NC-crop-weather North Carolina Weather & Crops Report Released: May 5, 2008 (4:00 P.M. EST) NC-CW1208 Agricultural/Weather Summary: Most of North Carolina received rain this week with Aurora recording 2.62 inches. Average temperatures ranged between 51 to 66 degrees. Topsoil moisture in the mountain region is becoming dry while the coastal region is still drying up from the recent rain events. Field Crops Report: There were 5 days suitable for field work, compared to 4.4 the previous week. Statewide soil moisture levels are rated at 1% very short, 13% short, 77% adequate and 9% surplus. Activities during the week included the planting of corn, sorghum, cotton, flue-cured and burley tobacco, spreading of fertilizer and chemicals, and other spring planting preparations. CROP PROGRESS PERCENT - WITH COMPARISONS This Last Last 5-Year CROP Week Week Year Average PHENOLOGICAL: Corn % Emerged 54 N/A 76 65 Wheat % Headed 90 66 82 75 PLANTED: Corn 87 70 94 88 Cotton 13 N/A 31 30 Sorghum 17 10 29 14 Tobacco: Burley 22 N/A N/A N/A Tobacco: Flue-cured 43 22 61 60 HARVESTED: Hay 1st Cutting 16 N/A 24 12 Very Crop Condition Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Barley 0 1 4 74 21 Oats 0 1 12 73 14 Rye 0 0 3 75 22 Wheat 0 1 12 65 22 Corn 0 1 21 68 10 Irish Potatoes 0 0 6 62 32 Pasture 3 6 34 51 6 Truck Crops 0 1 11 72 16 TOPSOIL MOISTURE PERCENT Very Short Short Adequate Surplus State 1 13 77 9 Mountain Region 4 22 71 3 Piedmont Region 1 18 71 10 Coastal Plain Region 0 1 87 12 Total Departure Total Departure From Departure Station This From Normal Since Normal Since From Location Week This Week January 1 January 1 High Low Average Normal Apex 1.81 0.98 13.41 -1.96 81 39 62 -3 Asheville 0.83 -0.05 13.70 -2.09 75 31 57 -3 Aurora 2.62 1.70 16.63 1.23 81 45 65 -1 Beech Mountain 0.98 -0.23 14.91 -4.91 72 20 51 2 Chapel Hill 1.43 0.55 15.76 0.08 82 38 62 -1 Charlotte 1.02 0.29 12.94 -2.25 80 37 62 -2 Clinton 0.64 -0.30 15.69 -0.28 83 41 64 -2 Concord 1.28 0.49 12.49 -2.95 82 37 62 -2 Eden 1.56 0.71 11.24 -3.53 80 35 59 -4 Elizabeth City 0.05 -0.84 8.92 -6.51 81 45 64 2 Fayetteville 1.68 0.98 15.28 0.27 80 41 63 -3 Goldsboro 2.23 1.38 16.66 0.44 81 41 63 -3 Greensboro 1.57 0.77 13.38 -0.25 80 38 62 0 Greenville 0.69 -0.18 15.72 -0.07 83 43 65 0 Halifax 1.45 0.57 18.44 3.23 83 42 65 3 Hayesville 1.16 0.34 18.75 3.44 80 35 58 -7 Hickory 0.33 -0.55 10.97 -5.71 79 34 60 -3 Jackson Springs 1.40 0.66 14.68 -0.97 81 36 61 -4 Jacksonville 1.18 0.22 17.46 0.81 80 44 65 -2 Jefferson 0.70 -0.31 13.02 -2.88 74 24 50 -6 Kinston 1.36 0.45 15.62 -0.48 81 43 64 -1 Laurinburg 1.12 0.44 15.81 0.13 87 38 64 -2 Lenoir 0.35 -0.58 12.70 -3.59 82 34 60 -3 Lexington 1.17 0.36 11.21 -4.42 82 31 60 -5 Lincolnton 0.65 -0.25 11.68 -4.31 81 31 61 -3 Louisburg 2.15 1.27 13.67 -1.67 81 37 61 0 Marshall 0.71 -0.11 11.81 -2.48 81 28 54 -4 Monroe 1.39 0.67 11.50 -4.88 79 38 62 -3 Mount Airy 1.26 0.30 11.80 -3.51 79 31 56 -6 New Bern 0.38 -0.51 14.14 -2.18 82 44 65 -2 North Wilkesboro 0.30 -0.62 12.15 -4.70 80 32 58 -2 Old Fort 0.49 -0.46 12.28 -5.05 78 30 56 -3 Oxford 1.54 0.73 13.55 -1.20 80 39 61 -2 Raleigh-Durham 1.84 1.10 13.87 -0.20 81 38 64 1 Roanoke Rapids 0.97 0.09 17.10 1.89 80 42 62 -1 Rocky Mount 1.10 0.29 13.38 -1.77 81 41 64 0 Siler City 2.42 1.52 14.66 -1.52 79 38 60 -2 Waynesville 0.98 0.09 15.76 -2.05 80 32 57 -2 Whiteville 0.84 -0.01 16.03 0.39 83 40 63 -2 Williamston 0.48 -0.40 15.25 -0.25 84 45 63 -1 Wilmington 0.38 -0.42 12.87 -2.03 81 42 66 -2 Contact Information: The preceeding Crop and Weather summary was provided by the North Carolina Agricultural Statistics Service, an agency of the USDA, in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Sevices. For questions and/or concerns phone 919-733-7293.