HDR1012000170100820961200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released August 20, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Greg Preston at (202) 720-7621, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY August 12 - 18, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS: Hot, dry windy weather continued in the Pacific Northwest, causing major fires that destroyed summer and fall pastures. Ranchers were concerned about the loss in pastures and hay supplies that will increase their need for supplemental feed for the upcoming fall and winter. The hot weather over the Western States accelerated crop maturity and harvest activity. Cool weather over most of the Corn Belt moderated crop stress from lack of moisture, but warmer weather was needed to advance crop development to normal levels. Insect pressure in the central Great Plains continued with some moderate infestations reported as well as concern about second generation corn borers. Dry weather over the Dakotas allowed small grain harvest to proceed rapidly, but the wide variation in crop maturity has prolonged the harvest period. Recent showers in the Southeast aided soybeans and pastures, but arrived too late to benefit some corn and cotton fields. Heavy rains did not prevent producers in the mid-Atlantic region from spraying for insect and weed control and scouting crops for disease. Rain, early in the week improved range and pasture conditions in the southern Great Plains, where the lack of adequate rainfall left stock tanks dry and reduced grazing and hay supplies. Short soil moisture supplies lowered crop condition ratings in parts of the Midwest and northern Great Plains. Spring wheat condition was mostly good to fair, with 33 percent (%) of the acreage harvested, up 21 percentage points from last week and 3 points ahead of the 5-year average. Spring wheat harvest activity in Minnesota at 63% complete was up 21 points from the previous week and 23 points ahead of normal. Dry weather accelerated harvest activity in South Dakota, but small grain producers indicated that the wide range of crop development will lengthen the harvest season. Condition remained mostly unchanged in the major producing States. Corn was in mostly good to fair condition, with 95% of the acreage in the silking stage or beyond. Cooler-than-normal temperatures during most of the growing season over the Midwest slowed corn development and left corn doughing at 37% complete, 18 points behind the average. Doughing in Ohio at 12% complete was 58 points behind normal. In Indiana, corn doughing was approximately 13 days behind normal, while development in Iowa was about 1 week behind normal. The continued cool weather and lateness of the crop in Indiana and Michigan caused condition ratings to decline slightly from last week. Cotton bolls opening was 17% complete, up 6 points from last week and 4 points ahead of the average. Cotton condition was mostly good to fair for the 14 major producing States, with slight improvement in the Delta States due to recent rains. Cotton bolls opening in Mississippi at 34% complete was ahead of normal by 24 points. Cotton in the Delta was afflicted by bollworms, bollweevils, and some boll rot was reported. Heat stressed cotton in California and caused some bloom and boll drop in the San Joaquin Valley. Cotton was defoliated in California's Imperial Valley. In the Southeast, some cotton cutout was reported in dry areas, while boll rot was prevalent in wet areas. In the Texas High Plains, insect activity increased during the week. Irrigated cotton fields in Texas showed good progress, but many non-irrigated fields stressed by dry conditions shed bolls. Rice headed for the five major producing States was 92% complete, up 12 points from the previous week