Released: November 18, 2002 -- 3:00 pm CST For Week ending November 17, 2002 SD-CW4602 Volume 51 Issue 46

AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY:    Above-normal temperatures and minimal precipitation last week were greatly welcomed as growers harvested their crops, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. Major farm activities included harvesting row crops, hauling grain, manure hauling and fall fertilizing, fall tillage, baling corn and soybean residue, weaning and selling calves, moving cattle to fall grazing, and winterizing equipment as harvest winds down. Statewide, there were 5.7 days reported suitable for fieldwork last week. This report is based on information from county extension educators, farm service agency county directors, and other reporters across the state.

WEATHER INFORMATION:   Once again, above-normal temperatures last week helped lower the grain moisture content in the remaining unharvested crops. The average temperature for the state was 36 degrees, 2 degrees above normal. The lowest daily temperature reported was 11 degrees in Sisseton and the highest daily temperature reported was 64 degrees in Porcupine. Precipitation was reported at only 11 of the 43 weather stations, and all amounts were under 0.10 inch.

SOIL CONDITION:    The average topsoil moisture for the state changed slightly from the previous week. It is reported at 18 very short, 24 short, 56 adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture is rated at 56 percent short or very short, 3 points below last week. Soil temperatures from reporting stations averaged 37.1 degrees. This is down 0.4 degree from last week, but 0.4 degree above normal.

FIELD CROPS REPORT:    Corn harvest progress moved up 15 points last week and is now 84 percent harvested, compared to 98 percent last year and the five-year average of 94 percent. Soybeans are rated 98 percent harvested, compared to 100 percent last year and the five-year average of 100 percent. Sorghum for grain has reached 95 percent harvested, while sunflower are now 91 percent harvested, both behind last year's progress.

LIVESTOCK, PASTURE, AND RANGE REPORT:    Producers are turning livestock into the harvested corn fields as fields become available, while others are baling the corn stocks for use later this winter. Feed supplies are unchanged from last week and were rated at 28 percent very short, 30 percent short, 41 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. Stock water supplies are rated at 33 percent very short, 25 percent short, 41 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. Cattle and sheep changed slightly from last week but remained in mostly fair to good condition again last week.

     FEED AND WATER SUPPLIES COMPARISON
         AS OF November 17, 2002 

              FEED             STOCK WATER 
            SUPPLIES            SUPPLIES 
         This  Last 5-Yr.    This  Last  5-Yr.
RATING   Year  Year  Ave.    Year  Year   Ave.

                       Percent
Very 
 Short     28    NA    NA     33     NA   NA
Short      30    NA    NA     25     NA   NA
Adeq.      41    NA    NA     41     NA   NA
Surplus     1    NA    NA      1     NA   NA


    SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON
         AS OF November 17, 2002 

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

                       Percent
Very 
 Short     18    18    NA     28     28    NA
Short      24    27    NA     28     31    NA
Adeq.      56    52    NA     43     38    NA
Surplus     2     3    NA      1      3    NA





    CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS
         AS OF November 17, 2002 

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Winter Wheat   6       7     34      45      8
Winter Rye    11       3     46      29     11
Cattle         5       5     24      54     12
Sheep          6       6     20      59      9


    CROP PROGRESS AS OF November 17, 2002  1/
                                                       
                                                                           
                  This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
                         Percent
Corn          
 grain harvested     84     69     98      94
Sorghum      
 grain harvested     95     87    100      96
Soybeans    
 harvested           98     95    100     100
Sunflower   
 harvested           91     85    100      97


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



              SOIL TEMPERATURES
 WEEK ENDING November 17, 2002 (4-inch Depth)

LOCATION      TEMP             LOCATION   TEMP
Beresford      36              Gettysburg   37
Brookings      35              Nisland      41
Caputa         39              Pierre       39
Chamberlain    39              Redfield     35
Cottonwood     39              Watertown    34


                   TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION
                WEEK ENDING SUNDAY November 17, 2002
                                     
