We 1 (10-02) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released October 22, 2002, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Mark E. Miller at (202)720-7621, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 89, No. 43 October 13 - 19, 2002 For additional information, call (202) 720-7917. HIGHLIGHTS: Late-week storminess across the Nation's southern tier brought renewed soybean, rice, and cotton harvests delays to the lower Mississippi Valley, following several days of dry weather that promoted a limited return to fieldwork in still-soggy fields. Farther east, an earlier storm buffeted the East with gusty winds and heavy rain, but further eased long-term precipitation deficits. Meanwhile in the upper Mississippi Valley, cool, cloudy, showery weather slowed evaporation rates and caused additional corn and soybean harvests delays. Elsewhere in the Midwest, scattered showers caused only minor fieldwork delays, although cool weather and frosts in the eastern Corn Belt slowed winter wheat emergence. Farther west, mild, breezy weather overspread the central and northern High Plains, promoting winter wheat growth but reducing soil moisture for crop establishment. Meanwhile in Oklahoma and Texas, late-week showers, locally heavy in north-central and northeastern Texas, slowed fieldwork, including cotton harvesting, but aided pastures and winter grains. In the West, significant precipitation was confined to the southern Rockies. Elsewhere, mild, dry weather favored fieldwork, but left dryland, Northwestern winter wheat with little moisture for autumn establishment. Cool weather expanded from the northern Plains and Northwest to encompass areas from the Rockies eastward, setting more than 50 daily-record lows and holding weekly temperatures as much as 10 to 13 degrees F below normal in the upper and middle Mississippi Valley and central Great Plains. Some Northwestern locations, including Hillsboro, OR (33, 31, and 30 degrees F from October 11-13), and Kalispell, MT (14, 16, and 17 degrees F from October 12-14), set daily-record lows on 3 consecutive days. Cool weather also reached the Plains, Northeast, and Midwest, frequently reinforced by a series of cold fronts. Among the many daily records were lows of 15 degrees F (on October 13) in Alliance, NE, 22 degrees F (on October 15) in Montpelier, VT, 25 degrees F in Cedar Rapids, IA (on October 16), and 24 degrees F in Flint, MI, a day later. By week's end, however, mild, breezy conditions returned to areas as far east as the High Plains, although cool weather remained entrenched across the eastern half of the Nation. Farther west, Hillsboro posted a daily-record high of 80 degrees F on October 16, while other records in Oregon included 86 degrees F in Medford and 83 degrees F in Salem. A day later, Olympia, WA, notched a daily-record high of 72 degrees F, just 5 days after a daily-record low of 28 degrees F. On Saturday, the city of Pendleton, OR, rose to an October 19 record high of 75 degrees F. A storm system developed over the Gulf of Mexico early in the week, sparking heavy rain across the Southeast on October 14 and 15 and the remainder of the Atlantic Seaboard by midweek. Melbourne, FL, noted a daily-record rainfall of 2.08 inches on October 14, followed 2 days later by records in locations such as Reading, PA (1.64 inches), Burlington, VT (1.41 inches), and Georgetown, DE (1.38 inches). Coastal locations in the Mid-Atlantic region and New England also received high winds, gusting to 71 mph on Maine's Matinicus Rock and 60 mph on New Hampshire's Isle of Shoals and Massachusetts' Nantucket Shoals. As the storm departed, a bountiful rainy season officially ended across southern Florida. This year's rainy season, which started about a week early on May 14 and ended roughly on schedule on October 16, produced 49.96 inches of rain (about 120 percent of normal) in Miami, FL. Late in the week, a vigorous upper-air disturbance in the southern jet stream tracked eastward across the Southwest into the southern Rockies and Plains, triggering locally heavy showers and thunderstorms, especially across northern Texas. Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) Airport, TX, measured a record 3.54 inches of rain Friday. Other 24-hour totals (ending 7 a.m. CDT Saturday) in Texas included 5.10 inches at Paris, 4.81 inches at Greenville, 4.49 inches at Mineral Wells, 3.31 inches at Denton, and 1.68 inches at Abilene, while Texarkana, AR , recorded 2.74 inches. By the end of the day, new October 19 rainfall records were established at Austin/Bergstrom, TX (2.39 inches), College Station/Bryan, TX (1.88 inches), Houston (IAH), TX (1.04 inches), and Shreveport, LA (0.95 inches). Farther north, a storm system and its associated cold front trekked across the northern Plains and upper Midwest, dropping light to moderate rain on the central and eastern Corn Belt (24-hour amounts ending 7 a.m. CDT Saturday of 2.03 inches at Mt. Vernon, IL, 1.22 inches at Springfield, IL, and 1.21 inches at Quincy, IL) and early-season light snow on the upper Midwest (an October 18 record 1.6 inches at Duluth, MN). In mid-October, heavy showers developed on Hawaii from Maui westward, although only light rain was observed on the Big Island. From October 14-18, 96-hour rainfall included 8.67 inches in Lanai City, Lanai; 7.53 inches in Kihei, Maui; 6.86 inches in Punaluu, Oahu; 6.48 inches in Kamalo, Molokai; and 4.32 inches in Wailua, Kauai. Meanwhile, mild, showery weather continued in much of Alaska. The unsettled weather pattern translated into significant snow across interior Alaska, where Fairbanks received 10.4 inches (170 percent of normal) from October 1-17. During the same period, precipitation totals in southern Alaska included 3.41 inches (273 percent of normal) in Anchorage, 4.26 inches (173 percent) in Cold Bay, and 7.24 inches (152 percent) in Kodiak. Weekly temperatures averaged 4 to 12 degrees F above normal across western and southern Alaska, with highs reaching into the middle and upper 50 degrees F in southern sections. National Agricultural Summary October 14 - 20, 2002 Highlights: Mostly dry weather supported fieldwork in the Corn Belt, central and northern Great Plains, and Pacific Coast States. In the Corn Belt, row-crop harvest and winter wheat seeding progressed with only brief rain delays. The precipitation, though mostly light, provided beneficial moisture for germinating soft red winter wheat. On the Great Plains, hard red winter wheat rapidly emerged, despite moisture shortages in many areas. Also, subfreezing nighttime temperatures limited vegetative growth of emerged winter wheat, especially on the central and northern High Plains. Across the South, from Texas to the Atlantic Coast, rain further delayed harvest. Delays were lengthy in parts of the southern Great Plains and scattered areas of the Southeast, while growers in the interior Mississippi Delta and Atlantic Coastal Plains experienced shorter rain delays. Corn: Harvest advanced to 51 percent complete, 5 percentage points more than this date last year but about 4 days behind the 60-percent average for this date. Dry weather supported harvest in the Corn Belt and Great Plains during most of the week. Producers in Iowa and Illinois made the best progress, harvesting 20 percent of their acreage during the week. However, progress remained well behind the 5-year average in Iowa. In addition, harvest was far behind the average for this date in Minnesota and lagged well behind normal in Colorado, Nebraska, and the Dakota's, despite good progress during the week. Elsewhere, harvest neared completion in the southern Corn Belt and across most of the South. Soybeans: Harvest progressed to 74 percent complete, ahead of last year's 68-percent pace but behind the 77-percent average for this date. Growers in the Corn Belt experienced harvest delays due to rain, but the interruptions were brief and harvest rapidly advanced. South Dakota producers led progress with nearly one-third of the acreage harvested during the week. Progress was only slightly slower in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, where growers harvested about one-fourth of their fields. Despite the rapid harvest pace, progress remained well behind normal in the upper Mississippi Valley, most notably in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the eastern Corn Belt, harvest was near normal in most areas. However, harvest was well ahead of normal in Michigan, and well behind normal in Kentucky. Harvest also gained momentum in the lower Mississippi Valley, but progress remained behind normal throughout the Delta, and far behind normal in Louisiana. Cotton: Harvest advanced to 40 