and 12 points ahead of normal. Rice condition rated good to excellent was up from last week and totaled 82 percentage points. Rice headed in California at 80% complete was up 30 points from last week and 21 points ahead of the average. Rice producers in Arkansas were scouting rice and draining rice fields in preparation for harvest. Rice fields in California had substantial grass growth that required increased spraying. Rice harvest at 13% complete was up 4 points from last week for the five major producing States. Sorghum condition was mostly good to fair with sorghum headed at 88% complete, up 14 percentage points from the previous week, and 14 points ahead of the average. In New Mexico, sorghum headed at 16% complete was 44 points behind normal. Sorghum turning color at 31% complete was up 7 points from the previous week and 1 point behind the average. Sorghum fields in Texas were affected by increased greenbug activity, and despite the recent precipitation, non-irrigated fields still needed additional moisture. High temperatures and the lateness of the crop lowered sorghum conditions in New Mexico. Soybeans blooming was 91% complete, up 9 percentage points from last week and 2 points below the average. Soybeans were in mostly good to fair condition with 63% of the acreage setting pods, 11 points behind normal. The percentage of acreage setting pods lagged behind normal in the eastern Corn Belt. Setting pods in Indiana and Ohio were behind the average by at least 40 points. In Indiana, setting pods at 42% complete were 15 days behind the average. A late-week rain over the middle Mississippi Valley brought some relief to dry soybean fields, while the impact of dry conditions in the rest of the Midwest were curbed by lower-than-normal temperatures. National Weather Summary Volume 83, No. 33 August 11 - 17, 1996 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. HIGHLIGHTS: The arrival of intense heat across the West (more than five dozen daily-record highs; temperatures up to 10 degrees F above normal) coincided with a return to cool weather in the Midwest. Corn Belt maxima remained in the 70's and 80's after last week's favorable warmth. Dry weather prevailed across much of the Midwest until late in the week, when rain spread into parts of Missouri and Illinois. Elsewhere, heavy rain was confined to already damp portions of the central Appalachians and Middle Atlantic States. Locally heavy thunderstorms dotted the western Gulf Coast region and the Southeast, including Florida. Farther west, only scattered rain fell in long-term drought areas from southern California to Texas. Dryness also worsened in the northern Rockies and northern High Plains. Many wildfires continued to flare and burn across the West. At week's end, a cool surge into the Northwest allowed triple-digit heat to spread as far east as the northern Plains. On Sunday, highs in Montana topped the century mark in locations such as Miles City (103 degrees F) and Great Falls (101 degrees F). West of the Rockies, daily records included 102 degrees F in Boise, ID and 110 degrees F in downtown Sacramento, CA. Meanwhile, chilly air spread into western Alaska, producing a daily-record low of 33 degrees F in Nome. A day later, highs of 102 degrees F in Salt Lake City, UT, 111 degrees F in Redding, CA, and 116 degrees F in Yuma, AZ were among two dozen daily records. The heat peaked on Tuesday at August-record proportions in Bullfrog, UT (110 degrees F) and Paso Robles, CA (113 degrees F; 1 degree above the record set on August 1, 1993). Bullfrog's high also tied their all-time record. Triple-digit heat fleetingly reached the central High Plains on Tuesday, and spread onto the northern Plains at week's end. Daily records included 102 degrees F at both Pueblo, CO (on August 