Released November 4, 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 27 - November 2, 1997 Highlights: The storm that caused blizzard conditions on the Plains October 24-25 tracked northeastward early last week, slowing harvest in the Corn Belt. Snow cover and record low temperatures early on, then melting snow later in the week kept farmers out of fields in the central Plains. Showers and locally heavy rainfall hampered harvest efforts in the Southeast and along the Atlantic Coast. Mid-week heavy rains in the Pacific Northwest slowed fieldwork. Fieldwork activities continued under favorable conditions in the Southwest and northern Plains. Corn: Corn was harvested from 75 percent (%) of the Nation's acreage, ahead of 62% harvested at this time last year and the 5-year average of 64%. Harvest activity was limited or at a standstill in Nebraska due to last week's blizzard. In Iowa, heavy snow slowed harvest and lodged some standing corn and soybeans, especially fields with existing corn borer damage. Even though the Iowa harvest was slowed this week, it remained well ahead of the average pace. Snow and rain from the storm made it difficult for corn fields to dry down in Michigan, delaying an already late harvest. Harvest activity resumed late in the week in the Corn Belt States. South Dakota farmers took advantage of clear skies to harvest 22% of their State's acreage during the week, well ahead of the average pace. Soybeans: The soybean acreage was 89% harvested, ahead of 80% harvested in 1996 and the average of 85%. Showers and locally heavy rainfall along the Atlantic Coast and in the Southeast as well as the early-week snowstorm hampered harvest activities in most major soybean-producing States. Farmers in Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee were able to make some harvest progress. Soybean harvest was coming to a close in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, and South Dakota, but rain and snow limited progress. Cotton: Cotton harvest advanced to 59% complete, 3 percentage points behind a year ago and 4 points behind the average. Early-week below-normal temperatures increased defoliation in Texas cotton fields. Harvest was in full swing in the plains and north-central areas, while increasing in the Trans-Pecos region. Growers in the Southeast were able to harvest some fields between showers, but progress remained significantly behind normal in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In Louisiana, harvest continued and some farmers made a second pass over fields. Harvest was active in New Mexico and Oklahoma, but progress remained behind the normal pace. California cotton growers continued to harvest their crop ahead of the normal pace. Harvest in Louisiana was virtually complete. Sorghum: Sorghum harvest was most active in New Mexico, where growers harvested 21% of their State's crop during the week. Central Plains farmers made limited progress harvesting their sorghum crop as melting snow from the previous week's blizzard kept farmers out of fields. Overall blizzard damage to crops appeared to be minimal in Colorado, but the snowstorm delayed harvest on a crop that was already progressing well behind the normal pace. In Texas, harvest was in full swing as freezing temperatures allowed fields to dry down nicely. Late-planted fields rapidly turned color after the early-week below-normal temperatures. Overall, 76% of the sorghum acreage was harvested, compared with 73% last year and the average of 76%. Peanuts: Peanut harvest advanced to 87% complete nationwide, 2 points ahead of 1996. Harvest was most active in Oklahoma, where peanut growers took advantage of dry conditions to harvest fields. Despite rainfall, growers in North and South Carolina made good harvest progress. In Texas, harvest continued, but early-week freezing temperatures may have hurt some fields not dug yet. Harvest was virtually complete in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. We 1 (11-97) Winter wheat: Planting of the 1998 winter wheat crop entered its final stages as 91% of the crop was in the ground, compared with 93% planted in 1996 and the average of 91%. Planting was most active in