Released: August 25, 2003 -- 3:00 pm CST For Week ending August 24, 2003 SD-CW3403 Volume 52 Issue 34

AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY:    Crop progress continues to advance through another week of above normal temperatures and minimal precipitation, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. Major farm activities included cutting hay, fall planting field preparations, spraying for weeds and insects, fixing fence, and caring for livestock. This report is based on information from county extension educators, farm service agency county directors, and other reporters across the state.

WEATHER INFORMATION:   Above normal temperatures covered the state last week, with lows in the 40's and 50's and highs reaching well into the 100's. Precipitation was scattered, with some stations reporting no rainfall and others reporting an inch or more. Sioux Falls, at 1.21 inches, received the most precipitation.

SOIL CONDITION:    With minimal precipitation received across the state last week, topsoil and subsoil moisture levels decreased. Topsoil is rated 22 percent adequate to surplus, compared to last week's 29 percent and last year's 51 percent. Subsoil is rated at 25 percent adequate to surplus, compared to last week's 35 percent and last year's 33 percent.

FIELD CROPS REPORT:    Small grain harvest is virtually complete, with barley, oats, and spring wheat 98, 100, and 99 percent harvested, respectively. Row crop conditions deteriorated slightly through last week's heat. Corn is 70 percent in the dough stage, 18 percent dented, and 3 percent mature, all behind last year and the five-year average. Soybean progress is in line with last year, with 98 percent setting pods and 16 percent dropping leaves. Sorghum is 98 percent headed, ahead of last year's 90 percent; with 39 percent turning color, just behind last year's 43 percent. Sunflower is 93 percent blooming, 36 percent have ray flowers dry, 15 percent have bracts yellow, and 1 percent are rated mature; all behind the five-year average. Silage harvest continues, with corn silage 11 percent harvested and sorghum silage 10 percent harvested. This is behind last year's accelerated pace, but even or just ahead of average.

LIVESTOCK, PASTURE, AND RANGE REPORT:    While the majority of livestock remain in good to excellent condition, stock water supplies continue to show stress, with 57 percent of the state having very short to short stock water supplies. Alfalfa conditions remain similar to last week, with second cutting harvest complete and third cutting harvest rated 35 percent complete. Other hay is currently 98 percent harvested.

        SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON
               AS OF August 24, 2003 

TOPSOIL         SUBSOIL
         This   Last  Last  This   Last  Last
RATING    Week   Week  Year  Week   Week  Year
                       Percent
Very 
 Short     38    29    22     35     28    34
Short      40    42    27     40     37    33
Adeq.      22    29    48     25     34    32
Surplus     0     0     3      0      1     1

 



           CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS
                  AS OF August 24, 2003 

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Corn           6      12     24      47     11
Alfalfa       11      24     30      30      5
Sorghum       28       9     29      31      3
Soybeans       4       8     25      52     11
Sunflower     15      17     40      26      2
Cattle         0       5     23      58     14
Sheep          0      13     14      57     16
Range &                                       
   Pasture    14      24     35      23      4 



                   CROP PROGRESS 
               AS OF August 24, 2003  1/
                                                      
                                                                       
                  This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
                         Percent
Barley        
 harvested           98     93     99      96 
Spring wheat 
 harvested           99     96    100      97 
Oats        
 harvested          100     99    100      99
Corn        
 dough               70     42     79      79
 dented              18      6     37      34
 mature               3      2     12       6
 silage harvested    11      6     19       8
Sorghum     
 headed              98     95     90      88
 coloring            39     25     43      38
 mature               1      0      3       2
 silage harvested    10      5     24      10 
Soybeans    
 setting pods        98     90     98      94
 dropping leaves     16      4     16      12
Sunflower   
 blooming            93     83     92      94
 ray flowers dry     36     16     38      41
 bracts yellow       15      7     22      25
 mature               1      0      0       2
Winter wheat
 seeded               0      0      1       2
Winter rye  
 seeded               0      0      1       4
Alfalfa     
 2nd cutting        100     95     94      91
 3rd cutting         35     24     48      42
Other hay   
 cut                 98     96     97      93


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



            TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, AND GROWING DEGREE DAYS
                        WEEK ENDING August 24, 2003
                                     