13) and Williston, ND (on August 17). Due to drought in the Southwest and recent heat and dryness in the West, wildfire activity continued to outpace the 5-year normal. As of August 19, nearly 4.3 million acres (more than 6,700 square miles) have burned in 1996, 247 percent of average. Early in the week, a wavy front draped from the East Coast to eastern Texas provided a focus for locally heavy rains. Rainfall topped 2 inches in a few spots, including Washington, DC, Charlotte, NC, Baton Rouge, LA, and Houston, TX. Totals in excess of 4 inches were common across the central Appalachians, causing flash flooding. Event-total rainfall reached 7.91 inches in Fancy Gap (Carroll County), VA. In Elkins, WV, where the normal annual precipitation is 44.84 inches, 55.12 inches fell between January 1 and August 17. Showers developed on the central Plains at midweek, expanding into the southern Corn Belt by week's end. Topeka, KS received 3.00 inches, all but 0.17 inches of which fell in 24 hours on August 16-17. On Saturday, some Illinois stations received their first measurable rainfall of the month, including Springfield (1.33 inches) and Peoria (0.29 inches). Elsewhere across the Corn Belt, August 1-17 rainfall totaled 0.16 inches in Moline, IL, 0.20 inches in Indianapolis, IN, and 0.47 inches in Waterloo, IA. Farther west, downtown Sacramento's high reached only 91 degrees F on Saturday, ending a record-tying, 9-day string of 100-degree heat. Other such streaks occurred there in July 1984, June 1981, and August 1966. Corn: Percent Silking, Corn: Percent Dough, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 99 91 79 85 CO : 69 NA 1 29 GA : 100 100 100 100 GA : 99 NA 100 100 IL : 96 89 98 100 IL : 41 NA 57 74 IN : 90 78 99 100 IN : 38 NA 64 75 IA : 97 93 98 96 IA : 14 NA 28 38 KS : 100 100 96 99 KS : 88 NA 33 71 KY : 100 94 85 95 KY : 75 NA 82 87 MI : 83 70 97 96 MI : 3 NA 19 18 MN : 99 96 99 96 MN : 15 NA 33 32 MO : 100 97 86 96 MO : 83 NA 44 71 NE : 100 97 94 97 NE : 58 NA 22 57 NC : 100 100 100 100 NC : 96 NA 95 90 OH : 89 76 99 100 OH : 12 NA 68 70 PA : 94 85 93 91 PA : 49 NA 56 42 SD : 90 72 86 89 SD : 32 NA 18 38 TX : 100 100 100 100 TX : 99 NA 92 91 WI : 84 64 99 90 WI : 17 NA 51 38 : : 17 Sts: 95 88 96 97 17 Sts: 37 NA 43 55 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 17 States produced 91% of the These 17 States produced 91% of the 1995 corn crop. 1995 corn crop. Soybeans: Percent Blooming, Soybeans: Percent Setting Pods, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 78 68 82 74 AL : 54 NA 60 51 AR : 89 77 85 79 AR : 64 NA 55 53 GA : 84 71 89 89 GA : 62 NA 65 64 IL : 90 75 92 95 IL : 56 NA 65 82 IN : 84 73 97 99 IN : 42 NA 72 84 IA : 96 92 99 97 IA : 85 NA 87 86 KS : 95 93 77 90 KS : 74 NA 36 66 KY : 72 60 82 84 KY : 46 NA 49 46 LA : 100 99 97 91 LA : 91 NA 85 76 MI : 76 55 100 97 MI : 43 NA 89 68 MN : 97 95 99 97 MN : 70 NA 92 82 MS : 97 94 96 86 MS : 93 NA 80 62 MO : 87 78 72 86 MO : 54 NA 32 60 NE : 100 97 95 97 NE : 79 NA 59 76 NC : 72 53 69 68 NC : 43 NA 40 44 OH : 89 74 100 99 OH : 32 NA 81 83 SC : 79 64 72 75 SC : 38 NA 42 41 SD : 97 90 91 89 SD : 77 NA 65 72 TN : 87 76 88 82 TN : 52 NA 57 46 : : 19 Sts: 91 82 92 93 19 Sts: 63 NA 69 74 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 94% of the These 19 States produced 94% of the 1995 soybean crop. 1995 soybean crop. Cotton: Percent Bolls Opening, Sorghum: Percent Coloring, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 6 3 6 5 AR : 65 54 52 59 AZ : 49 43 30 37 CO : 1 0 0 3 AR : 10 3 9 4 IL : 7 0 1 23 CA : 15 5 4 7 KS : 15 8 1 9 GA : 20 10 33 12 LA : 86 84 74 78 LA : 15 12 22 14 MS : 92 81 70 70 MS : 34 11 17 10 MO : 26 14 19 32 MO : 9 2 1 2 NE : 7 0 2 11 NM : 15 10 2 5 NM : 2 1 1 6 NC : 10 6 5 7 OK : 25 24 9 20 OK : 6 3 0 2 SD : 18 8 6 9 SC : 3 