HDR101200019001 FL WEEKLY WEATHER-CROP NEWS Week ending June 16, 1996 Released 4:00 P.M. June 17, 1996 WEATHER SUMMARY: Comments on the week's weather and its effect on crop conditions are included in paragraphs below. FIELD CROPS: Topsoil moisture is short to adequate in the Panhandle and adequate throughout the Peninsula with scattered areas of short or surplus moisture. Rain in some areas has helped but more is needed. Irrigating of field crops is active. Peanut condition is reported as 1% very poor, 2% poor, 29% fair, 53% good, and 15% excellent. Percent of peanuts pegging is 46. Cotton planting is virtually complete. Soybean planting is winding down. Wheat harvest is complete. Tobacco harvest is starting. Hay cutting is active. Dry land corn is showing stress in hot parts of the day. Sugarcane is in good condition. LIVESTOCK AND PASTURES: The condition of the State's ranges and pastures was rated from very poor to excellent (previous week's rating in parentheses): poor 5% (5%), fair 35% (30%), good 55% (60%), and excellent 5% (5%). Much needed rain fell in several areas. Some central pastures were so overgrazed during the winter and spring that the grass has still not completely recovered. The State's cattle herds were rated at poor 0% (5%), fair 40% (35%), good 50% (55%), and excellent 10% (5%). CITRUS: Summer-like weather prevailed this week in the citrus belt with afternoon thunderstorms and hot temperatures. There is a lot of new growth on trees of all ages as a result of recent rains and good grove care. New crop fruit is making good progress in most areas. Some Navels and other early oranges are near golf ball size. New crop grapefruit are also making very good progress in well-cared-for groves. Harvest of Valencia oranges is slowing in all areas. Many juice processing plants have closed for the season. Movement of all seedless grapefruit is down to less than a hundred thousand boxes per week. Caretakers are cutting cover crops and applying herbicides as crops are making good growth with the recent summer rains. Summer oil and insecticide sprays are being applied in most areas. Hedging, topping, and ditch cleaning are being done where needed. Estimated boxes harvested week ended Crop Jun 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 1,000 boxes Valencias 5,603 3,363 NA All grapefruit 130 96 NA INTERNET ACCESS The weekly Weather and Crop News for Florida and other States is available on Internet each Monday shortly after 4:00 p.m. Access the NASS home page at http://www.usda.gov/nass then select NASS Publications. VEGETABLES VEGETABLES: Scattered, daily rains continued to fall over much of the State as daytime temperatures continued to reach into the upper 80s and low 90s. The frequent rain caused no significant harvesting delays in northern and central localities. The Palmetto-Ruskin region unofficially received from a trace to 5.00 inches of rain for the week with southern Hillsborough and northern Manatee counties getting the higher totals. A storm on Tuesday, June 11 dropped an unofficial 3.50 inches around Homestead with the area also receiving unofficial totals of nearly 1.50 inches on Wednesday, June 12, and about 0.50 inch on Thursday, June 13. Market News Service preliminary rail and truck shipments (in 10,000 pound units) for the weeks ending June 15, 8, and 1 were 18,242; 19,452; 23,498, respectively. Shipments for individual crops are shown below in the same order and units. SNAP BEANS: (17; 16; 81) North--Harvest continuing. West Central--Commercial picking finished. Some U-Pic harvesting continuing. Everglades--Harvesting virtually over. BLUEBERRIES: (13; 23; 13) North--Harvesting winding down. CABBAGE: (21; 48; 45) North--Harvest virtually complete. West Central--Condition fair to good. Harvest virtually complete. Quality fair to good. Size variable. Southwest-Dade--Harvest is complete. CARROTS: (18; 35; 17) Central--Season nearing completion. CELERY: (72; 134; 159) Central--Harvest slowing seasonally. SWEET CORN: (1,220; 1,943; 2,029) North--Picking active. Zellwood--Harvest continuing. Everglades--Picking virtually finished. CUCUMBERS: (288; 662; 968) North--Picking active. West Central--Commercial picking virtually over. Quality fair . Size variable. Some U-Pic harvesting active. Zellwood--Pickle harvesting continuing. EGGPLANT: (118; 162; 118) North--Cutting of small acreage continuing. East Coast, West Central--Season completed. OKRA: (28; 31; 44) Dade--Rainfall boosting crop growth, development. Picking active. Quality, yield fair to good. Good volume available throughout summer months. FLORIDA VEGETABLES Page 2 June 17, 1996 PEPPERS: (358; 903; 1,110) North--Picking active. Sumter County--Picking nearing completion. West Central--Crop in fair condition. Commercial harvesting nearly finished. U-Pic harvesting active. Quality, size fair. East Coast--Picking over. POTATOES: (4,106; 4,966; 6,414) Hastings-North--Harvest continues. Steady supply available. Crop in fair to good condition. Quality generally good. Dade-Southwest-Palmetto-Ruskin--Harvest over. RADISHES: (5; 9; 30) Central--Digging virtually finished. SQUASH: (24; 80; 163) North--Picking active. Volume light. West Central--Commercial picking virtually finished. U-Pic harvesting active. TOMATOES: (2,909; 3,927; 4,631) Gadsden County--Picking in full swing. Palmetto-Ruskin--Picking nearing end with most growers finished. East Coast, Dade, Southwest--Season over. CHERRY TOMATOES: (62; 91; 139) Gadsden County--Picking active. Palmetto-Ruskin, Southwest--Season finished. PLUM TOMATOES: (Shipments included with round varieties of tomatoes) Gadsden County--Harvest active. West Central--Crop condition fair. Harvest slowing. Quality fair to good. Sizes normal. WATERMELONS: (8,970; 6;299; 7,180) Suwanee County--Harvesting near peak level. Sumter County--Picking in full swing. Columbia County--Harvesting getting underway. West Central--Crop in fair to good condition. Picking winding down. Quality fair to good. Sizes variable. Color good with great taste. Southwest--Harvesting virtually finished.