percent, but progress lagged behind last year's 47-percent pace and trailed the 5-year average of 52 percent by more than 1 week. Harvest resumed in the lower Mississippi Valley, but most areas experienced additional rain delays near the end of the week. Picking progress fell more than 2 weeks behind the 5-year average in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Rain also interrupted harvest in the southern Great Plains and Southeast, but delays were mostly brief on the southern High Plains and along the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Picking remained slightly ahead of normal in Georgia and North Carolina and well ahead of normal in Virginia. Meanwhile, dry weather aided picking in the Southwest, where California producers harvested one-fourth of their acreage during the week. Winter wheat: Planting was 84 percent complete, compared with last year's 85-percent and the 5-year average of 80 percent. Planting was most active in the Corn Belt, led by Indiana's 25 percent progress. Producers in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio seeded just under one-fifth of their acreage during the week. On the Great Plains, seeding neared completion with few delays in most areas, but heavy rain interrupted planting in parts of Texas and Oklahoma. Sixty-five percent of the acreage was emerged, slightly less than last year's 66-percent progress but about 4 days ahead of the 57-percent average for this date. Mostly adequate topsoil moisture supplies aided germination and emergence in the central and southern Great Plains, and light showers boosted germination in the Corn Belt. However, significant pockets of unfavorably dry soils remained in both regions. On the northern High Plains, emergence remained ahead of normal, despite widespread moisture shortages. Rice: Harvest progressed to 93 percent complete, 1 percentage point behind last year and the 5-year average. Harvest resumed near midweek in the interior Mississippi Delta, but progress was slow in most areas due to lingering wetness. Harvest was least advanced in the Missouri Bootheel. Elsewhere, California's harvest neared completion after a weekly advancement of 10 percent. Sorghum: Eighty-nine percent was mature, 7 percentage points behind last year and the 5-year average. Harvest, at 61 percent complete, lagged well behind last year's 77 percent and the 5-year average of 72 percent. Late-maturing fields quickly ripened on the High Plains, where nearly one-fifth of the Colorado acreage reached maturity during the week, despite abnormally cold weather. Harvest remained active across most of the Great Plains and Corn Belt, although rain briefly delayed progress in some areas. In Illinois and South Dakota, growers threshed one-fifth of their acreage during the week. In Kansas, harvest was nearly one-half complete, but progress lagged well behind the 5-year average. Rain delays were longer and more widespread in Texas. Other Crops: The peanut harvest progressed to 62 percent complete, 8 percentage points behind last year's pace and 5 percentage points behind the 5-year average. More than 10 percent was lifted during the week in each of the seven leading peanut-producing States. Georgia led all States with a 17-percent advancement. In Texas, harvest steadily advanced, but wet weather continued to hamper progress in many areas. Seventy percent of the sugarbeet crop was harvested in the four major sugarbeet-producing States. Progress lagged behind last year's 77-percent pace, and slightly trailed the 5-year average of 72 percent. Harvest was nearly complete in North Dakota and approached completion in Minnesota. Digging accelerated in Idaho and Michigan, but progress remained behind the 5-year average in both States. The sunflower harvest rapidly advanced during the week, reaching 40 percent complete. However, progress remained well behind last year and the 5-year average of 51 percent. Dry weather supported harvest throughout the central and northern Great Plains, especially in South Dakota where nearly one-fourth of the acreage was reaped during the week. Corn: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 34 21 46 48 IL : 70 50 64 70 IN : 44 31 41 52 IA : 41 21 27 59 KS : 85 81 88 85 KY : 89 87 91 88 MI : 34 27 27 32 MN : 33 17 30 60 MO : 91 85 78 79 NE : 46 30 41 61 NC : 79 73 95 91 ND : 33 19 42 46 OH : 37 22 21 34 PA : 66 53 56 38 SD : 33 25 41 43 TN : 97 94 95 97 TX : 96 91 97 96 WI : 22 14 17 34 : 18 Sts: 51 37 46 60 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States harvested 95% of last year's corn acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 20 10 24 28 CA : 15 10 12 9 CO : 100 96 99 99 ID : 96 88 85 88 IL : 82 65 67 71 IN : 74 49 54 69 KS : 91 80 96 89 MI : 90 74 74 83 MO : 60 41 49 53 MT : 96 94 97 92 NE : 100 96 100 99 NC : 18 15 29 24 OH : 88 72 76 83 OK : 88 78 91 78 OR : 45 28 66 68 SD : 97 92 95 95 TX : 78 69 82 71 WA : 97 92 97 96 : 18 Sts: 84 74 85 80 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Soybeans: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 40 29 56 49 IL : 84 65 70 80 IN : 78 58 59 78 IA : 88 63 75 90 KS : 70 54 73 71 KY : 43 27 46 53 LA : 61 46 82 89 MI : 73 55 38 57 MN : 76 48 87 94 MS : 70 55 78 81 MO : 66 48 44 61 NE : 78 54 81 85 NC : 10 8 21 15 ND : 81 68 95 90 OH : 74 59 70 79 SD : 77 46 83 81 TN : 36 23 30 41 WI : 53 36 45 73 : 18 Sts: 74 53 68 77 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States harvested 96% of last year's soybean acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 9 4 10 10 CA : 6 5 3 3 CO : 87 74 88 87 ID : 48 38 44 50 IL : 50 22 44 35 IN : 39 23 28 35 KS : 69 55 83 65 MI : 55 33 46 55 MO : 32 17 31 27 MT : 79 70 59 63 NE : 91 82 92 92 NC : 14 10 16 9 OH : 57 32 48 49 OK : 74 61 68 48 OR : 15 8 40 41 SD : 80 67 79 81 TX : 60 50 56 45 WA : 82 72 85 86 : 18 Sts: 65 52 66 57 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Sorghum: Percent Mature, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 100 100 100 CO : 86 68 97 89 IL : 99 99 97 96 KS : 86 81 98 98 LA : 100 100 100 100 MO : 99 97 96 97 NE : 99 96 98 97 NM : 71 56 83 82 OK : 88 85 91 91 SD : 95 87 99 98 TX : 89 88 95 95 : 11 Sts: 89 85 96 96 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 98 96 100 98 CO : 35 26 52 33 IL : 80 60 76 63 KS : 48 39 77 71 LA : 96 95 100 100 MO : 82 74 71 73 NE : 56 42 48 62 NM : 19 8 23 22 OK : 75 65 68 52 SD : 48 28 75 61 TX : 76 72 85 81 : 11 Sts: 61 53 77 72 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States harvested 98% of last year's sorghum acreage. Cotton: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 36 29 35 52 AZ : 40 30 41 37 AR : 37 26 61 67 CA : 50 25 36 28 GA : 40 30 37 38 LA : 59 45 82 90 MS : 42 30 60 79 MO : 51 39 63 67 NC : 36 25 32 29 OK : 30 25 26 40 SC : 31 25 36 38 TN : 41 26 68 71 TX : 36 30 41 43 VA : 47 39 45 34 : 14 Sts: 40 30 47 52 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States harvested 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 93 88 99 96 CA : 90 80 75 83 LA : 99 98 99 100 MS : 90 82 97 97 MO : 79 74 77 86 TX : 100 100 100 99 : 6 Sts : 93 88 94 94 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States harvested 100% of last year's rice acreage. Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 71 56 74 75 FL : 85 70 84 86 GA : 71 54 81 78 NC : 63 47 71 58 OK : 60 49 59 56 TX : 30 17 42 41 VA : 73 62 88 87 : 7 Sts : 62 47 70 67 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 7 States harvested 98% of last year's peanut acreage. Sugarbeets: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 32 17 43 44 MI : 23 13 37 33 MN : 89 76 95 89 ND : 99 92 98 89 : 4 Sts : 70 59 77 72 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States harvested 81% of last year's sugarbeets acreage. Sunflowers: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1997- State:Oct 20,:Oct 13,:Oct 20,: 2001 : 2002 : 2002 : 2001 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 36 22 37 18 KS : 44 31 72 69 ND : 29 14 46 47 SD : 57 34 52 58 : 4 Sts : 40 23 51 51 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States harvested 89% of last year's sunflowers acreage. 