fl-crop-weather Week ending August 16, 1998 Released 4:00 P.M. August 17, 1998 WEATHER SUMMARY: Wet, warm weather continued during the week of August 9 through 15. Rainfall for the week totaled from about four and a half inches to almost five and a half inches at Miami, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville with Orlando, Pensacola, Tampa, and West Palm Beach recording about one to almost three inches. Tallahassee reported about a third inch accumulation. Temperatures for the week averaged mostly two degrees above normal. Daily high temperatures averaged in the 90s while lows averaged in the 70s. FIELD CROPS: Topsoil moisture throughout the State is mostly adequate with a few scattered areas of short or surplus moisture. Haying is active in most areas. Tobacco marketing is active. Tobacco harvest is starting to wind down. Armyworm infestation continues to plague peanuts, hay fields, and pasture. Grass loopers are also a problem in some areas. White mold is showing up in peanuts. Cotton and soybeans are improving with better moisture condi tions. Sugarcane is in good condition. Peanut condition: poor 1%, fair 23%, good 76%. Moisture Topsoil Subsoil Rating Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very short 1 1 1 1 Short 14 5 15 24 Adequate 64 91 73 68 Surplus 21 3 11 7 LIVESTOCK AND PASTURES: Pasture in the State was generally in fair to good condition. However, army worms caused damage to some pasture. In the Panhandle some locations had heavy damage from armyworms and loopers. In the north counties, there were severe army worm populations in hayfields and fertilized pasture (even bahia). Pastures were sprayed for armyworms in the west central area. Cattle and calves statewide were in mostly fair to good condition. Range Cattle Condition Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very poor 0 0 0 0 Poor 5 0 5 0 Fair 40 35 35 35 Good 45 60 50 60 Excellent 10 5 10 5 CITRUS: Summer-like weather prevailed this week in Florida's citrus belt. There were scattered rains with a few thunderstorms in most areas. Daytime high temperatures ranged from the mid to upper 90's with very high humidity. These near tropical weather conditions are providing ideal growing conditions for citrus. There is an abundance of new growth on trees of all ages. Most of the new crop fruit is making good progress. Some fruit in those groves that have had very little maintenance and care are generally showing sizes smaller than those that have been well irrigated. There are a few growers, packers, and fresh fruit buyers testing maturity of early bloom grapefruit. Caretakers are discing, mowing, and chopping cover crops that have made advanced growth with the current good growing conditions. Summer sprays and fertilizations continue in most areas. Some of the growers with bedded groves are repairing and digging out ditches for proper drainage. VEGETABLES: Growers in the Oxford area laid plastic for fall planting. East Coast growers planted peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Palmetto-Ruskin producers planted tomatoes, eggplant, and watermelon, and laid plastic for strawberry transplanting. Southwestern growers started pepper and tomato planting. Dade County producers mowed and disced cover crops and continued harvesting okra. MONTHLY UTILIZATION OF FRESH ORANGES 1997-98 SEASON MONTHLY UTILIZATION OF PROCESSED ORANGES 1997-98 SEASON SOURCE: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services To receive this report via e-mail, send an e-mail message to nass-state-releases@news.usda.gov with the following message: subscribe fl-crop-weather. The report will be e-mailed automatically to your e-mail address each week.