Released: October 6, 2003 -- 3:00 pm CST For Week ending October 5, 2003 SD-CW4003 Volume 52 Issue 40

AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY:    Harvest was in full swing last week, with mild daytime temperatures and minimal precipitation keeping farmers in the fields, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. Major farm activities included row crop harvest, winter wheat seeding, cutting silage, weaning and selling 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 averaged 5 degrees below normal last week, with averages ranging from the upper 40's to lower 50's. Winner had the high for the week, at 85 degrees, while Watertown and Madison, at 20 degrees, had the low for the week. The majority of the state received no precipitation, with only 4 stations reporting trace amounts. Oelrichs had the most precipitation last week, with 0.08 inch received.

SOIL CONDITION:    Topsoil and subsoil moisture levels continued to fall even lower than last year's levels. Topsoil is rated at 25 percent adequate, with no surplus, compared to last week's 34 percent adequate to surplus and last year's 56 percent adequate to surplus. Subsoil is rated 20 percent adequate, 36 percent short, and 44 percent very short.

FIELD CROPS REPORT:    With frost received across the state, farmers are busy in the field, while winter wheat emergence slows even further. Winter wheat seeding, at 84 percent, is slightly ahead of last year and the five- year average; while emergence, at 33 percent, is behind last year's 44 percent and the five-year average of 48 percent. The corn crop is 94 percent mature, with harvest, at 18 percent complete, in line with the five- year average of 19 percent. The soybean crop is 96 percent mature, ahead of last year and the five-year average. Soybean harvest, at 47 percent, jumped 25 percentage points last week. Sorghum rated mature, at 90 percent, and harvest, at 38 percent, are both well ahead of last year and the five-year average. Sunflower are rated 91 percent with bracts yellow, behind last year's 95 percent. The sunflower crop is 80 percent mature and 32 percent harvested, both well ahead of last year and the five-year average. Silage harvest nears completion, with corn silage 98 percent harvested and sorghum silage 97 percent harvested.

LIVESTOCK, PASTURE, AND RANGE REPORT:    Alfalfa harvest is winding down, with the third cutting 90 percent complete. Livestock conditions varied slightly from last week, with the majority remaining in the fair to excellent categories. Range and pasture conditions decreased slightly, with reports from many farmers and ranchers stating the need to utilize hay supplies earlier than usual. Stock water supplies remain stressed, as precipitation was minimal last week.

        SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON
               AS OF October 5, 2003 

TOPSOIL         SUBSOIL
         This   Last  Last  This   Last  Last
RATING    Week   Week  Year  Week   Week  Year
                       Percent
Very 
 Short     40    29    15     44     42    26
Short      35    37    29     36     33    35
Adeq.      25    33    53     20     25    37
Surplus     0     1     3      0      0     2

 



           CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS
                  AS OF October 5, 2003 

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Corn           8      14     26      39     13
Alfalfa       19      23     34      21      3
Sorghum       30      13     30      25      2
Soybeans      10      15     36      35      4
Sunflower     26      28     29      16      1
Cattle         1       3     24      59     13
Sheep          0       3     17      61     19
Range &                                       
   Pasture    22      35     28      14      1



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

Corn        
 mature              94     82     89      90
 grain harvested     18     10     15      19
 silage harvested    98     93     95      94
Sorghum     
 mature              90     71     71      81
 grain harvested     38     16     19      28
 silage harvested    97     90     80      73 
Soybeans    
 mature              96     72     90      88
 harvested           47     22     33      38
Sunflower   
 bracts yellow       91     83     95      94
 mature              80     54     65      77
 harvested           32     13     16      24
Winter wheat
 seeded              84     66     82      82
 emerged             33     17     44      48
Winter rye  
 seeded              91     81     85      87
 emerged             27     18     63      56
Alfalfa     
 3rd cutting         90     89     84      89

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


      SOIL TEMPERATURES  WEEK ENDING OCT. 5, 2003
                     (4-inch Depth)

LOCATION      TEMP             LOCATION   TEMP
          
Beresford      56              Gettysburg   55
Brookings      52              Nisland      56
Caputa         53              Pierre       57
Chamberlain    58              Redfield     51
Cottonwood     58              Watertown    48





            TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, AND GROWING DEGREE DAYS
                        WEEK ENDING October 5, 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       52  -2  79  29| 0.00  15.62  11.69  +0.52  -1.45|  2670  +315
Buffalo     52  -1  76  31| 0.00  10.52   8.40  -1.90  -2.84|  2748  +514
Dupree      52  -3  82  23| 0.00  11.02   8.73  -3.82  -4.42|  2850  +251
Mc Intosh   51  -3  82  24| 0.00  11.83  10.73  -2.93  -2.56|  2534  +140
Newell      50  -4  74  29| 0.00  11.60   9.18  -1.74  -2.66|  2583  +241
Timber Lake 51  -3  80  26| 0.00  12.45  10.34  -3.27  -3.42|  2643  +197
Aberdeen    47  -7  78  22| 0.00  16.59  15.59  -0.09  +1.09|  2499   +35
Eureka      50  -3  81  23| 0.00  17.01  16.47  +1.94  +2.98|  2706  +409
Faulkton    50  -4  79  21| 0.00  16.88  14.66  +0.25  +0.13|  2678  +255
Mobridge    50  -4  79  24| 0.00  11.48  10.86  -3.58  -2.30|  2848  +327
Roscoe      46  -8  77  23| 0.00  16.87  15.19  +0.09  +0.33|  2324   -97
Britton     49  -6  79  24| 0.00  19.43  18.94  +2.69  +3.91|  2746  +224
Clear Lake  45 -10  73  24| 0.00  16.25  14.12  -4.78  -4.00|  2314  -122
Sisseton    47  -9  73  22| 0.00  16.35  16.03  -1.99  +0.12|  2516   -65
Webster     49  -5  79  25| 0.00  18.89  17.87  +0.26  +1.53|  2451   +47
Watertown   46  -8  73  20| 0.00  15.00  14.02  -4.33  -2.78|  2421   -16
Faith       52  -3  76  31| 0.00   8.45   7.53  -6.42  -5.53|  2851  +265
Milesville  53  -4  82  27| 0.00  11.37   8.38  -4.68  -5.75|  2996  +237
Long Valley 52  -5  82  26| 0.00  16.15  13.51  -0.02  -0.79|  2969  +227
Philip      52  -6  79  25| 0.02  10.49   8.85  -3.85  -3.85|  3072  +228
Rapid City  52  -3  75  31| 0.00   9.77   8.17  -4.94  -4.60|  2757  +417
Spearfish   54  +0  83  36| 0.02  19.43  15.33  +0.25  -1.06|  2686  +457
Chamberlain 51  -7  82  29| 0.00  18.23  16.19  +2.55  +2.28|  2906   -98
Highmore    52  -4  82  25| 0.00  14.26  13.02  -3.32  -2.49|  2933  +231
Huron       50  -5  81  22| 0.00  13.97  12.77  -3.72  -2.17|  2865  +219
Onida       53  -4  83  24| 0.00  15.84  13.72  -0.41  -0.20|  2797   +18
Pierre      52  -5  79  25| 0.00  11.80  10.66  -4.83  -3.93|  3004  +152
Brookings   44  -9  74  22| 0.00  17.49  16.68  -2.95  -1.78|  2225   +25
Madison     46  -9  76  20| 0.00  16.60  15.59  -4.19  -2.09|  2404   -15
Mitchell    49  -8  78  27| 0.00  20.68  18.57  +1.41  +1.93|  2610  -251
Sioux Falls 49  -6  76  26| 0.00  19.25  18.10  -1.42  +0.22|  2709   +46
Custer      45  -5  68  26| 0.00  17.19  14.16  +0.07  -1.08|  1650  +112
Hot Springs 51  -6  79  28| 0.02  16.13  13.07  +1.87  +0.30|  2607   +13
Oelrichs    51  -6  77  26| 0.08  15.17  12.64  +0.15  -0.46|  2721    +7
Porcupine   48  -7  78  23| 0.00  12.53   9.30  -1.77  -3.52|  2656   +68
Murdo       53  -3  78  31| 0.00  12.44  10.22  -3.49  -3.45|  2949  +269
Winner      56  -3  85  29| 0.00  15.06  13.03  -6.00  -5.20|  3346  +204
Armour      53  -5  82  30| 0.00  21.79  20.43  +1.52  +3.04|  2996   +17
Centerville 48  -8  78  27| 0.00  24.92  23.10  +2.91  +3.87|  2676   -11
Marion      48  -8  77  26| 0.00  22.20  20.47  +0.96  +2.22|  2528  -103
Pickstown   53  -5  82  30| 0.00  17.01  15.14  -2.58  -1.96|  3017  +100
Vermillion  51  -8  79  25| 0.00  23.54  20.42  +2.00  +1.51|  3027   -81
Yankton     49  -9  79  28| 0.00  26.42  23.24  +5.72  +5.05|  2731  -119

 

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