Released: July 26, 2004 -- 3:00 pm CST For Week ending July 25, 2004 SD-CW3004 Volume 53 Issue 30

AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY:    Generally warm, dry weather allowed for significant winter wheat harvest progress last week, according to USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. The warm conditions advanced maturity ratings for all crops, as well. However, the minimal precipitation did stress soil moisture and crop condition ratings. Producers are haying, crop scouting, and maintaining livestock in addition to harvesting small grains. Statewide, 6.1 days were suitable for fieldwork. This report is based on information from county extension educators, Farm Service Agency county directors, and other reporters across the state.

WEATHER INFORMATION:   Hot, humid weather early in the week gave way to much cooler conditions by week's end. Early week temperatures soared into the mid and upper nineties for most reporting stations, with the week's high of 105 degrees recorded in Buffalo. The hot, humid conditions triggered some severe thunderstorms, which produced wind and hail in some southeastern locations. Madison registered the week's precipitation high of 1.44 inches.

SOIL CONDITION:    Warm, dry conditions caused soil moisture conditions to decline last week. Sixty-two percent of the state's topsoil is rated adequate, down from 73 percent a week ago. Subsoil rated adequate fell from 67 percent to 55 percent.

FIELD CROPS REPORT:    Warm, dry conditions facilitated significant harvest progress in winter wheat and accelerated maturation for most other crops last week. Winter wheat is 56 percent harvested, up from 12 percent the week before. Spring seeded small grain harvest is getting underway, but remains behind last year's progress and the five-year average. The percentage of the crop ripening advanced considerably from a week earlier. Barley is 30 percent ripe, up from just 2 percent a week ago, and oats rated ripe advanced from 8 percent to 41 percent. Row crops made progress, as well. Fifty-one percent of the corn is tasseled, up from 9 percent a week ago.

LIVESTOCK, PASTURE, AND RANGE REPORT:    Feed and stock water supplies rated adequate declined last week. Feed supplies are rated 64 percent adequate, down from 72 percent a week ago. Stock water supplies dropped 10 points to 52 percent adequate. Rainfall amounts in the driest areas have not been substantial enough to run water from dugouts and dams. Second cutting alfalfa, at 56 percent harvested, is just 5 points behind the five-year average after a slow go on this year's first cutting. Other hay is 75 percent harvested, compared to the five-year average of 78 percent.

         FEED AND WATER SUPPLIES COMPARISON
                 AS OF July 25, 2004 

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

                       Percent
Very
 Short     13     3     8     19     17   14
Short      19    17    15     27     27   15
Adeq.      64    76    53     52     54   45
Surplus     4     3     4      2      2    5
 

         SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON
                  AS OF July 25, 2004 

               TOPSOIL         SUBSOIL
         This   Last  Last  This   Last  Last
RATING   Week   Week  Year  Week   Week  Year
                       Percent
Very 
 Short     12     8    12     21     10    18
Short      23    15    33     22     20    24
Adeq.      62    73    52     55     67    56
Surplus     3     4     2      2      3     2


             

           CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS
                   AS OF July 25, 2004 

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL
                          Percent
Winter Wheat  18      16     30      28      8
Spring Wheat   4       6     20      50     20
Barley        15       7     16      50     12
Oats           6       8     23      50     13
Corn           0       2     16      55     27
Soybeans       0       2     16      61     21
Sorghum        1       2     41      46     10
Sunflower      6       6     35      46      7
Alfalfa       13      12     21      42     12
Cattle         0       2     18      65     15
Sheep          0       0     11      65     24
Range &                                        
  Pasture     11      18     30     33      8  

          CROP PROGRESS AS OF July 25, 2004  1/
                                                      
                    This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
                         Percent
Barley     
 turning color       90     56     88      83
 ripe                30      2     39      44
 harvested            2      0      9      12
Spring wheat 
 turning color       91     68     95      89
 ripe                26      5     46      46
 harvested            3      0     15      14
Oats        
 turning color       89     56     94      89
 ripe                41      8     63      57
 harvested           13      1     29      28
Corn        
 2nd cult or sprayed 97     94     94      93
 tasseling           51      9     55      58
 silked              26      1     22      33
 dough                0      0      0       2
Sorghum     
 headed              25      5     33      26
 coloring             2     NA      8       6
Soybeans    
 blooming            65     50     74      70
 setting pods        13      2     19      25
Sunflower   
 blooming             4      2      9       9
Winter wheat
 ripe                87     43     95      92
 harvested           56     12     73      63
Alfalfa     
 1st cutting         98     93    100     100
 2nd cutting         56     34     71      61
 3rd cutting          1      0     NA      NA
Other hay   
 cut                 75     63     87      78   
 

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

  
   

                                                     
            TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, AND GROWING DEGREE DAYS
                        WEEK ENDING July 25, 2004
                                     
             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       73  +0 102  49| 0.06   8.51   6.53  -3.30  -3.26|  1180   -95
Buffalo     73  +2 105  52| 0.31   5.38   4.97  -4.16  -3.35|  1174   -33
Dupree      72  -4  98  45| 0.10  10.81   9.26  -0.79  -0.60|  1260  -153
Mc Intosh   72  -2  96  46| 0.05   7.98   6.55  -3.02  -2.93|  1161  -163
Newell      71  -3 101  46| 0.41   9.79   8.33  -0.52  -0.44|  1136  -132
Timber Lake 72  -2  98  46| 0.09   8.96   6.77  -2.91  -3.09|  1187  -177
Aberdeen    70  -4  90  46| 0.51  14.62  12.13  +2.58  +2.33|  1144  -244
Eureka      72  -1  94  48| 0.14  10.00   8.61  -1.05  -0.81|  1222   -57
Faulkton    71  -3  95  49| 0.73  16.66  14.07  +4.61  +4.18|  1175  -185
Mobridge    73  -2 100  47| 0.03   8.29   7.26  -3.09  -2.16|  1235  -167
Roscoe      70  -4  93  49| 0.06  14.59  11.49  +1.95  +0.83|  1001  -351
Britton     71  -3  93  49| 0.36  13.74  12.20  +1.69  +1.90|  1278  -137
Clear Lake  71  -3  91  51| 0.96  14.48  12.51  -0.32  +0.68|  1045  -339
Sisseton    71  -4  95  47| 0.01  12.26  10.56  -0.72  +0.07|  1158  -302
Webster     70  -4  89  53| 0.10  13.05  10.12  +0.04  -0.55|  1095  -274
Watertown   70  -4  91  49| 0.10  12.60  11.23  -1.27  -0.05|  1113  -262
Faith       72  -4  99  48| 0.04  11.35  10.63  -0.41  +0.73|  1182  -220
Milesville  72  -4  97  48| 0.05  12.23  10.24  +0.15  +0.13|  1360  -147
Long Valley 73  -4 103  48| 0.36   9.01   7.03  -3.50  -3.55|  1483    +0
Philip      74  -4 102  49| 0.19   7.83   7.02  -3.32  -2.45|  1459   -88
Rapid City  73  -2 103  49| 0.19   8.69   6.75  -2.63  -2.58|  1282   +36
Spearfish   71  -3 100  50| 0.71  10.58   8.16  -4.54  -4.10|  1233   +44
Chamberlain 75  -3 100  49| 0.21  13.58  10.36  +1.78  +0.38|  1434  -226
Highmore    73  -3  96  49| 0.07  14.03  11.76  +1.11  +0.98|  1372  -112
Huron       73  -3  96  48| 0.09  16.11  12.95  +2.74  +2.39|  1374  -114
Onida       74  -3  97  49| 0.04  10.27   7.53  -1.97  -2.32|  1347  -187
Pierre      75  -3 101  48| 0.01   9.57   7.21  -3.22  -3.49|  1456  -111
Brookings   69  -2  91  47| 0.01  16.65  14.84  +2.46  +2.69|  1111  -146
Madison     70  -3  90  47| 1.44  17.05  15.15  +2.37  +3.65|  1193  -182
Mitchell    72  -5  94  50| 0.49  18.12  15.16  +4.05  +3.79|  1287  -339
Sioux Falls 71  -4  91  49| 0.00  20.38  16.81  +6.36  +5.65|  1394  -123
Custer      64  -4  93  44| 1.17   7.40   5.92  -5.48  -5.04|   710   -88
Hot Springs 71  -5  99  45| 0.46   6.48   4.32  -4.54  -5.17|  1337   -68
Oelrichs    74  -3 104  46| 0.30   5.97   4.13  -5.70  -5.57|  1398   -57
Porcupine   72  -4 104  46| 1.12   8.27   5.65  -2.95  -4.05|  1334   -90
Murdo       75  +0 101  54| 0.18   9.65   7.20  -2.90  -3.03|  1372  -106
Winner      75  -3 100  52| 0.37  15.37  11.79  -0.49  -1.18|  1682   -72
Armour      73  -4 100  48| 0.50  14.57  11.20  -0.43  -0.85|  1544  -145
Centerville 73  -2  93  49| 0.60  16.08  11.85  +0.49  -0.90|  1421  -138
Marion      71  -4  92  49| 0.61  20.31  16.91  +5.39  +5.06|  1287  -231
Pickstown   74  -3 102  50| 0.35  12.77  10.15  -1.40  -1.46|  1480  -150
Vermillion  74  -3  94  49| 0.20  19.92  15.11  +4.61  +2.49|  1680  -115
Yankton     73  -3  98  49| 1.38  19.80  14.55  +4.91  +2.22|  1479  -148


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