HDR1012000170101015971200WEEKLY WEATHER & CROP BULLETIN Released October 15, 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 October 7 - 12, 1997 Highlights: Very warm, dry weather in the eastern United States provided excellent harvest conditions, especially in the Corn Belt, where soybean growers harvested their crop at a near record-pace. Late-week storms caused flooding in southern Texas and slowed fieldwork throughout the State. Scattered showers fell in the central and southern Plains, bringing beneficial moisture to newly emerged winter wheat. Fieldwork was limited by cool, damp weather along the northern Pacific Coast. Soybeans: Warm, sunny weather provided excellent harvest conditions for soybean growers throughout the Corn Belt. A near-record 64 percent (%) of the national soybean acreage was harvested by week's end, well ahead of 37% harvested at this time last year and the 5-year average of 45%. This pace was equal to 64% harvested in 1994 and just 1 percentage point behind the record 65% set in 1987. Growers in several Corn Belt States harvested a third or more of their States' acreage during the week. Hoosier farmers harvested 45% of their soybean acreage during the week, the largest percentage harvested during one week on record in Indiana. In Wisconsin, harvest progressed at the fastest pace in the last 20 years. Harvest progressed ahead of the normal pace in all of the major soybean-producing States, especially Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Nationwide, leaves were dropping on 93% of the soybean acreage, compared with 87% last year and the average of 89%. Virtually all fields in the Corn Belt were shedding leaves. Many later-planted fields in the Southeast had yet to enter the shedding stage. Corn: Corn was mature on 91 percent (%) of the Nation's acreage, 2 points ahead of maturity for both last year and the average. Maturity lagged behind normal only in Michigan and Ohio. Northern areas of the Great Lakes region reported below-freezing temperatures, but most of the corn was safe from frost. Elsewhere, corn fields reached maturity near or ahead of the normal pace. Maturity was significantly ahead of normal in Minnesota and South Dakota. Strong winds and corn borers caused breaking stalks and dropping ears in some fields of the western Corn Belt. Overall, corn harvest was 27% complete, ahead of both 20% harvested in 1996 and the average of 24%. Dry, warm weather promoted corn harvest throughout the major corn-producing States, especially in Colorado and Kentucky. Cotton: Bolls were opening on 88% of the cotton acreage, compared with 87% a year ago and the average of 84%. In Texas, the cotton crop developed ahead of the average pace, but was slowed by cooler weather and rainfall later in the week. Along the Texas Upper Coast, heavy rains and flooding caused lint loss and damage to quality. Harvest progressed ahead of the normal pace in Arizona and California. Across the Southeast, harvest progressed behind the normal pace. Nationwide, cotton was 27% harvested, behind 34% for both last year and the average. Condition rated mostly good to fair. Sorghum: Eighty-nine percent of the sorghum acreage was mature, ahead of both 83% in 1996 and the average of 80%. Fields in Colorado and New Mexico showed good progress due to warm, sunny weather. Fields in Oklahoma reached maturity well ahead of the normal pace. Sorghum harvest advanced to 46% complete, compared with 39% harvested in 1996 and the average of 44%. Despite scattered showers, harvest progressed well in the central Plains. In Texas, harvest gained momentum in the Plains until mid-week rains hampered activity and cooler weather slowed the maturing process. Rice: Rice harvest neared