Released: September 29, 2003 -- 3:00 pm CST For Week ending September 28, 2003 SD-CW3903 Volume 52 Issue 39

AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY:    Below normal temperatures were common again last week, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. With cool temperatures and trace amounts of precipitation received across the state, winter wheat emergence was slow, with significant advancement of row crops to the mature stage. Major farm activities included row crop harvest, winter wheat seeding, cutting silage, weaning cattle, 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:   Temperatures continued to be below normal last week, with averages in the 50's and upper 40's. The high for the week was 90 degrees in Winner, with the low of 28 degrees in Aberdeen, Roscoe, and Madison. Precipitation was scattered last week, with Sioux Falls, at 0.18 inch, receiving the most precipitation.

SOIL CONDITION:    With sparse precipitation, topsoil and subsoil moisture conditions are similar to the previous week. Topsoil is rated 34 percent adequate to surplus, compared to last year's 53 percent. Subsoil is rated 25 percent adequate, with no surplus, compared to last year's 33 percent adequate, with no surplus.

FIELD CROPS REPORT:    Row crops made significant gains in the mature category last week, while harvest progress advanced to average levels. Corn is now 82 percent mature, ahead of last year's 75 percent and the five-year average of 77 percent. Corn harvest advanced 7 percentage points last week, with harvest now 10 percent complete. Soybean progress advanced ahead of last year and the five-year average. Soybeans dropping leaves are at 97 percent, with soybeans mature and harvested at 72 and 22 percent, respectively. The sorghum crop is 71 percent mature, compared to last year's 52 percent and the five-year average of 65 percent. Sorghum harvest, at 16 percent complete, advanced ahead of last year's 14 percent and the five-year average of 15 percent. Sunflower are rated 96 percent with ray flowers dry and 83 percent with bracts yellow. Both stages are behind last year's progress and the five-year average. The sunflower crop is 54 percent mature, ahead of last year's 48 percent, yet behind the five-year average of 57 percent. Sunflower harvest is 13 percent complete, ahead of last year's 11 percent. Silage harvest nears completion, with corn silage 93 percent harvested and sorghum silage 90 percent harvested, both ahead of last year and the five-year average. The winter wheat crop is 66 percent seeded, in line with last year. Winter wheat emergence, at 17 percent, has fallen behind last year's 27 percent and the five-year average of 28 percent.

LIVESTOCK, PASTURE, AND RANGE REPORT:    The third cutting of alfalfa harvest slowly nears completion, now 89 percent complete. Livestock are in good to excellent condition, with range and pasture remaining poor to fair. With minimal precipitation last week, pastures and stock water dams remain dry in several areas of the state.

        SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON
               AS OF September 28, 2003 

TOPSOIL         SUBSOIL
         This   Last  Last  This   Last  Last
RATING    Week   Week  Year  Week   Week  Year
                       Percent
Very 
 Short     29    29    18     42     43    28
Short      37    36    41     33     31    39
Adeq.      33    34    41     25     26    33
Surplus     1     1     0      0      0     0

 



           CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS
                  AS OF September 28, 2003 

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Corn           9      13     26      40     12
Alfalfa       14      27     32      24      3
Sorghum       31      12     29      26      2
Soybeans      10      16     36      35      3
Sunflower     26      23     27      23      1
Cattle         1       4     23      61     11
Sheep          0       3     19      64     14
Range &                                       
   Pasture    20      38     25      16      1



                   CROP PROGRESS 
               AS OF September 28, 2003  1/
                                                      
                                                                       
                  This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
                         Percent

Corn        
 mature              82     50     75      77
 grain harvested     10      3      8      11
 silage harvested    93     85     90      89
Sorghum     
 mature              71     39     52      65
 grain harvested     16      4     14      15
 silage harvested    90     86     75      61 
Soybeans    
 dropping leaves     97     85     95      92
 mature              72     32     70      67
 harvested           22      3     21      20
Sunflower   
 ray flowers dry     96     92     99      98
 bracts yellow       83     75     89      89
 mature              54     36     48      57
 harvested           13      9     11      13
Winter wheat
 seeded              66     43     66      65
 emerged             17      7     27      28
Winter rye  
 seeded              81     44     71      71
 emerged             18     10     37      34
Alfalfa     
 3rd cutting         89     86     78      82

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



            TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, AND GROWING DEGREE DAYS
                        WEEK ENDING September 28, 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       56  +0  80  35| 0.00  15.62  11.69  +0.80  -1.17|  2631  +303
Buffalo     55  -1  79  34| 0.02  10.52   8.40  -1.66  -2.60|  2723  +514
Dupree      56  -2  83  32| 0.06  11.02   8.73  -3.54  -4.14|  2817  +251
Mc Intosh   55  -1  82  30| 0.00  11.83  10.73  -2.65  -2.28|  2507  +139
Newell      52  -4  80  34| 0.00  11.60   9.18  -1.50  -2.42|  2569  +253
Timber Lake 54  -2  82  33| 0.13  12.45  10.34  -2.99  -3.14|  2614  +195
Aberdeen    50  -6  78  28| 0.00  16.59  15.59  +0.21  +1.39|  2479   +42
Eureka      54  -2  80  29| 0.00  17.01  16.47  +2.22  +3.26|  2679  +405
Faulkton    52  -4  84  29| 0.02  16.88  14.66  +0.55  +0.43|  2649  +253
Mobridge    54  -3  86  30| 0.00  11.48  10.86  -3.34  -2.06|  2824  +332
Roscoe      49  -7  80  28| 0.00  16.87  15.19  +0.33  +0.57|  2310   -85
Britton     52  -5  78  31| 0.00  19.39  18.90  +3.00  +4.22|  2724  +231
Clear Lake  48  -9  76  33| 0.07  16.25  14.12  -4.36  -3.58|  2305  -101
Sisseton    51  -7  78  32| 0.09  16.35  16.03  -1.63  +0.48|  2498   -51
Webster     50  -7  76  31| 0.07  18.89  17.87  +0.63  +1.90|  2428   +49
Watertown   49  -8  75  32| 0.03  15.00  14.02  -3.94  -2.39|  2406    -4
Faith       54  -3  83  32| 0.02   8.45   7.53  -6.18  -5.29|  2824  +271
Milesville  57  -2  87  33| 0.05  11.37   8.38  -4.33  -5.40|  2965  +243
Long Valley 58  -2  86  32| 0.00  16.15  13.51  +0.26  -0.51|  2937  +236
Philip      56  -3  88  30| 0.01  10.47   8.83  -3.63  -3.63|  3047  +242
Rapid City  55  -2  85  35| 0.00   9.77   8.17  -4.70  -4.36|  2732  +424
Spearfish   55  -1  77  35| 0.04  19.41  15.31  +0.65  -0.66|  2652  +452
Chamberlain 54  -6  89  35| 0.04  18.23  16.19  +2.79  +2.52|  2882   -79
Highmore    55  -3  83  29| 0.00  14.26  13.02  -2.97  -2.14|  2902  +235
Huron       53  -4  81  32| 0.12  13.97  12.77  -3.40  -1.85|  2842  +228
Onida       56  -3  84  30| 0.00  15.84  13.72  -0.13  +0.08|  2763   +21
Pierre      56  -3  87  29| 0.05  11.80  10.66  -4.53  -3.63|  2974  +159
Brookings   47  -8  74  29| 0.00  17.49  16.68  -2.52  -1.35|  2219   +42
Madison     50  -7  76  28| 0.02  16.60  15.59  -3.77  -1.67|  2396    +5
Mitchell    52  -7  82  33| 0.06  20.68  18.57  +1.79  +2.31|  2595  -229
Sioux Falls 52  -5  79  32| 0.18  19.25  18.10  -0.96  +0.68|  2691   +60
Custer      49  -3  74  32| 0.00  17.19  14.16  +0.31  -0.84|  1644  +123
Hot Springs 55  -4  81  31| 0.00  16.11  13.05  +2.13  +0.56|  2593   +38
Oelrichs    54  -5  82  31| 0.00  15.09  12.56  +0.31  -0.30|  2699   +24
Porcupine   53  -5  87  29| 0.00  12.53   9.30  -1.53  -3.28|  2646   +89
Murdo       55  -4  88  35| 0.01  12.44  10.22  -3.25  -3.21|  2918  +273
Winner      59  -2  90  37| 0.00  15.06  13.03  -5.64  -4.84|  3300  +207
Armour      57  -3  83  31| 0.00  21.79  20.43  +1.99  +3.51|  2962   +26
Centerville 52  -6  79  30| 0.05  24.92  23.10  +3.34  +4.30|  2665   +11
Marion      51  -6  80  32| 0.08  22.20  20.47  +1.41  +2.67|  2517   -82
Pickstown   56  -4  86  34| 0.00  17.01  15.14  -2.18  -1.56|  2989  +115
Vermillion  56  -5  82  32| 0.13  23.54  20.42  +2.48  +1.99|  3004   -56
Yankton     52  -7  82  32| 0.06  26.42  23.24  +6.09  +5.42|  2719   -90
 

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