WEATHER & CROP NEWS Week ending August 11, 1996 Released 4:00 P.M. August 12, 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WEATHER SUMMARY: Showers brought welcomed rains to some localities with official weekly totals ranging from none to a little over two inches from August 4 through August 10. Heavy rains caused some flooding in Collier County near the end of the week. Storms dropped an additional one to four inches of rain over some central localities on Sunday, August 11. Temperatures ranged from lows in the 60s and 70s to highs in the 90s with the weekly averages ranging from one degree below to two degrees above normal. FIELD CROPS: Topsoil moisture is mostly adequate to surplus in the Panhandle and northern Peninsula. Topsoil moisture in central and southern Peninsula is short to adequate. Topsoil moisture condition as reported from very short to surplus (previous week's rating in parentheses): very short 1% (15%), short 16% (48%), adequate 79% (37%), and surplus 4% (0%). Subsoil moisture condition: very short 1% (1%), short 11% (46%), adequate 86% (53%), and surplus 2% (0%). Peanut condition is reported: 0% (0%) very poor, 0% (1%) poor, 0% (32%) fair, 57% (39%) good, and 43% (28%) excellent. Tobacco harvest is winding down. Tobacco marketing is active. Hay cutting is active. Corn for grain harvest is starting. Cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane are 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 0% (20%), fair 25% (40%), good 70% (35%), and excellent 5% (35%). Pasture has generally improved due to recent rains. The State's cattle herds were rated at fair 20% (30%), good 70% (50%), and excellent 10% (20%). CITRUS: Groves, trees and new crop fruit continue in very good to excellent condition as a result of near ideal growing weather. Moisture is adequate in virtually all areas as a result of recent rains and thunderstorms. There is an abundance of new growth on trees of all ages in all areas of the citrus belt. The leaf miner is present in varying degrees in most groves with new foliage. Most new crop fruit is making very good progress with few problems of droppage at this time. Fruit sizes continue to make normal progress for the second week of August. Caretakers are cutting cover crops and applying herbicides to control summer weed growth. Some growers have reduced their summer sprays due to the recent high temperatures. Young tree fertilizations continue in most areas. Dead tree removal and replanting have been reported in most of the large groves. VEGETABLES: Fall crop planting is gaining momentum with progress delayed in some localities due to frequent showers. Palmetto-Ruskin producers are picking some summer squash and planting fall crop tomatoes, squash, snap beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, cherry tomatoes, and plum tomatoes. Dade County growers will begin planting okra for fall harvest over the next seven to ten days with harvest of summer crop okra nearing the end. East Coast producers are planting eggplant and peppers, and a few expect to begin tomato transplanting over the next 7 to 10 days. Quincy area tomatoes are all planted with condition rated good. Southwestern growers are continuing to prepare land.