2 5 5 TX : 66 60 77 73 TN : 3 0 2 3 : TX : 19 17 19 19 12 Sts: 31 24 27 32 : -------------------------------------- 14 Sts: 17 11 16 13 These 12 States produced 98% of the -------------------------------------- 1995 sorghum crop. These 14 States produced 99% of the 1995 cotton crop. Spring Wheat: Percent Harvested, Selected States Sorghum: Percent Headed, -------------------------------------- Selected States : Week Ending : -------------------------------------- :-----------------------: 1991- : Week Ending : State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 :-----------------------: 1991- : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 -------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : Percent -------------------------------------- : : Percent ID : 36 14 14 32 : MN : 63 34 50 40 AR : 99 93 97 93 MT : 28 7 20 19 CO : 71 45 41 50 ND : 21 6 17 27 IL : 66 30 51 82 SD : 74 28 66 66 KS : 92 78 47 62 : LA : 100 100 96 97 5 Sts : 33 12 26 30 MS : 99 97 99 95 -------------------------------------- MO : 80 66 58 80 These 5 States produced 96% of the NE : 85 57 53 74 1995 spring wheat crop. NM : 16 15 37 60 OK : 80 56 47 66 SD : 77 53 57 58 TX : 95 90 93 89 : 12 Sts: 88 74 64 74 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 98% of the 1995 sorghum crop. Rice: Percent Headed, Barley: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1991- :-----------------------: 1991- State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 93 81 88 81 ID : 32 17 19 35 CA : 80 50 56 59 MN : 36 20 39 49 LA : 91 87 93 90 MT : 35 7 12 24 MS : 97 88 95 78 ND : 28 9 27 44 TX : 100 100 96 94 SD : 82 40 73 79 : WA : 35 31 36 57 5 Sts : 92 80 86 80 : -------------------------------------- 6 Sts : 33 13 26 40 These 5 States produced 96% of the -------------------------------------- 1995 rice crop. These 6 States produced 84% of the 1995 barley crop. Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States Oats: Percent Harvested, -------------------------------------- Selected States : Week Ending : -------------------------------------- :-----------------------: 1991- : Week Ending : State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 :-----------------------: 1991- : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. State:Aug 18,:Aug 11,:Aug 18,: 1995 -------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : Avg. : Percent -------------------------------------- : : Percent AR : 3 *1 0 2 : CA : 0 0 0 0 IA : 98 93 99 98 LA : 31 25 48 42 MI : 68 30 71 56 MS : 1 0 4 2 MN : 78 55 50 66 TX : 55 32 35 37 NE : 99 97 97 98 : ND : 23 8 18 35 5 Sts : 13 9 13 13 OH : 91 72 91 93 -------------------------------------- PA : 59 50 74 78 * Revised. These 5 States SD : 85 56 81 84 produced 96% of the 1995 rice crop. WI : 52 32 67 59 : 9 Sts : 64 46 62 67 -------------------------------------- These 9 States produced 70% of the 1995 oats crop. Corn: Crop Condition Soybeans: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 3 11 13 58 15 AL : 0 2 20 61 17 GA : 3 13 32 46 6 AR : 4 11 27 44 14 IL : 5 13 35 38 9 GA : 1 7 30 55 7 IN : 4 15 39 35 7 IL : 6 20 42 30 2 IA : 1 5 19 55 20 IN : 6 17 42 30 5 KS : 1 3 13 57 26 IA : 1 7 23 52 17 KY : 1 5 18 59 17 KS : 1 4 19 54 22 MI : 9 18 40 27 6 KY : 1 6 20 58 15 MN : 1 6 36 49 8 LA : 0 3 25 66 6 MO : 1 8 23 51 17 MI : 7 23 35 31 4 NE : 1 3 13 52 31 MN : 1 6 37 51 5 NC : 1 11 32 53 3 MS : 3 7 26 54 10 OH : 4 14 37 37 8 MO : 2 12 30 46 10 PA : 1 3 16 55 25 NE : 0 3 16 59 22 SD : 0 2 15 56 27 NC : 0 3 24 65 8 TX : 15 19 19 21 26 OH : 3 14 39 36 8 WI : 2 9 25 51 13 SC : 1 2 19 63 15 : SD : 0 3 13 59 25 17 Sts : 3 9 26 46 16 TN : 1 3 19 56 21 : : Prev Wk : 3 8 25 48 16 19 Sts : 3 11 30 45 11 Prev Yr : 1 6 26 52 15 : -------------------------------------- Prev Wk : 2 9 31 47 11 Prev Yr : 1 7 30 