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Released: October 12, 1999 -- 3:00 p.m For Week Ending October 10, 1999 Volume 48 Issue 31

GENERAL
GENERAL: Harvest is off to a good start in selected areas of the state, while other areas wait for final maturing and dry-down of grain before kicking off harvest in earnest, according to the USDA's South Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. Major activities during the week were selected harvest of row crops, seeding of winter grains, harvesting corn silage, spraying herbicides, fencing, preparing calves for fall sales, and moving livestock from distant pastures. Statewide, there were 5.2 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 slightly across the state, but remain mostly adequate. Areas with topsoil moisture considered very short or short cover 23 percent of the state, an increase from last week. Surplus topsoil moisture is reported over 9 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. 8 

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

                       Percent
Very 
 Short      2     2    0     2     1     0
Short      21    15    3    14    12    11
Adeq.      68    70   88    71    72    80
Surplus     9    13    9    13    15     9

CROPS
CROPS: Producers in various areas of the state are harvesting row crops, while in other portions of the state, farmers are having to wait for further dry-down of grain and drying of green stalks. Reports were noted of highly variable yields within counties for soybeans and corn as a result of the hot, dry extremes in the latter part of summer. Soybeans rated mature, at 88 percent, remain 4 points behind the five-year average. Soybean harvest was 36 percent complete, compared to 53 percent last year and 42 percent for the five-year average. Corn rated mature, at 90 percent, is still 4 percentage points behind the five-year average. Corn harvested for grain, at 19 percent, is still 3 points ahead of the average, while corn cut for silage is now 95 percent complete. Sunflower development also remains behind the five-year average. Sunflower rated mature are at 73 percent, while 16 percent of the crop is harvested. Winter wheat seeded is now 92 percent completed. Winter wheat emerged jumped 24 percentage points to 71 percent. 



                  CROP AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS - OCT. 10

ITEM       V POOR   POOR   FAIR   GOOD   EXCEL

                          Percent
Alfalfa        0       1     17      67     15
Sorghum        0       0     32      61      7
Soybeans       1       4     18      60     17
Corn           0       3     17      57     23
Sunflower      0       2     21      60     17
Cattle         0       0      7      68     25
Sheep          0       0      7      62     31
Range & 
   Pasture     1       4     18      58     19

LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE
LIVESTOCK AND FORAGE: Range and pasture conditions are 77 percent good or excellent and stock water supplies are mostly adequate. Cattle remain in good condition, with 93 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 88 percent complete.

WEATHER
WEATHER: Statewide, temperatures ranged from 6 degrees above to 4 degrees below normal. Average temperatures ranged from 49 degrees at Roscoe to 60 degrees at Armour and Winner. The lowest temperature was 21 degrees at Philip. Hot Springs, Porcupine and Winner were the warmest at 87 degrees. Precipitation ranged from none in many areas of the state to 0.47 inch at Sisseton. 

             

                       CROP PROGRESS - OCTOBER 10 1/
                                                                                     
                  This   Last   Last   5-Yr.
ITEM              Week   Week   Year    Ave
  
  
                         Percent
Corn    
 mature            90     78     98     94
 grain harvested   19     12     30     16
 silage harvested  95     91     97     90
Sorghum    
 mature            84     70     94     93
 grain harvested   19     14     34     22
 silage harvested  74     54     88     77
Soybeans
 dropping leaves   99     93    100     99
 mature            88     65     99     92
 harvested         36     16     53     42
Sunflower  
 ray flowers dry   99     96    100    100
 bracts yellow     95     79     98     99
 mature            73     57     97     92
 harvested         16      9     48     30
Winter wheat
 seeded            92     80     92     93
 emerged           71     47     76     76
Winter rye  
 seeded            91     72     95     94
 emerged           70     48     72     82
Alfalfa     
 3rd cutting       88     84     99     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      50  -2  71  23| 0.00  16.07  14.85  +3.48  +3.44|  1942  -301
Aberdeen     50  -2  75  26| 0.09  22.22  20.43  +5.34  +5.73|  2474    -1
Leola        52  +0  73  27| 0.14  26.38  24.36  +9.28  +9.41|  2331   -68
Mobridge     53  +1  74  31| 0.00  20.67  20.17  +5.41  +6.81|  2394  -139
Roscoe       49  -4  73  29| 0.12  25.45  23.53  +8.47  +8.47|  2134  -297
Britton      51  -2  73  28| 0.39  28.86  26.22 +11.87 +10.94|  2437   -97
Sisseton     51  -3  78  26| 0.47  23.46  20.71  +4.76  +4.44|  2464  -132
Watertown    52  -1  82  31| 0.05  15.94  14.39  -3.74  -2.76|  2448    -5
Webster      52  +1  76  33| 0.30  24.03  21.40  +5.15  +4.81|  2351   -64
Faith        53  +0  72  29| 0.07  15.66  14.76  +0.59  +1.50|  2337  -265
Lead         54  +5  79  32| 0.00  26.63  22.33  +1.83  +2.76|  1686   -85
Philip       55  +1  83  21| 0.04  19.34  18.28  +4.80  +5.38|  2588  -277
Rapid City   56  +4  79  28| 0.00  18.03  16.93  +3.12  +3.96|  2277   -79
Chamberlain  55  -1  83  29| 0.17  25.67  23.90  +9.79  +9.79|  2623  -403
Highmore     56  +3  83  28| 0.00  22.02  21.02  +4.19  +5.26|  2573  -146
Huron        55  +3  86  30| 0.09  16.77  15.94  -1.17  +0.75|  2849  +189
Pierre       56  +3  80  29| 0.07  23.71  22.61  +6.85  +7.79|  3098  +228
Brookings    51  +2  81  30| 0.03  20.20  18.18  -0.55  -0.59|  2359  +146
Madison      53  +2  82  29| 0.02  20.84  20.08  -0.27  +2.08|  2522   +88
Mitchell     55  +2  86  30| 0.17  29.02  26.65  +9.39  +9.65|  2801   -78
Sioux Falls  57  +5  81  33| 0.09  22.18  20.38  +1.17  +2.16|  2745   +68
Custer       50  +3  76  27| 0.00  19.96  19.16  +2.64  +3.72|  1424  -124
Hot Springs  57  +3  87  26| 0.00  21.36  19.78  +6.90  +6.81|  2239  -376
Porcupine    52  -1  87  24| 0.37  23.07  21.32  +8.57  +8.30|  2219  -384
Bonesteel    56  +3  86  33| 0.00  19.96  16.14  -3.24  -4.30|  2660   -12
Mission      53  +0  82  30| 0.03  24.00  22.53  +6.45  +7.00|  2451   -32
Murdo        55  +2  78  29| 0.12  22.70  19.61  +6.53  +5.70|  2663   -36
Winner       60  +4  87  36| 0.00  19.06  17.50  -2.26  -0.99|  2945  -220
Armour       60  +6  86  32| 0.02  23.58  21.72  +3.01  +4.03|  3019   +21
Vermillion   59  +3  81  30| 0.14  29.12  28.10  +7.28  +8.89|  3011  -118
Yankton      56  +2  84  33| 0.35  25.37  23.89  +4.37  +5.40|  2895   +24
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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