fl-crop-weather Week ending October 4, 1998 Released 4:00 P.M. October 5, 1998 WEATHER SUMMARY: Pensacola felt the brunt of Tropical Storm Georges as it passed over during the first part of the week of September 27 through October 3 with rain totaling almost fifteen inches. Tallahassee reported almost six and a half inches while Jacksonville recorded about three and a quarter inches. Most other Peninsula areas received an inch or less rain for the week. The Palmetto-Ruskin area received from about an inch to an inch and a half for the week, while Dade County reported a little over an inch. Temperatures averaged in the 70s over the Panhandle and the Big Bend area, while the rest of the Peninsula averaged in the 80s. Temperatures at the major stations ranged from three to five degrees above normal. FIELD CROPS: Hurricane Georges produced flooding problems in parts of the Panhandle and northern Peninsula. The western part of the Panhandle was hardest hit by Hurricane Georges with 20+ inches of rain and strong winds. Early predictions are that there could be heavy losses of cotton and soybeans in the western Panhandle. In the eastern Panhandle and northern Peninsula rains and winds were less but loss of cotton and peanuts could be high if fields do not dry out soon. Topsoil moisture in the State is adequate to surplus. Wet fields are delaying cotton, peanut, and soybean harvests. Haying was being delayed by rain in most areas. Tobacco marketing is active. Fall army worms are a serious pest in hay fields and pastures. No major damage was reported in the sugarcane area from Hurricane Georges. Sugarcane planting is active. Peanut condition: poor 2%, fair 43%, and good 55%. Twenty-six percent of the peanuts for nuts are reported harvested. Moisture Topsoil Subsoil Rating Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very short 0 0 0 0 Short 0 0 2 1 Adequate 51 67 45 55 Surplus 49 33 53 44 LIVESTOCK AND PASTURES: Pastures greened up in the central area following the rain. Army worms and loopers were still a problem in some pastures. Pastures in the Panhandle and west central areas were quite wet from the rains of Hurricane Georges. Statewide, the condition of cattle and calves was mostly fair to good. Range Cattle Condition Last week This week Last week This week Percent Very poor 0 0 0 0 Poor 0 0 0 0 Fair 50 30 25 20 Good 45 65 75 75 Excellent 5 5 0 5 CITRUS: This was a typical fall week with light scattered showers, high humidity and temperatures around the ninety-degree mark. Growers and caretakers are still trying to dry out saturated grove lands that were a result of the outer bands of Hurricane Georges. New growth is finally slowing due to the fewer hours of daylight. New crop fruit in most well-cared-for groves is in good condition. Virtually all fruit sized well during September as a result of the over abundance of moisture. However, there has been some splitting in the early types of fruit as the juice sacks inside the fruit have been filling faster than the outside are capable of growing. Harvest of white and colored grapefruit, Navel, Ambersweet and Hamlin oranges, Robinson and Fallglo tangerines continues to increase. Several fresh fruit packing houses are still testing fruit in the field for early harvest. Caretakers are mowing, chopping, and discing cover crops. Fall spraying, fertilizing and herbiciding continues in all areas. Growers continue to remove and burn dead and diseased trees. Resetting of young trees has been reported in some of the larger groves. VEGETABLES: Sunny weather with scattered showers allowed crops to recover from the hurricane wind and rain damage and fieldwork to progress on schedule SNAP BEANS: East Coast --Crop condition is generally good. Planting was active. Dade --Crop condition is good except for low spots drowned out by recent rain. Planting increased. Southwest -- Condition remains fair to good. Planting is steady. West Central -- Crop condition is rated poor to fair. Planting is gaining momentum. CABBAGE: West Central --Cabbage planting is steady. The crop is in fair to good condition. Crop growth and development are normal. Hastings--Planting preparations are underway. SWEET CORN: Southwest --Condition is fair to good. Oldest plants are two to three inches high. East Coast --Ground preparation resumed as fields dried out. CUCUMBERS, Fresh Market: West Central --Condition is fair to good. Planting is winding down. East Coast --Oldest plants are mostly good with growers thinning stands. Recent plantings continued to germinate well. Double crop planting on used plastic was active. Southwest --Crop condition is fair to good as planting gets underway. PICKLES: West Central --Crop condition is fair. Planting is winding down. Harvesting started with fair quality and sizes available. Dade --Planting is getting underway. EGGPLANT: East Coast --Oldest fields remained in fair to good condition. Fieldwork included planting, spraying, staking, and tying. West Central --Crop condition is fair. Dade --Crop condition remains good. Recent strong winds caused some leaf damage with recovery expected. Growers reset some plants drowned out. Planting continued. Southwest --Condition remained fair to good. Planting is slow with only a small acreage planted. OKRA: Dade --Crop condition is good. Young fields for late fall and winter harvest are growing fast. Harvesting of summer/fall fields continued to produce fair yield and good quality. PEPPERS: Southwest --Crop condition remained fair to good. Planting was steady. West Central --Condition is rated fair to good. Planting is slowing seasonally. East Coast --Crop condition is good. Land leveling, laying of plastic, transplanting, staking, and tying were active. Initial harvesting of oldest fields will start in seven to ten days. SQUASH: West Central --Condition is rated poor to fair. Planting was steady with some producers finished. Southwest -- Crop condition is fair to good. Planting was steady. East Coast -- Plants blooming, fruit setting, and fruit sizing increased. Picking started with mostly good quality and sizes. Volume was very small. Dade --Condition is good with no damage from the recent strong winds. Planting was active. STRAWBERRIES: Plant City--Transplanting getting underway. Virtually all plastic already laid for planting. Palmetto-Ruskin -- Crop condition is fair to good as planting began. Workers continued to lay plastic. TOMATOES: Quincy--Most of the heavy rain stayed to the west as Tropical Depression Georges passed over. Wind damage was minimal. The storm dropped at least five inches over the area which reduced the effectiveness of pesticides. Continued cloudy weather slowed maturation with some pick dates delayed. Harvesting continued as weather permitted. East Coast --Crop condition is fair to mostly good. Blooming and fruit setting increased. Transplanting continued with some light resetting to ensure good stands. Fieldwork included land leveling, laying of plastic, transplanting, irrigating, pruning, staking, tying, and spraying. Palmetto-Ruskin --Condition is fair. Fruit setting is slow. Oldest fruit is small to medium in size. Picking is expected to begin in three to four weeks. Tying and spraying remained active. Southwest --Crop condition is fair to good. Oldest plants show a light set on the first two hands. Fieldwork included laying plastic, transplanting, staking, tying, pruning, and spraying. Storm damage from Georges was very light with some leaves burned and plastic blown. Dade --Transplanting got underway. Workers prepared beds, laid plastic, sprayed, irrigated, and repaired plastic blown recently by the hurricane winds. CHERRY TOMATOES: Palmetto-Ruskin --Condition is fair. Harvesting is getting underway. Southwest --Condition remained fair to good. Transplanting was steady. PLUM TOMATOES: Southwest --Condition is fair to good. Transplanting continued at a steady pace. Palmetto-Ruskin -- Condition is rated fair. Planting is finished. Picking is expected to begin in two to three weeks. WATERMELONS: Palmetto-Ruskin --Condition is fair. Cutting is expected to start within the next seven to ten days. Southwest -- Condition is rated fair to good. Plant growth is normal. 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