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 11 41 38 8 :: NJ : 0 0 61 39 0 AZ : 43 41 14 2 0 :: NM : 35 36 27 2 0 AR : 7 21 41 28 3 :: NY : 1 10 49 33 7 CA : 75 20 5 0 0 :: NC : 7 22 33 31 7 CO : 61 20 16 3 0 :: ND : 32 28 28 11 1 CT : 0 14 36 50 0 :: OH : 22 28 37 12 1 DE : 2 19 34 44 1 :: OK : 4 11 35 42 8 FL : 0 0 40 55 5 :: OR : 40 31 22 7 0 GA : 5 14 43 34 4 :: PA : 16 16 40 24 4 ID : 8 31 48 13 0 :: RI : 0 10 89 1 0 IL : 10 26 36 26 2 :: SC : 4 10 41 44 1 IN : 19 25 37 18 1 :: SD : 33 27 26 13 1 IA : 14 24 31 27 4 :: TN : 5 13 30 41 11 KS : 33 30 27 9 1 :: TX : 11 20 38 26 5 KY : 2 6 30 51 11 :: UT : 27 37 25 11 0 LA : 1 9 45 39 6 :: VT : 4 31 52 10 3 ME : 1 18 72 9 0 :: VA : 14 24 33 26 3 MD : 7 15 40 31 7 :: WA : 13 42 27 18 0 MA : 5 19 52 24 0 :: WV : 3 17 46 34 0 MI : 9 23 41 26 1 :: WI : 1 8 33 52 6 MN : 2 9 38 44 7 :: WY : 50 23 21 6 0 MS : 0 3 24 64 9 :: : MO : 35 30 24 10 1 :: 48 Sts : 21 21 31 24 3 MT : 28 26 29 16 1 :: : NE : 49 32 14 5 0 :: Prev Wk: 22 22 30 23 3 NV : 12 30 35 23 0 :: Prev Yr: 11 21 33 31 4 NH : 2 21 39 24 14 :: : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2001 planted acres. Crop Progress and Condition Survey and Estimating Procedures Survey Procedures: Crop progress and condition estimates are based on survey data that are collected each week from early April to the end of November. The Crop progress and condition surveys are non-probability surveys that include a sample of more than 5,000 reporters whose occupations provide them opportunities to make visual observations and frequently bring them in contact with farmers in their counties. Based on standard definitions, these reporters subjectively estimate progress of farmers' activities and progress of crops through their stages of development. They also provide subjective evaluations of crop conditions. Most reporters complete their questionnaire on Friday or early Monday morning and submit it to the Agricultural Statistics Service's office in their State by mail, telephone, fax, e-mail, or through a secured internet website. A small number of reports are completed on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Regardless of the time that the questionnaire is completed, reporters are asked to report for the week ending on Sunday. For reports submitted prior to the Sunday reference date, a degree of uncertainty is introduced into the projections for weekend progress and crop condition changes. By the end of the 2001 season, nearly two-thirds of the data were being submitted through the internet website. As a result, about one-half of all data are submitted on Monday morning, which has significantly reduced this projection uncertainty. Reporters are sent written reporting instructions at the beginning of each season and are contacted periodically to ensure proper reporting. Terms and definitions of crop stages and condition categories that are used as reporting guidelines are available on the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) website at: www.usda.gov/nass/pubs/cwterms.htm. Estimating Procedures: Reported data are reviewed for reasonableness and consistency by comparing with data reported the previous week and data reported in surrounding counties for the current week. Each State Statistical Office summarizes the reported data to district and State levels, weighting each county's reported data by NASS county acreage estimates. Summarized indications are compared with previous week estimates, and progress items are compared with earlier stages of development and historical averages to ensure reasonableness. Weather events and reporter comments are also taken into consideration. State estimates are submitted to the Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB) along with supporting comments, where they are compared with surrounding States and compiled into a National level summary by weighting each State by its acreage estimates. Revision Policy: Progress and condition estimates in the "Crop Progress" report are released at 4:00 pm ET on the first business day of the week. These estimates are preliminary and subject to corrections or updates in the "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" National Summary that is released at 12:00 pm ET on the second business day of the week. These estimates are then subject to revision the following week. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on October 29, 2002. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http:/www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at http:/www.usda.gov/nass/, click on Publications, then click on the Subscribe by E-mail button which takes you to the page describing e-mail delivery of reports. Finally, click on Go to the Subscription Page and follow the instructions. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-605-6220 FAX: 703-605-6900 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov.