HDR1012000170100506971200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released May 6, 1997, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Rhonda Brandt at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Agricultural Summary April 28-May 4, 1997 HIGHLIGHTS: Farmers in the Corn Belt made significant progress planting corn as warmer, drier weather moved through the area. Below- normal temperatures combined with above-normal precipitation continued to slow or halt planting of spring crops in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina. Early-week storms brought beneficial moisture to dry areas in the Southeast, but caused some localized flooding and slowed peanut and cotton planting. Dry weather over the northern Plains helped the Red River Valley to slowly begin drying as and farmers began planting spring grains. Cool, wet weather in the Northwest continued to hinder planting and slow crop development. An area extending from southeast Wyoming to western Kansas, where additional soil moisture was needed, remained dry. Warmth in the Southwest provided good planting conditions. Wheat: The Nation's wheat crop, improving slightly over last week, remained in mostly good condition. Twenty-two percent of the crop was headed, equal to this time in 1996, but just behind the 5-year average of 25%. In Kansas, heading progress was behind normal. Warmer weather and gusty winds advanced the heading of wheat in Oklahoma. Many fields in Texas resumed growth after the April freeze damage. However, loss estimates continued to range from slight to severe. Wheat conditions in Washington were reported as good but behind normal due to cool, wet weather. Condition of the wheat crop in Nebraska declined as more moisture was needed in western areas. Corn: Corn planting progressed rapidly to 50 percent (%) complete, compared with 40% last year and the average of 30%. Early-week dry weather helped Iowa farmers finally make significant planting progress as they planted 49% of the State's acreage. By week's end, Illinois farmers had planted the highest percentage of their corn crop on record for this date. Corn planting in Indiana advanced at a record pace. Only in the southern Ohio Valley and Southeast, where conditions were very wet, were corn growers kept out of fields. Minnesota corn growers planted 50% of the State acreage. Even though planting proceeded rapidly in Kansas and Nebraska, progress remained behind normal. Soybeans: Nationwide, 9% of the soybean crop was in the ground, compared with 4% for both 1996 and the average. Like corn, soybean planting progressed at a record pace in Indiana. As farmers finished planting corn in Illinois, most switched to soybeans, but some in northern areas delayed planting due to cool soils. Many farmers in Ohio finished planting corn and immediately turned their attention to planting soybeans. Growers in other soybean-producing States made limited progress as they were waiting for soils to warm or dry. We 1 (5-97) Cotton: Cotton planting progressed slowly as cool, wet weather in the major cotton-producing States kept growers out of fields. At week's end, 25% of the crop was planted, behind both the 31% of a year ago and the average of 37%. Cotton planting was nearing completion in California and Arizona. Many cotton producers in Mississippi waited for dry weather to continue planting. Some planting got underway this week on irrigated fields in Texas. Rice: Rice seeding advanced to 60% complete, 4 percentage points ahead of 1996 and 3 points ahead of the average. Twenty-seven percent of the crop was emerged, compared with 37% at this time last year and on average. Rice planting in California was in full swing. In Texas, early-week rains slowed planting and emergence. Arkansas growers made good progress in drier areas. Other Small Grains: Barley planting, led by good progress in Washington and Montana, advanced to 20% complete, slightly behind 23% last year, but well behind the average of 43%. Conditions in the northern Plains improved and spring wheat growers were finally able to enter drier fields. For the Nation, 13% of the spring wheat crop was planted, compared with 21% in 1996 and the average of 40%. Ideal conditions in Minnesota and Wisconsin allowed farmers to make rapid progress