             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       80 +10 100  54| 0.00  12.91   8.98  -0.38  -2.35|  2136  +225
Buffalo     79 +11 103  52| 0.23   7.02   4.90  -3.67  -4.61|  2239  +423
Dupree      81 +11 105  55| 0.00   9.60   7.31  -3.52  -4.12|  2297  +200
Mc_Intosh   78  +8 101  54| 0.00  10.90   9.80  -1.84  -1.47|  2025   +58
Newell      76  +7 103  56| 0.08   8.95   6.53  -2.70  -3.62|  2162  +258
Timber_Lake 80 +11 103  54| 0.00  11.00   8.89  -2.78  -2.93|  2119  +112
Aberdeen    77  +8 106  51| 0.01  15.33  14.33  +1.21  +2.39|  2006   -21
Eureka      80 +12 105  56| 0.00  15.71  15.17  +2.68  +3.72|  2164  +274
Faulkton    80 +11 109  55| 0.04  15.96  13.74  +1.68  +1.56|  2114  +132
Mobridge    82 +12 108  58| 0.04  10.39   9.77  -2.70  -1.42|  2249  +190
Roscoe      77  +8 106  55| 0.01  15.73  14.05  +1.11  +1.35|  1865  -120
Britton     79  +9  97  57| 0.00  17.64  17.15  +3.55  +4.77|  2206  +142
Clear_Lake  76  +8  98  52| 0.08  14.02  11.89  -3.75  -2.97|  1879  -113
Sisseton    78  +9  99  56| 0.00  15.81  15.49  +0.29  +2.40|  2030   -78
Webster     78  +9  97  59| 0.00  17.22  16.20  +1.40  +2.67|  1995    +9
Watertown   77  +8  97  51| 0.16  13.40  12.42  -3.08  -1.53|  1943   -56
Faith       80 +10 103  53| 0.00   6.77   5.85  -6.40  -5.51|  2286  +202
Milesville  83 +11 107  59| 0.02   9.95   6.96  -4.02  -5.09|  2411  +191
Long_Valley 81 +10 104  57| 0.15  15.32  12.68  +0.97  +0.20|  2377  +191
Philip      82 +10 108  56| 0.09   9.07   7.43  -3.65  -3.65|  2474  +191
Rapid_City  78 +10 103  57| 0.11   8.30   6.70  -4.63  -4.29|  2242  +363
Spearfish   77  +9 100  58| 0.60  15.33  11.23  -1.42  -2.73|  2200  +404
Chamberlain 80  +7 107  57| 0.45  17.28  15.24  +3.51  +3.24|  2281  -126
Highmore    81 +10 105  57| 0.25  13.47  12.23  -1.74  -0.91|  2328  +151
Huron       80 +10 107  57| 0.12  12.34  11.14  -2.94  -1.39|  2277  +114
Onida       79  +8 109  51| 0.11  14.56  12.44  +0.25  +0.46|  2229   -13
Pierre      82 +10 109  58| 0.00  10.55   9.41  -3.92  -3.02|  2379   +77
Brookings   74  +8  94  48| 0.37  13.71  12.90  -3.09  -1.92|  1839   +24
Madison     76  +8  96  48| 0.18  13.18  12.17  -4.26  -2.16|  1955   -22
Mitchell    78  +7  99  55| 0.49  17.62  15.51  +1.51  +2.03|  2098  -225
Sioux_Falls 78  +8  97  54| 1.21  14.33  13.18  -2.24  -0.60|  2165   -13
Custer      69  +6  88  52| 1.06  15.11  12.08  +0.14  -1.01|  1371  +128
Hot_Springs 77  +7  98  56| 0.75  14.07  11.01  +1.65  +0.08|  2154   +84
Oelrichs    78  +6 101  57| 0.71  13.41  10.88  +0.19  -0.42|  2221   +59
Porcupine   78  +8 102  55| 0.06  10.72   7.49  -1.94  -3.69|  2203  +103
Murdo       81 +10 104  60| 0.03  11.14   8.92  -3.09  -3.05|  2354  +191
Winner      82  +9 105  58| 0.27  14.66  12.63  -3.56  -2.76|  2605   +93
Armour      80  +8 105  58| 0.40  19.38  18.02  +2.31  +3.83|  2367   -39
Centerville 75  +6  94  54| 0.09  18.89  17.07  +0.51  +1.47|  2179   -20
Marion      77  +8  96  54| 0.53  17.91  16.18  +0.57  +1.83|  2054  -104
Pickstown   81  +9 107  60| 0.00  14.53  12.66  -1.71  -1.09|  2358    +6
Vermillion  79  +7  98  57| 0.34  16.29  13.17  -1.85  -2.34|  2420   -84
Yankton     78  +7 100  57| 0.43  21.73  18.55  +4.23  +3.56|  2223   -84
 

Source: National Weather Service, provided by AWIS, Inc.
Growing Degree Day values calculated using standard corn formula with no temperature caps.