Missouri and Arkansas, where dry weather allowed farmers to immediately plant winter wheat following fall crop harvest. Precipitation limited planting elsewhere, either in the form of rain or snow. Melting snow from the early-season storm that hit the central Plains the previous week kept Kansas farmers out of fields. Eighty percent of the winter wheat acreage had emerged by week's end, behind 83% emergence a year ago but ahead of 78% for the average. Emerging fields in Colorado and Nebraska benefited from the moisture brought by the previous week's snowstorm. Rain in the Pacific Northwest and east of the Mississippi River benefited newly emerged wheat. Rainfall in the Southeast and Corn Belt provided optimum conditions for winter wheat. Overall, condition of the winter wheat crop rated mostly good. National Weather Summary October 26 - November 1, 1997 Highlights: The low pressure system responsible for the central Plains blizzard on October 24-25 tracked northeastward early in the week, entering the Canadian Maritimes on Tuesday and ushering in a period of relative tranquility for most of the country. Cold weather during the first half of the week gave way to a milder pattern later in the week. Heavy rain and strong winds visited the Pacific Northwest during midweek. A developing low brought heavy rain to the Gulf Coast region on Friday and the east coast on Saturday. One- to 4-inch weekly precipitation totals were common from Maine to Florida, with 4- to 6-inch amounts soaking central and northern Florida, extreme northern Georgia, the western half of Washington, and northwest Oregon. After burying the central Plains with heavy snow, the storm moved from Illinois to the Saint Lawrence Valley on Sunday and Monday, depositing several inches of snow on Wisconsin, Michigan, and northern Vermont, as well as 4 to 8 inches on northern Maine. The 3-inch total recorded Monday morning at Flint, MI, made this their second snowiest October day since at least 1940. The 8.3 inches at Caribou, ME, on Monday was their second snowiest October storm of record. Heavy rain fell over the mid-Atlantic region and the Southeast on Sunday ahead of the low, and across the Northeast on Monday. A Pacific storm brought wind and rain to the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday and Thursday, but the weather was mostly tranquil over the rest of the country from Tuesday to Thursday. A cold high pressure system edged eastward from Colorado on Sunday to the east coast on Thursday, bringing low temperatures to central and eastern sections of the country. Thermometers dipped to winter-like readings over deep snow across the central Plains on Sunday and Monday. In Colorado, Denver's 3 degrees F on Sunday shattered their daily record by 7 degrees, a record dating all the way back to 1878. At week's end, a coastal low formed along a front draped across northern Florida and the Gulf coast. This storm, centered over North Carolina by Saturday morning, delivered another dose of rain on Friday and Saturday to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic States. High pressure over eastern Oregon on Saturday caused downslope winds in southern California, resulting in at least 13 record high temperatures, including 102 degrees F at Burbank and 99 degrees F in Los Angeles. Temperatures rising into the 60's on Friday melted most of the remaining snow across the central Plains. By Saturday morning, November 1, snow cover lingered only at scattered locations in northwest Kansas and the Colorado plains. Corn: Percent Harvested, Soybeans: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : CO : 77 66 83 66 AL : 58 46 55 48 GA : 98 98 98 98 AR : 65 53 57 62 IL : 89 79 66 75 GA : 25 19 35 26 IN : 59 49 45 60 IL : 98 97 85 94 IA : 84 76 58 63 IN : 96 93 78 91 KS : 93 91 91 88 IA : 99 98 95 98 KY : 85 77 89 88 KS : 85 82 81 85 MI : 15 9 32 36 KY : 60 51 41 59 MN : 90 78 74 60 LA : 96 95 90 83 MO : 87 82 78 75 MI : 87 80 76 80 NE : 66 63 67 62 MN : 99 99 99 96 NC : 95 91 95 96 MS : 85 76 77 72 OH : 41 27 33 50 MO : 82 75 69 78 PA : 46 30 40 44 NE : 92 91 100 98 SD : 80 58 56 50 NC : 16 13 20 18 TX : 99 98 98 99 OH : 95 91 71 90 WI : 41 28 34 45 SC : 11 9 18 14 : SD : 98 94 98 93 17 Sts: 75 66 62 64 TN : 51 39 32 46 -------------------------------------- : These 17 States produced 92% of the 19 Sts: 89 85 80 85 1996 corn crop. -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 94% of the 1996 soybean crop. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AR : 60 42 47 58 AR : 42 24 34 38 CA : 7 5 19 15 CA : 2 0 9 5 CO : 100 100 100 100 CO : 96 94 95 95 GA : 9 6 12 14 GA : 5 2 7 8 ID : 96 94 98 96 ID : 77 66 81 74 IL : 97 93 88 90 IL : 86 67 68 72 IN : 96 92 87 91 IN : 78 63 67 73 KS : 96 95 98 98 KS : 89 84 93 90 MI : 99 96 98 96 MI : 95 74 80 79 MO : 86 75 76 77 MO : 65 50 55 55 MT : 99 98 100 97 MT : 82 78 83 79 NE : 100 100 100 100 NE : 100 99 100 100 NC : 35 27 44 41 NC : 15 0 25 23 OH : 97 94 90 95 OH : 71 53 67 75 OK : 93 87 97 96 OK : 76 65 83 76 OR : 93 89 93 87 OR : 70 62 73 64 SD : 100 100 100 100 SD : 100 96 90 97 TX : 86 82 98 86 TX : 70 62 91 72 WA : 99 99 99 97 WA : 97 93 93 85 : : 19 Sts: 91 88 93 91 19 Sts: 80 72 83 78 -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- These 19 States produced 92% of the These 19 States produced 92% of the 1996 winter wheat crop. 1996 winter wheat crop. Cotton: Percent Harvested, Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States Selected States -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- :-----------------------: 1992- State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- : Percent : Percent : : AL : 56 45 73 67 AL : 96 95 90 NA AZ : 64 56 52 68 FL : 99 98 94 NA AR : 74 62 83 78 GA : 98 94 92 NA CA : 75 60 59 66 NC : 75 64 86 NA GA : 47 42 66 58 OK : 80 62 80 NA LA : 98 96 97 92 SC : 90 76 90 NA MS : 85 78 92 84 TX : 62 51 63 NA MO : 72 64 70 79 VA : 98 94 97 NA NM : 31 15 48 38 : NC : 34 27 65 55 8 Sts : 87 81 85 NA OK : 32 14 23 33 -------------------------------------- SC : 41 30 68 54 These 8 States produced 99% of the TN : 73 58 79 74 1996 peanut crop. TX : 45 38 39 47 : 14 Sts: 59 51 62 63 -------------------------------------- These 14 States produced 98% of the 1996 cotton crop. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1992- State:Nov 2, :Oct 26,:Nov 2, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 99 98 99 99 CO : 10 *9 65 53 IL : 89 79 46 69 KS : 75 73 74 72 LA : 100 100 100 100 MS : 100 100 100 100 MO : 82 74 78 78 NE : 80 79 55 70 NM : 48 27 10 36 OK : 46 41 33 42 SD : 80 70 82 74 TX : 82 76 82 88 : 12 Sts: 76 72 73 76 -------------------------------------- * Revised. These 12 States produced 99% of the 1996 sorghum crop. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 2 27 63 8 CA : 0 0 55 45 0 CO : 0 6 15 51 28 GA : 0 0 25 68 7 ID : 0 0 5 84 11 IL : 1 3 27 62 7 IN : 2 6 35 49 8 KS : 0 1 17 69 13 MI : 1 4 38 48 9 MO : 0 1 21 69 9 MT : 5 10 43 40 2 NE : 0 4 25 60 11 NC : 0 0 13 78 9 OH : 1 7 36 48 8 OK : 0 1 12 81 6 OR : 0 0 15 83 2 SD : 0 2 7 62 29 TX : 0 10 37 44 9 WA : 0 0 18 77 5 : 19 Sts : 0 3 22 64 11 : Prev Wk : 1 4 23 62 10 Prev Yr : 0 3 22 62 13 -------------------------------------- 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 : 2 15 34 45 4 :: NJ : 0 30 50 20 0 AZ : 1 16 24 53 6 :: NM : 0 8 28 61 3 AR : 2 10 41 45 2 :: NY : 0 25 50 25 0 CA : 10 30 30 25 5 :: NC : 4 7 34 51 4 CO : 13 10 25 43 9 :: ND : 16 35 32 17 0 CT : 0 5 69 26 0 :: OH : 5 15 40 36 4 DE : 0 15 28 57 0 :: OK : 3 15 29 50 3 FL : 0 5 55 40 0 :: OR : 0 3 51 35 11 GA : 3 14 39 41 3 :: PA : 10 27 37 25 1 ID : 0 9 36 42 13 :: RI : 0 0 50 50 0 IL : 3 14 37 42 4 :: SC : 3 9 34 51 3 IN : 16 27 37 18 2 :: SD : 1 3 26 56 14 IA : 7 16 37 34 6 :: TN : 1 11 33 48 7 KS : 3 6 25 61 5 :: TX : 4 19 43 26 8 KY : 11 26 43 17 3 :: UT : 0 7 11 66 16 LA : 3 17 41 38 1 :: VT : 0 8 26 66 0 ME : 0 0 75 25 0 :: VA : 8 20 40 30 2 MD : 4 11 31 50 4 :: WA : 0 10 40 50 0 MA : 5 32 23 40 0 :: WV : 4 12 44 35 5 MI : 2 22 41 32 3 :: WI : 0 12 37 46 5 MN : 4 15 42 38 1 :: WY : 2 4 9 79 6 MS : 4 14 37 38 7 :: : MO : 2 9 33 54 2 :: 48 Sts : 4 15 36 40 5 MT : 3 12 40 38 7 :: : NE : 4 14 33 42 7 :: Prev Wk: 4 15 35 41 5 NV : 0 0 0 100 0 :: Prev Yr: NA NA NA NA NA NH : 0 11 55 32 2 :: : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 November 12, 1997. 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