             TEMPERATURE  |    -----  PRECIPITATION -----   
             -----------  |       SINCE  SINCE  SINCE  SINCE
            CURRENT WEEK  | CURR  JAN 1  APR 1  JAN 1  APR 1
STATION    AVG DFN  HI  LO| WEEK  TOTAL  TOTAL    DFN    DFN
-------     --  --  --  --|-----  -----  -----  -----  -----
Bison       40  +8  60  26| 0.00   7.13   6.54  -9.15  -7.78
Buffalo     41  +9  57  20| 0.01   5.33   4.96  -8.08  -7.27
Dupree      39  +7  60  24| 0.00   8.22   7.60  -7.80  -6.73
Mc Intosh   34  +4  59  19| 0.02   7.69   6.90  -8.22  -7.54
Newell      42  +9  58  21| 0.00  11.31  10.08  -3.26  -2.99
Timber Lake 37  +5  58  23| 0.00   8.22   7.40  -8.79  -7.65
Aberdeen    31  +0  59  19| 0.03  14.97  14.13  -2.92  -1.58
Eureka      34  +5  56  21| 0.00  13.80  13.15  -2.66  -1.73
Faulkton    34  +4  62  19| 0.02  17.00  15.71  -1.00  -0.19
Mobridge    34  +3  60  21| 0.00   7.89   7.71  -8.39  -6.67
Roscoe      31  +0  57  20| 0.03  12.89  12.05  -5.19  -4.11
Britton     30  -1  53  15| 0.00  12.41  11.65  -5.77  -4.82
Clear Lake  29  -4  55  14| 0.02  18.67  15.73  -4.65  -4.68
Sisseton    29  -4  54  11| 0.00  19.13  18.91  -1.13  +1.08
Webster     30  -1  54  17| 0.00  20.40  19.55  +0.14  +1.58
Watertown   30  -2  57  15| 0.00  17.24  16.53  -4.23  -2.41
Faith       38  +6  60  24| 0.00   8.44   8.25  -7.63  -6.01
Milesville  41  +8  61  24| 0.00  11.63  10.03  -5.81  -5.49
Long Valley 40  +4  62  24| 0.00   4.30   4.01 -12.99 -11.41
Philip      39  +4  63  19| 0.00   8.50   8.11  -7.03  -5.78
Rapid City  40  +5  60  20| 0.00  10.58   9.66  -5.39  -4.37
Spearfish   44  +9  58  27| 0.00  14.80  12.66  -6.30  -5.65
Chamberlain 36  +1  61  22| 0.00  14.61  12.89  -2.30  -2.25
Highmore    36  +4  61  21| 0.00  15.08  14.68  -4.00  -2.33
Huron       34  +1  63  20| 0.00  12.75  11.34  -6.60  -5.26
Onida       37  +4  61  22| 0.00  13.36  12.74  -4.26  -2.55
Pierre      36  +2  63  21| 0.04  14.15  13.67  -3.80  -2.24
Brookings   30  -2  58  13| 0.00  23.10  20.23  +0.81  -0.08
Madison     32  +0  59  18| 0.00  16.54  15.27  -6.41  -4.57
Mitchell    34  -2  62  24| 0.00  19.87  17.57  -1.21  -0.88
Sioux Falls 33  -2  58  20| 0.02  23.93  22.10  +1.18  +2.14
Custer      36  +3  49  23| 0.00  17.32  15.82  -0.92  -0.54
Hot Springs 40  +4  60  22| 0.00  14.39  11.98  -0.95  -1.87
Oelrichs    41  +6  60  21| 0.00  12.85  10.38  -3.34  -3.89
Porcupine   39  +6  64  20| 0.07  13.32  11.65  -2.07  -2.26
Murdo       38  +4  60  24| 0.00  10.09   8.80  -7.29  -6.32
Winner      42  +5  62  24| 0.00  13.62  12.02  -9.06  -7.83
Armour      38  +3  62  16| 0.01  17.01  15.98  -5.00  -3.15
Centerville 34  -2  59  22| 0.00  21.60  20.55  -2.35  -0.62
Marion      33  -1  58  21| 0.00  21.31  19.83  -2.03  -0.52
Pickstown   37  -1  61  21| 0.00  16.86  15.74  -4.42  -3.05
Vermillion  36  -2  59  20| 0.01  23.69  22.57  +0.05  +1.56
Yankton     34  -4  59  21| 0.00  20.46  18.44  -2.10  -1.61
       

Source: National Weather Service, provided by AWIS, Inc.