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Released:October 4, 1999 -- 3:00 p. For Week Ending October 3, 1999 Volume 48 Issue 30

GENERAL
GENERAL: Corn silage harvest was nearly completed and row crop harvest started when snow and rain halted all field work late last week, according to the USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. As producers waited for grains to dry down, major activities during the week were seeding of winter grains, harvesting corn silage, spraying herbicides, fencing, and preparing calves for fall sales. Statewide, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork. Based on information from county extension educators, farm service agency county directors, and other reporters around the state.

SOIL MOISTURE
SOIL MOISTURE: Soil moisture levels fell very slightly across the state, but remain mostly favorable, with topsoil adequate at 70 percent and subsoil 72 percent adequate. Areas with topsoil moisture considered very short or short are 17 percent, down from last week. Surplus topsoil moisture is reported over 13 percent of the state and is concentrated mainly in the central to northeast. Topsoil moisture remains short in the southeast corner of the state. 



SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION COMPARISON - OCT. 1 

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

                       Percent
Very 
 Short      2     4   12     1     2     4
Short      15    12   49    12    10    41
Adeq.      70    72   38    72    75    53
Surplus    13    12    1    15    13     2

CROPS
CROPS: The hard freeze received over the state is expected to hasten drying of corn and soybeans, however, more favorable weather is needed to help dry grain in many areas. Soybean maturity advanced 25 percentage points, but remained 11 points behind the five-year average. Soybean harvest, already behind the five-year average, was delayed by late week precipitation, leaving the crop at 16 percent harvested. Corn rated mature, at 78 percent, is still 6 percentage points behind the five-year average. Corn harvested for grain, now 12 percent complete, pulled slightly ahead of the five-year average. Sunflower development also remains behind the five-year average. Sunflower rated mature is at 57 percent, while 9 percent of the crop is harvested. Good field conditions early in the week allowed winter wheat seeded to reach 80 percent completed. Winter wheat emerged jumped 28 percentage points to 47 percent, despite many reports of delayed emergence from dry fields. 



        CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS - OCT. 3

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Alfalfa        0       2     21      59     18
Sorghum        0       1     28      62      9
Soybeans       1       4     18      57     20
Corn           0       2     17      55     26
Sunflower      0       4     21      60     15
Flaxseed       0       0     25      65     10
Cattle         0       0      8      67     25
Sheep          0       0      6      59     35
Range & 
   Pasture     1       4     19      59     17

LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE
LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE: Range and pasture conditions are 76 percent good or excellent and stock water supplies are mostly adequate. Cattle remain in good condition, with 92 percent rated good to excellent, as ranchers move cattle and begin to prepare calves for fall sales. Alfalfa acreage harvested for a third cutting is 84 percent complete.

WEATHER
WEATHER: Statewide, temperatures ranged from 9 to 16 degrees below normal. Average temperatures ranged from 37 degrees at Custer to 48 at Vermillion and Yankton. The lowest temperature was 16 degrees at Huron. Faith was the warmest at 75 degrees. Precipitation ranged from a trace to 0.75 inch at Huron. 

             

          CROP PROGRESS - OCTOBER 3 1/
                                                                                     
                    This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM                Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
  
                         Percent
Corn    
 mature            78     56     95     84
 grain harvested   12      5     21      9
 silage harvested  91     81     89     79
Flaxseed
 harvested         98     93    100     99
Sorghum    
 mature            70     52     89     82
 grain harvested   14      6     29     13
 silage harvested  54     37     68     62
Soybeans
 dropping leaves   93     78     99     96
 mature            65     40     93     76
 harvested         16      8     40     24
Sunflower  
 ray flowers dry   96     93    100    100
 bracts yellow     79     77     96     98
 mature            57     33     89     77
 harvested          9      2     30     17
Winter wheat
 seeded            80     62     86     86
 emerged           47     19     62     61
Winter rye  
 seeded            72     58     91     90
 emerged           48     33     51     68
Alfalfa     
 3rd cutting       84     81     93     NA
1/ Percents represent all acreage in or beyond each stage.