50 12 -------------------------------------- Cotton: Crop Condition Spring Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 1 1 14 70 14 ID : 0 4 13 49 34 AZ : 1 3 10 59 27 MN : 2 6 37 41 14 AR : 0 8 20 53 19 MT : 4 20 46 24 6 CA : 0 0 5 45 50 ND : 2 8 30 53 7 GA : 2 6 32 49 11 SD : 2 2 17 46 33 LA : 0 3 24 56 17 : MS : 1 5 25 51 18 5 Sts : 2 10 33 44 11 MO : 0 9 21 62 8 : NM : 0 1 17 60 22 Prev Wk : 1 9 35 47 8 NC : 1 3 15 73 8 Prev Yr : 4 9 31 50 6 OK : 1 12 25 58 4 -------------------------------------- SC : 1 4 21 65 9 TN : 1 2 17 58 22 TX : 10 20 31 28 11 Rice: Crop Condition by Percent, : Selected States 14 Sts : 4 10 24 46 16 -------------------------------------- : State : VP : P : F : G : EX Prev Wk : 3 12 24 42 19 -------------------------------------- Prev Yr : 2 11 28 49 10 : Percent -------------------------------------- : AR : 0 3 17 58 22 CA : 0 0 10 80 10 Sorghum: Crop Condition LA : 0 3 17 72 8 by Percent, Selected States MS : 0 4 32 52 12 -------------------------------------- TX : 0 0 8 54 38 State : VP : P : F : G : EX : -------------------------------------- 5 Sts : 0 2 16 64 18 : Percent : : Prev Wk : 0 3 19 60 18 AR : 1 16 32 45 6 Prev Yr : 0 2 19 61 18 CO : 1 4 15 67 13 -------------------------------------- IL : 8 18 31 41 2 KS : 1 3 12 64 20 LA : 0 1 25 69 5 Barley: Crop Condition MS : 0 3 27 47 23 by Percent, Selected States MO : 1 8 24 55 12 -------------------------------------- NE : 0 2 14 58 26 State : VP : P : F : G : EX NM : 15 50 30 5 0 -------------------------------------- OK : 0 2 6 89 3 : Percent SD : 0 9 14 64 13 : TX : 7 9 39 36 9 ID : 0 4 17 55 24 : MN : 2 11 34 42 11 12 Sts : 3 7 22 53 15 MT : 6 21 41 28 4 : ND : 1 4 25 58 12 Prev Wk : 3 7 25 51 14 SD : 0 1 18 72 9 Prev Yr : 1 7 28 57 7 WA : 0 1 17 63 19 -------------------------------------- : 6 Sts : 2 9 28 49 12 : Prev Wk : 1 9 28 51 11 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Oats: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 0 3 29 55 13 MI : 2 12 36 40 10 MN : 2 12 25 55 6 NE : 0 2 26 67 5 ND : 0 7 38 49 6 OH : 5 12 53 28 2 PA : 0 7 28 53 12 SD : 0 1 18 67 14 WI : 0 6 25 53 16 : 9 Sts : 1 6 29 54 10 : Prev Wk : 0 5 30 55 10 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Peanut: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 0 2 19 79 0 FL : 0 0 37 34 29 GA : 3 6 29 52 10 NC : 0 1 31 61 7 OK : 0 6 32 54 8 SC : 0 3 25 65 7 TX : 2 10 33 47 8 VA : 0 0 11 44 45 : 8 Sts : 2 5 28 54 11 : Prev Wk : 1 7 30 52 10 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Note: US level crop conditions are weighted averages based on 1995 planted acres for the selected states. Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 1 2 33 54 10 :: NJ : 0 0 0 40 60 AZ : 21 31 25 20 3 :: NM : 10 34 35 15 6 AR : 3 20 34 36 7 :: NY : 0 0 49 40 11 CA : 5 25 20 50 0 :: NC : 0 7 32 57 4 CO : 4 11 29 51 5 :: ND : 2 14 38 39 7 CT : 0 0 15 85 0 :: OH : 5 14 42 34 5 DE : 0 0 10 87 3 :: OK : 0 8 27 53 12 FL : 0 0 15 65 20 :: OR : 1 9 42 30 18 GA : 1 5 29 58 7 :: PA : 2 6 22 55 15 ID : 2 15 31 46 6 :: RI : 0 0 17 50 33 IL : 11 26 39 23 1 :: SC : 0 14 29 49 8 IN : 8 25 44 21 2 :: SD : 1 3 27 56 13 IA : 5 20 41 30 4 :: TN : 0 3 22 62 13 KS : 1 6 25 60 8 :: TX : 17 29 35 14 5 KY : 1 7 30 51 11 :: UT : 6 21 41 31 1 LA : 0 1 21 63 15 :: VT : 0 9 29 62 0 ME : 2 9 19 37 33 :: VA : 0 2 23 55 20 MD : 1 2 12 63 22 :: WA : 0 11 37 40 12 MA : 0 0 45 55 0 :: WV : 0 4 21 63 12 MI : 10 35 32 20 3 :: WI : 5 12 30 48 5 MN : 4 19 44 32 1 :: WY : 1 7 56 31 5 MS : 1 7 30 49 13 :: : MO : 6 18 38 34 4 :: 48 Sts : 5 14 32 41 8 MT : 8 22 36 32 2 :: : NE : 0 3 20 61 16 :: Prev Wk: 5 13 31 45 6 NV : 3 15 27 55 0 :: Prev Yr: 3 11 31 45 10 NH : 0 0 39 58 3 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP - Very Poor P - Poor F - Fair G - Good Ex - Excellent