completion with 91% of the acreage cut, 2 points ahead of last year and 5 points ahead of the average. Above-normal temperatures allowed farmers in Arkansas to make good harvest progress. California growers continued to harvest their crop well ahead of the normal pace. In Louisiana, growers cut second crop rice as fields became ready. Peanuts: Peanuts were 63% harvested, well ahead of 44% harvested in 1996. Harvest was most active in Virginia, where growers harvested 47% of their State's acreage during the week. In Georgia, harvest was well ahead of the normal pace. Mid-week rainfall in Texas slowed harvest activities. Winter Wheat: Planting of the 1998 winter wheat crop advanced to 76% complete, ahead of both 70% planted in 1996 and the average of 71%. Warm, sunny conditions aided planting in Kansas for most of the week. Planting was nearly complete, except for some fields in east central and southeastern areas of the State. Planting progressed rapidly in the Corn Belt as farmers immediately followed soybean harvest with winter wheat seeding. Planting in Texas continued until mid-week precipitation fell. Seeding neared completion in Whitman County, Washington, where only a few eastern fields remained to be planted. Winter wheat emergence was 47% complete, ahead of both last year and the average. The same storm that slowed planting in Texas brought beneficial moisture to emerging fields in the central and southern Plains. Despite sharply colder temperatures at week's end, winter wheat emerged ahead of average in Idaho, Montana, and Washington. National Weather Summary Volume 84, No. 41 October 5 - 11, 1997 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. Highlights: A pair of similar weather systems swept across the Nation, weakening as they progressed eastward. Exceptionally warm weather shifted into the Central and Eastern States (weekly departures in the Midwest ranged from +8 to +14 degrees F), promoting crop maturation, while sharply cooler air arrived in the West (temperatures as much as 10 degrees F below normal). Rain and snow accompanied the cool weather in the Northwest. On the Plains, significant rainfall boosted soil moisture for winter wheat establishment, while in southeastern Texas, 4 to 12 inches of rain ended a 4-month dry spell but caused widespread flooding. In the East, however, little or no rain fell, further reducing topsoil moisture. During the week, more than 40 daily-record highs were set. On Sunday, highs soared to 88 degrees F in Chicago, IL and 86 degrees F in Denver, CO. A day later, Norfolk, NE tallied 90 degrees F. Maxima on Wednesday reached 82 degrees F in Muskegon, MI, 1 degree shy of their October record, and a monthly record-tying 81 degrees F in Beckley, WV. In Omaha, NE, October began with 7 consecutive days of 80-degree warmth for the first time on record. LaCrosse, WI also measured an October-record 7 consecutive days (October 2-8) with highs at or above 80 degrees F. Highs reached or exceeded 80 degrees F on October 3-8 in Indianapolis, IN, their most in a row during October since 1963. In Victoria, TX, daily-rainfall records were set on Tuesday (1.87 inches), Thursday (2.85 inches), and Saturday (3.20 inches). Despite a dry summer and early autumn, Victoria's annual rainfall reached 59.69 inches by week's end, surpassing their all-time record of 59.57 inches, set in 1919. (By the time rainfall ended on Monday, October 13, month-to-date rainfall in Texas reached 12.21 inches in Victoria and 11.92 inches, an October record, in Corpus Christi. October 10-13 rainfall totaled 10.52 inches in Brownsville, nearly 40 percent of their normal annual total.) Heavy precipitation accompanied the shift to cooler weather in the Northwest. On