             TEMPERATURE  |    -----  PRECIPITATION -----   | GDD BASE 50F
             -----------  |       SINCE  SINCE  SINCE  SINCE| ------------
            CURRENT WEEK  | CURR  JAN 1  APR 1  JAN 1  APR 1|SINCE APRIL 6
STATION    AVG DFN  HI  LO| WEEK  TOTAL  TOTAL    DFN    DFN| TOTAL   DFN
-------     --  --  --  --|-----  -----  -----  -----  -----| -----  ----
Buffalo     40 -14  72  23| 0.40  16.07  14.85  +3.73  +3.69|  1927  -294
Aberdeen    44 -11  66  25| 0.06  22.13  20.34  +5.55  +5.94|  2443    -8
Leola       44 -11  64  23| 0.05  26.28  24.26  +9.46  +9.59|  2307   -69
Mobridge    44 -11  68  22| 0.21  20.67  20.17  +5.69  +7.09|  2361  -147
Roscoe      42 -12  66  24| 0.08  25.33  23.41  +8.63  +8.63|  2116  -292
Britton     43 -12  62  24| 0.04  28.47  25.83 +11.83 +10.90|  2410   -99
Sisseton    45 -11  63  25| 0.11  22.99  20.24  +4.67  +4.35|  2439  -127
Watertown   43 -11  63  23| 0.13  15.89  14.34  -3.30  -2.32|  2415   -13
Webster     45  -9  61  26| 0.00  23.73  21.10  +5.20  +4.86|  2324   -68
Faith       42 -15  75  23| 0.38  15.59  14.69  +0.80  +1.71|  2299  -272
Lead        38 -15  66  24| 0.14  26.63  22.33  +2.25  +3.18|  1657   -96
Philip      44 -14  73  19| 0.07  19.30  18.24  +5.04  +5.62|  2538  -289
Rapid City  43 -13  73  26| 0.07  18.03  16.93  +3.40  +4.24|  2225  -102
Chamberlain 45 -14  70  23| 0.11  25.50  23.73  +9.90  +9.90|  2578  -408
Highmore    45 -12  69  22| 0.39  21.83  20.83  +4.35  +5.42|  2530  -157
Huron       44 -12  69  16| 0.75  16.68  15.85  -0.91  +1.01|  2801  +170
Pierre      47 -11  73  25| 0.55  23.64  22.54  +7.11  +8.05|  3040  +204
Brookings   41 -13  62  18| 0.65  20.17  18.15  -0.13  -0.17|  2333  +140
Madisonc    44 -11  64  24| 0.32  20.82  20.06  +0.17  +2.52|  2490   +81
Mitchell    46 -12  69  25| 0.18  28.85  26.48  +9.62  +9.88|  2755   -90
Sioux Falls 47  -9  65  24| 0.26  22.09  20.29  +1.56  +2.55|  2688   +40
Custer      37 -14  64  25| 0.31  19.96  19.16  +2.92  +4.00|  1404  -129
Hot Springs 42 -15  71  24| 0.05  21.36  19.78  +7.18  +7.09|  2191  -386
Porcupine   39 -16  65  18| 0.06  22.70  20.95  +8.48  +8.21|  2190  -386
Bonesteel   45 -11  65  22| 0.12  19.96  16.14  -2.78  -3.84|  2613   -28
Mission     42 -14  68  20| 0.23  23.97  22.50  +6.72  +7.27|  2418   -38
Murdo       43 -14  71  24| 0.22  22.58  19.49  +6.73  +5.90|  2615   -53
Winner      47 -13  70  22| 0.00  19.06  17.50  -1.88  -0.61|  2870  -248
Armour      47 -11  68  24| 0.05  23.56  21.70  +3.41  +4.43|  2945   -13
Vermillion  48 -12  68  27| 0.25  28.98  27.96  +7.57  +9.18|  2949  -135
Yankton     48 -10  69  26| 0.02  25.02  23.54  +4.44  +5.47|  2844   +11
bar chart showing crop progress compared to the last 10 years

                                     
 
 
 
South Dakota county map showing topsoil moisture South Dakota county map showing subsoil moisture

Topsoil image in 'TIF' format for publishers
Subsoil image in 'TIF' format for publishers
 

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