02  16.76  13.89  +2.87  +1.86   2449   +69
Milesville  72  +8  96  40  0.00  14.56  10.97  -0.37  -1.99   2594   +59
Long_Valley 74  +9  97  45  0.32  15.44  11.56  +0.23  -1.72   2760  +258
Philip      74  +9  99  37  0.01  10.75   8.65  -2.69  -3.11   2665   +55
Rapid City  71  +9 100  40  0.00  17.45  13.77  +3.70  +2.01   2446  +293
Spearfish   69  +8  92  45  0.06  13.48  11.29  -4.35  -3.68   2231  +179
Chamberlain 74  +8  98  50  0.21  12.89  11.94  -1.83  -0.96   2679   -69
Highmore    74 +10  93  41  0.14  14.74  13.11  -1.61  -1.10   2751  +267
Huron       73 +10  95  42  0.35  15.26  14.16  -1.10  +0.61   2674  +226
Onida       71  +6  94  39  0.00  16.24  14.63  +0.95  +1.73   2492   -64
Pierre      77 +13 100  41  0.01   9.00   7.78  -6.40  -5.53   3029  +404
Brookings   65  +5  90  43  0.32  17.41  15.20  -1.04  -1.21   2145   +96
Madison     67  +6  89  41  1.52  20.38  18.49  +1.37  +2.66   2325   +85
Mitchell    70  +6  95  46  0.33  17.62  14.29  +0.05  -0.58   2619   -13
Sioux Falls 69  +6  90  45  0.82  21.27  18.61  +2.82  +3.02   2477   +13
Custer      65  +8  89  34  0.00  13.28  12.16  -2.72  -1.92   1628  +204
Hot Springs 70  +6  96  36  0.10  10.94   8.76  -2.23  -2.88   2464   +95
Oelrichs    71  +7  98  36  0.27  13.40  10.84  -0.66  -1.25   2529   +50
Porcupine   70  +7  95  41  0.20  16.03  11.69  +2.69  -0.13   2358   -33
Murdo       73  +9  96  46  0.08  14.35  12.07  -0.63  -0.59   2659  +194
Winner      74  +7  96  46  0.14  13.58  12.70  -5.89  -3.88   3000  +137
Armour      71  +6  90  53  0.25  14.51  12.44  -3.84  -2.96   2920  +188
Centerville 68  +4  92  47  0.24  17.23  14.00  -2.80  -3.19   2625  +143
Marion      68  +5  90  49  0.30  17.73  15.38  -1.42  -0.70   2466   +33
Pickstown   74  +9  98  54  0.11  11.18   9.12  -6.56  -6.06   2908  +234
Vermillion  72  +6  89  47  0.06  17.38  15.08  -2.36  -1.97   2936  +101
Yankton     70  +6  92  48  0.30  23.25  20.36  +4.29  +3.96   2768  +155

 
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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