Wednesday, Redding, CA reported a high of 58 degrees F and a daily-record rainfall of 2.70 inches. At week's end, snowfall included 3.9 inches in Butte, MT and 3.6 inches in Pocatello, ID. Though not a record, Burns, OR registered a low of 14 degrees F on Wednesday. On the Plains, meanwhile, welcomed rainfall came in two waves, at midweek and again at week's end. Weekly totals topped 1 inch in numerous locations, including Midland, TX, Wichita, KS, Billings, MT, and Fargo, ND. Bitterly cold weather arrived in interior Alaska during the week. On Saturday morning, lows dipped to -6 degrees F in Fairbanks and -9 degrees F at the Denali National Park Airstrip. Above-normal temperatures continued in the west, however, where Cold Bay reported a daily-record high of 52 degrees F on Friday. Farther north, Barrow endured a record-setting 46th consecutive day with a trace or more of precipitation. The streak, which began on August 26, resulted in 1.53 inches of liquid equivalent, including 7.4 inches of snow. Meanwhile in Hawaii, weekly temperatures averaged 1 to 3 degrees F above normal, accompanied by locally heavy rainfall. Corn: Percent Mature, Corn: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 94 81 94 82 CO : 30 10 17 15 GA : 100 100 100 100 GA : 97 94 93 94 IL : 93 86 88 95 IL : 28 13 21 27 IN : 94 86 82 93 IN : 15 5 14 22 IA : 99 96 93 94 IA : 22 8 8 17 KS : 99 97 99 98 KS : 64 47 50 55 KY : 94 82 99 96 KY : 60 34 61 61 MI : 55 24 70 68 MI : 5 2 9 12 MN : 97 92 96 79 MN : 22 6 14 13 MO : 100 98 97 96 MO : 59 50 53 44 NE : 94 86 96 94 NE : 20 11 12 17 NC : 100 100 100 100 NC : 82 71 76 80 OH : 64 32 54 78 OH : 4 1 9 14 PA : 62 50 73 65 PA : 17 10 20 17 SD : 96 85 94 81 SD : 20 7 7 12 TX : 97 96 100 99 TX : 90 86 90 91 WI : 75 50 69 70 WI : 6 4 8 12 : : 17 Sts: 91 82 89 89 17 Sts: 27 15 20 24 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 17 States produced 90% of the These 17 States produced 92% of the 1996 corn crop. 1996 corn crop. Soybeans: Percent Dropping Leaves, Soybeans: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 85 68 66 65 AL : 21 8 13 13 AR : 56 40 58 51 AR : 24 14 22 19 GA : 84 76 72 73 GA : 12 7 3 5 IL : 98 91 88 96 IL : 81 46 32 61 IN : 100 95 95 99 IN : 72 27 25 55 IA : 100 99 94 96 IA : 88 56 54 57 KS : 97 89 90 94 KS : 54 30 28 37 KY : 82 56 72 73 KY : 18 11 9 15 LA : 95 90 84 82 LA : 72 60 55 48 MI : 99 70 95 98 MI : 27 8 13 26 MN : 99 99 99 95 MN : 91 69 72 49 MS : 82 77 81 78 MS : 55 47 50 40 MO : 94 82 74 85 MO : 45 25 22 29 NE : 100 98 98 99 NE : 63 30 58 59 NC : 47 29 44 50 NC : 9 4 7 5 OH : 98 88 88 97 OH : 50 19 21 47 SC : 28 24 23 23 SC : 3 2 3 2 SD : 100 99 99 98 SD : 73 36 41 39 TN : 75 58 82 75 TN : 13 6 8 10 : : 19 Sts: 93 86 87 89 19 Sts: 64 37 37 45 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 94% of the These 19 States produced 94% of the 1996 soybean crop. 1996 soybean crop. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 16 4 14 16 AR : 3 1 7 6 CA : 1 0 4 2 CA : 0 0 0 0 CO : 97 93 91 93 CO : 85 76 66 77 GA : 3 1 3 5 GA : 1 0 1 2 ID : 75 59 76 69 ID : 45 25 32 33 IL : 55 12 26 38 IL : 9 1 5 8 IN : 51 20 25 45 IN : 17 5 5 11 KS : 90 60 78 83 KS : 52 28 41 50 MI : 64 40 40 62 MI : 38 10 15 33 MO : 44 20 31 32 MO : 17 4 10 11 MT : 90 77 85 77 MT : 66 38 39 38 NE : 97 93 97 98 NE : 87 68 70 82 NC : 15 10 16 19 NC : 0 0 0 1 OH : 50 19 32 52 OH : 9 1 9 13 OK : 78 60 70 73 OK : 38 22 33 33 OR : 72 50 64 58 OR : 33 21 24 25 SD : 98 95 90 96 SD : 85 70 68 82 TX : 67 59 83 69 TX : 42 34 66 47 WA : 94 90 93 88 WA : 80 72 71 66 : : 19 Sts: 76 58 70 71 19 Sts: 47 32 41 43 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 92% of the These 19 States produced 92% of the 1996 winter wheat crop. 1996 winter wheat crop. Cotton: Percent Bolls Opening, Cotton: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 85 71 89 84 AL : 20 8 36 32 AZ : 100 100 100 100 AZ : 38 30 25 34 AR : 94 90 98 93 AR : 30 15 44 37 CA : 100 100 100 100 CA : 25 15 24 20 GA : 83 77 90 86 GA : 21 10 28 26 LA : 99 97 100 99 LA : 57 40 68 67 MS : 91 88 100 99 MS : 36 21 64 52 MO : 100 97 99 93 MO : 39 20 53 39 NM : 97 84 95 92 NM : 6 3 13 6 NC : 88 79 97 97 NC : 8 3 19 22 OK : 68 62 65 63 OK : 5 1 4 13 SC : 89 77 92 91 SC : 14 8 39 26 TN : 96 92 100 99 TN : 27 13 56 38 TX : 83 76 74 69 TX : 25 23 21 30 : : 14 Sts: 88 83 87 84 14 Sts: 27 18 34 34 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 14 States produced 99% of the These 14 States produced 98% of the 1996 cotton crop. 1996 cotton crop. Sorghum: Percent Mature, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 96 100 100 CO : 45 14 48 59 IL : 90 71 68 80 KS : 91 73 81 75 LA : 100 100 100 100 MS : 98 96 100 100 MO : 93 84 87 85 NE : 95 87 82 84 NM : 45 14 36 47 OK : 80 67 52 45 SD : 95 88 92 83 TX : 90 86 93 90 : 12 Sts: 89 78 83 80 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 99% of the 1996 sorghum crop. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 89 81 93 92 AL : 88 74 43 NA CO : 3 2 11 12 FL : 96 78 66 NA IL : 23 4 6 19 GA : 79 65 54 NA KS : 35 23 24 27 NC : 21 10 30 NA LA : 100 99 100 97 OK : 24 12 29 NA MS : 95 93 94 95 SC : 56 45 53 NA MO : 48 36 43 46 TX : 33 27 21 NA NE : 35 13 7 18 VA : 74 27 72 NA NM : 6 2 0 6 : OK : 22 12 18 17 8 Sts : 63 49 44 NA SD : 29 12 16 18 -------------------------------------- TX : 66 61 68 76 These 8 States produced 99% of the : 1996 peanut crop. 12 Sts: 46 36 39 44 -------------------------------------- These 12 States produced 99% of the 1996 sorghum crop. Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:Oct 12,:Oct 5, :Oct 12,: 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 87 77 94 88 CA : 90 70 58 60 LA : 99 96 100 97 MS : 92 84 96 90 TX : 95 93 100 99 : 5 Sts : 91 82 89 86 -------------------------------------- These 5 States produced 97% of the 1996 rice crop. Cotton: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 5 16 42 35 2 AZ : 0 4 21 52 23 AR : 0 7 32 46 15 CA : 0 0 10 60 30 GA : 4 11 39 40 6 LA : 3 11 43 37 6 MS : 2 7 31 47 13 MO : 0 20 36 43 1 NM : 0 5 23 72 0 NC : 1 6 38 52 3 OK : 0 1 16 68 15 SC : 2 7 30 52 9 TN : 1 5 22 62 10 TX : 2 7 33 45 13 : 14 Sts : 2 7 32 47 12 : Prev Wk : 2 9 32 47 10 Prev Yr : 2 10 29 44 15 -------------------------------------- Note: US level crop conditions are weighted averages based on 1996 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 : 6 25 44 24 1 :: NJ : 0 20 60 20 0 AZ : 10 10 24 41 15 :: NM : 0 10 24 59 7 AR : 3 24 39 32 2 :: NY : 0 7 36 54 3 CA : 5 15 45 35 0 :: NC : 4 11 44 39 2 CO : 2 6 23 54 15 :: ND : 14 33 37 16 0 CT : 0 0 26 70 4 :: OH : 5 13 37 36 9 DE : 7 21 42 30 0 :: OK : 5 11 28 47 9 FL : 0 10 30 50 10 :: OR : 0 2 52 35 11 GA : 3 17 51 27 2 :: PA : 5 20 35 40 0 ID : 0 3 30 49 18 :: RI : 0 0 0 100 0 IL : 6 15 42 34 3 :: SC : 5 21 49 25 0 IN : 12 26 35 23 4 :: SD : 1 6 22 57 14 IA : 8 19 32 34 7 :: TN : 3 14 41 38 4 KS : 2 5 29 60 4 :: TX : 6 15 45 30 4 KY : 17 27 37 17 2 :: UT : 0 3 8 67 22 LA : 3 20 52 24 1 :: VT : 0 0 40 58 2 ME : 3 6 91 0 0 :: VA : 15 40 40 5 0 MD : 3 17 44 34 2 :: WA : 15 2 42 40 1 MA : 11 16 18 43 12 :: WV : 2 14 46 34 4 MI : 1 19 41 34 5 :: WI : 1 4 35 52 8 MN : 4 15 40 36 5 :: WY : 2 3 14 66 15 MS : 8 20 35 32 5 :: : MO : 3 16 40 37 4 :: 48 Sts : 5 14 36 39 6 MT : 3 10 31 50 6 :: : NE : 5 20 31 42 2 :: Prev Wk: 4 15 34 41 6 NV : 0 0 0 100 0 :: Prev Yr: 3 12 35 42 8 NH : 0 0 48 52 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. ET on October 21, 1997. 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