planting oats. By week's end, 57% of the Nation's oat crop was in the ground, compared with 49% in 1996 and the average of 53%. Other Crops: Sorghum planting progressed to 22% complete as Kansas, Illinois, and New Mexico farmers started planting. Sorghum planting was just behind both the 25% planted at this time last year and the average. Peanut planting continued to fall behind as storms brought cool, wet weather to the Southeast. Seventeen percent of the peanut crop was planted in the eight major peanut-producing States, behind 25% of a year ago and the average of 29%. National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 18 April 27 - May 3, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: Corn Belt planting progressed rapidly despite a fourth consecutive week of cool weather (2 to 7 degrees F below normal) and the late-week passage of back-to-back storms. Another week of cool weather on the central High Plains included a light freeze at week's end. Sub-freezing temperatures also dotted the Northwest late in the week. Farther south, strong thunderstorms dumped more than 4 inches of rain in some areas from Arkansas and Louisiana to the Carolinas. Elsewhere across the Southeast, rains continued to ease the effects of a 2-month dry spell. Meanwhile, rainfall across the Midwest and Northeast erased April dryness, improving topsoil moisture. An early-week storm dropped 1 to 4 inches of rain from the central Gulf Coast to the East Coast. On April 28, Charleston, SC notched a daily-record rainfall of 3.73 inches. On the storm's northern fringe, 6.2 inches of snow blanketed Caribou, ME on April 28, their latest 6-inch snowfall on record. In the storm's wake, cool air cloaked Texas on Monday, producing daily-record lows in locations such as San Angelo (38 degrees F) and San Antonio (48 degrees F). The first of two storms churned through the central Plains and Midwest on April 29-30. The system sparked rainfall in excess of 2 inches across parts of Iowa and southern Wisconsin. On Wednesday, wind gusts reached 60 mph in Springfield, IL and 52 mph in St. Louis, MO. As the storm departed on May 1, Chicago, IL received light snow and Sioux Falls, SD logged a daily-record low of 21 degrees F. The second system arrived on the Plains on Thursday, reaching the Midwest a day later. Unwelcomed heavy rain soaked South Dakota, while additional precipitation fell across the Midwest. Late in the week, heavy rain returned to areas from Arkansas and Louisiana to the Carolinas, boosting weekly totals to more than 4 inches in locations such as Columbus, GA, Greensboro, NC, and Beaufort, SC. About a dozen daily-record lows were set across the Northwest on Friday, including 23 degrees F in Ellensburg, WA and 27 degrees F in LaGrande, OR. The chill spread onto the Plains by May 3, producing daily-record lows in Ulysses, KS (29 degrees F) and Pueblo, CO (26 degrees F). Pueblo's mimimum was their lowest in May since a 25-degree reading on May 2, 1954. Temperatures dipped below freezing as far south as Dalhart, TX (30 degrees F). In contrast, daily-record warmth dotted Florida, where highs soared to 91 degrees F on Friday in Miami and 93 degrees F on Saturday in Melbourne. Corn: Percent Planted, Soybeans: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 52 11 71 40 AL : 5 NA 8 8 GA : 95 92 96 97 AR : 14 NA 9 6 IL : 77 37 46 30 GA : 2 NA 3 4 IN : 60 30 8 17 IL : 13 NA 3 3 IA : 53 4 50 33 IN : 22 NA 2 5 KS : 50 20 81 55 IA : 0 NA 3 6 KY : 44 35 29 46 KS : 4 NA 7 3 MI : 30 0 1 6 KY : 2 NA 0 3 MN : 59 9 28 24 LA : 12 NA 10 7 MO : 43 22 76 42 MI : 3 NA 0 1 NE : 30 6 55 32 MN : 4 NA 2 3 NC : 91 80 88 82 MS : 23 NA 28 17 OH : 71 39 4 19 MO : 1 NA 3 2 PA : 20 8 11 13 NE : 0 NA 2 2 SD : 5 0 17 13 NC : 5 NA 4 7 TX : 68 61 88 85 OH : 29 NA 0 4 WI : 18 4 4 9 SC : 5 NA 3 3 : SD : 0 NA 0 0 17 Sts: 50 18 40 30 TN : 0 NA 1 1 -------------------------------------- : These 17 States produced 90% of the 19 Sts: 9 NA 4 4 1996 corn crop. -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 94% of the 1996 soybean crop. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 90 74 57 71 AL : 35 26 45 54 CA : 99 99 97 96 AZ : 90 76 90 84 CO : 1 0 0 0 AR : 7 4 19 26 GA : 98 92 89 94 CA : 95 90 86 83 ID : 0 0 0 0 GA : 21 13 36 43 IL : 1 0 0 4 LA : 13 10 24 56 IN : 0 0 0 2 MS : 11 10 32 44 KS : 5 2 8 13 MO : 12 3 11 12 MI : 0 0 0 0 NM : 65 60 63 64 MO : 21 6 3 11 NC : 10 9 31 28 MT : 0 0 0 0 OK : 1 0 1 4 NE : 0 0 0 0 SC : 22 15 45 41 NC : 85 35 63 66 TN : 7 3 12 19 OH : 0 0 0 0 TX : 19 16 20 24 OK : 55 33 53 64 : OR : 0 0 0 0 14 Sts: 25 21 31 37 SD : 0 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- TX : 51 44 64 58 These 14 States produced 99% of the WA : 0 0 0 1 1996 cotton crop. : 19 Sts: 22 16 22 25 -------------------------------------- Sorghum: Percent Planted, These 19 States produced 92% of the Selected States 1996 winter wheat crop. -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 57 51 53 52 CO : 0 0 0 0 IL : 3 0 0 1 KS : 6 0 6 2 LA : 55 53 49 45 MS : 60 47 65 57 MO : 4 2 9 9 NE : 0 0 2 1 NM : 1 0 1 4 OK : 6 2 7 7 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 51 49 59 65 : 12 Sts: 22 19 25 25 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 99% of the 1996 sorghum crop. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : ID : 71 64 73 79 AR : 21 6 28 35 MN : 10 1 11 34 CA : 5 0 0 0 MT : 29 10 36 58 LA : 64 56 67 64 ND : 3 0 7 27 MS : 39 11 57 49 SD : 13 2 56 61 TX : 20 5 72 52 : : 5 Sts : 13 5 21 40 5 Sts : 27 14 37 37 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 10 States produced 96% of the These 10 States produced 96% of the 1996 spring wheat crop. 1996 rice crop. Rice: Percent Planted, Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 60 46 56 61 ID : 51 44 63 71 CA : 35 15 9 12 MN : 8 2 5 28 LA : 79 72 81 77 MT : 28 10 33 56 MS : 84 78 76 71 ND : 2 0 4 25 TX : 52 25 82 76 SD : 4 1 35 51 : WA : 72 44 55 75 5 Sts : 60 45 56 57 : -------------------------------------- 6 Sts : 20 11 23 43 These 10 States produced 96% of the -------------------------------------- 1996 rice crop. These 6 States produced 82% of the 1996 barley crop. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 94 81 95 79 MI : 74 70 22 37 MN : 60 25 52 53 NE : 87 73 99 89 ND : 1 0 4 25 OH : 93 80 50 65 PA : 75 60 56 61 SD : 13 5 50 54 WI : 70 40 25 37 : 9 Sts : 57 40 49 53 -------------------------------------- These 9 States produced 56% of the 1996 oat crop. Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:May 4, :Apr 27,:May 4, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 18 12 27 37 FL : 19 15 31 NA GA : 24 14 38 47 NC : 8 4 9 12 OK : 16 0 8 5 SC : 33 23 49 47 TX : 6 0 6 4 VA : 20 5 22 23 : 8 Sts : 17 9 25 29 -------------------------------------- These 8 States produced 99% of the 1996 peanut crop. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 24 45 28 2 CA : 0 0 20 40 40 CO : 3 10 27 49 11 GA : 1 13 43 38 5 ID : 2 3 14 67 14 IL : 1 3 23 63 10 IN : 1 6 31 51 11 KS : 2 9 34 47 8 MI : 2 9 33 38 18 MO : 0 11 29 48 12 MT : 2 6 29 55 8 NE : 2 9 33 50 6 NC : 0 4 34 54 8 OH : 3 11 33 42 11 OK : 14 18 35 32 1 OR : 0 0 14 73 13 SD : 19 21 29 28 3 TX : 11 21 41 20 7 WA : 0 2 30 53 15 : 19 Sts : 5 12 33 42 8 : Prev Wk : 5 14 33 41 7 Prev Yr : 22 26 26 22 4 -------------------------------------- Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 0 4 25 64 7 :: NJ : 0 0 0 100 0 AZ : 5 18 36 27 14 :: NM : 1 7 34 49 9 AR : 1 3 32 58 6 :: NY : 0 0 44 56 0 CA : 0 10 80 10 0 :: NC : 1 5 27 59 8 CO : 4 14 38 39 5 :: ND : 11 10 30 44 5 CT : 0 32 25 43 0 :: OH : 3 11 36 44 6 DE : 0 5 21 68 6 :: OK : 0 8 39 50 3 FL : 0 0 20 75 5 :: OR : 0 0 11 76 13 GA : 1 5 34 56 4 :: PA : 6 20 47 25 2 ID : 2 1 18 57 22 :: RI : 0 0 3 27 70 IL : 1 5 30 56 8 :: SC : 1 2 23 60 14 IN : 2 12 36 43 7 :: SD : 3 7 37 47 6 IA : 1 10 36 45 8 :: TN : 0 4 26 58 12 KS : 1 4 27 62 6 :: TX : 2 10 32 39 17 KY : 2 13 39 40 6 :: UT : 0 3 22 56 19 LA : 0 4 28 56 12 :: VT : 8 41 22 17 12 ME : 57 43 0 0 0 :: VA : 0 5 31 58 6 MD : 1 3 17 64 15 :: WA : 0 10 15 73 2 MA : 21 7 20 52 0 :: WV : 1 10 52 34 3 MI : 3 18 49 24 6 :: WI : 2 20 49 28 1 MN : 5 22 44 27 2 :: WY : 1 1 19 78 1 MS : 1 4 30 53 12 :: : MO : 0 9 35 49 7 :: 48 Sts : 2 9 35 47 7 MT : 1 15 40 41 3 :: : NE : 0 6 26 64 4 :: Prev Wk: NA NA NA NA NA NV : 0 0 7 93 0 :: Prev Yr: 7 20 35 32 6 NH : 13 18 69 0 0 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP - Very Poor P - Poor F - Fair G - Good Ex - Excellent The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released at 12 P.M. 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