We 1 (5-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released May 28, 2003, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Terry P. O'Connor at (202) 720-4288, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 90, No. 21 May 18 - 24, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Drier air began to overspread the interior South, including the Tennessee Valley, although significant fieldwork delays continued due to soil saturation and lowland flooding. Farther east, cool, wet conditions intensified from Alabama and Georgia to the Mid-Atlantic States, where weekly rainfall totaled as much as 2 to 5 inches, with locally higher amounts. In addition, weekly temperatures averaged 3 to 11 degrees F below normal in the Mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, extremely dry conditions in the western Gulf Coast region further stressed summer crops. In contrast, soggy Midwestern fields and scattered showers hampered fieldwork, although corn planting approached completion in many areas and soybean planting gradually advanced. Cool weather (temperatures generally 3 to 7 degrees F below normal) slowed crop emergence and development across the Midwest and northern and central Plains, although scattered showers maintained generally favorable soil moisture levels in the latter region. Meanwhile on the southern Plains, cooler weather and highly beneficial showers aided immature winter wheat and dryland summer crops, although more rain was needed to prevent additional drought stress. In the West, dry, increasingly hot weather promoted fieldwork and crop development, but boosted irrigation demands. Temperatures ranged from 3 to 7 degrees F above normal in California's Central Valley and averaged at least 10 degrees F above normal in parts of the Desert Southwest. Early in the week, heat lingered in Texas, where highs soared to daily-record levels of 105 degrees F in Midland (on May 18) and San Angelo (on May 19). Heat continued in the western Gulf Coast region through Tuesday, resulting in consecutive daily-record highs on May 19 and 20 in Houston, TX (95 and 94 degrees F). In addition, Houston's month-to-date rainfall through week's end, 0.06 inch, represented its lowest May total since only 0.04 inch fell in 1998 and--if the total stands--its fourth-lowest May sum on record. In contrast, beneficial showers arrived on the southern High Plains, where Midland's May 24-25 rainfall of 2.73 inches more than doubled its year-to-date (January 1 - May 23) total of 1.20 inches (34 percent of normal). Another 3.67 inches of rain fell during the week in Birmingham, AL, boosting its May 1-24 total to 17.22 inches. Its previous wettest May on record was 11.10 inches in 1969, and the only wetter months in Birmingham's history were 20.12 inches in July 1916 and 17.67 inches in February 1961. Elsewhere across the interior South and the Ohio Valley, month-to-date rainfall included 11.11 inches in Memphis, TN; 9.96 inches in Jonesboro, AR; 9.72 inches in Tupelo, MS, and Atlanta, GA; and 8.73 inches in Huntington, WV. Rainfall in the last two cities approached the stations' record-high May totals: 9.26 inches in 1974 for Huntington and 9.89 inches in 1923 for Atlanta. During the second half of the week, numerous daily-rainfall records were established in the East. On May 22, record totals included 5.49 inches in West Palm Beach, FL, 3.50 inches in Charlotte, NC, and 3.24 inches in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC. Two days later, daily-record totals were established in New York locations such as Binghamton (1.38 inches) and Syracuse (1.36 inches). Late-week, daily-record highs in Wells, NV (94 and 92 degrees F on May 23 and 24), followed daily-record lows (19 and 13 degrees F) on May 18 and 19. Wells' high also surpassed its monthly record high of 93 degrees F, set less than 1 year ago on May 31, 2002. Meanwhile, Pocatello, ID, noted a trio of record lows (29, 23, and 23 degrees F) from May 18-20, but notched a record high (89 degrees F) on May 24. Snow accompanied the early-week chill on the northern Plains, resulting in a daily-record total of 4.3 inches in Great Falls, MT, on May 18. By May 20, the cold weather overspread areas as far south as Nebraska, where Valentine (24 degrees F) collected a daily-record low. Farther west, however, Tucson, AZ, recorded a low of 76 degrees F on May 21, its highest minimum temperature in May since May 30, 1984, when the low was 79 degrees F. In California, Bakersfield's high of 101 degrees F on May 23 was its first triple-digit heat of the year, 8 days earlier than the normal date. Cooler-than-normal weather persisted across the northern two-thirds of Alaska, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 9 degrees F below normal. On May 24, daily-record lows included 25 degrees F in Fairbanks and 29 degrees F in King Salmon. Meanwhile in southern Alaska, scattered showers accompanied near- to above-normal temperatures. Nevertheless, May 1-25 precipitation totals across southern Alaska showed a wide range, including 0.69 inch (14 percent of normal) in Kodiak and 6.33 inches (134 percent) on Annette Island. Farther south, Hawaii experienced another week of warm weather with mostly light showers. In fact, little rain fell anywhere on the Hawaiian Islands during the mid- to late-week period, although 24-hour (May 19-20) totals on the Big Island reached 3.19 inches in Waiakea Uka, 2.30 inches in Piihonua, and 2.24 inches in Glenwood. National Agricultural Summary May 19 - 25, 2003 Highlights: Warmer weather returned in the Pacific Northwest and benefited winter wheat development. Above-normal temperatures prevailed in California's Central Valley which, along with the dry weather, accelerated rice and cotton progress. Subsoil moisture conditions remained very dry in the central and northern Rockies, with minimal rainfall recorded. Hot, dry weather increased irrigation demands in the Southwest as dry conditions persisted in a band from southern California to the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. Temperatures on the southern Great Plains reached as high as 100 degrees F and further depleted topsoil moisture. Mid-week showers helped to alleviate the dry conditions but warm, dry weather returned by week's end. The central Great Plains received showers and daily average temperatures were about normal, favoring winter wheat development and crop emergence. Cool weather and scattered frosts in the northern Great Plains slowed winter wheat development and the emergence of small grains, with frost reaching as far south as western Nebraska. Scattered showers in the Corn Belt caused some fieldwork delays, but growers gradually accelerated corn and soybean planting as local conditions allowed, particularly in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Continued wet conditions slowed fieldwork across a wide swath of the interior South, from the northern Delta, to the Tennessee Valley, to the Atlantic Coastal Plains. In contrast, unfavorably dry conditions persisted across the western Gulf Coast. In the Northeast, cool conditions and shower activity limited Pennsylvania and New York growers' progress. Corn: Planting was 88 percent complete, 6 percentage points ahead of last year's pace but 3 points behind the 5-year average. The crop was 64 percent emerged, 13 points ahead of last year but 7 points behind the 5-year average. In Ohio, continued wet fields and scattered showers slowed planting progress to only 2 points. Under drier conditions in Michigan, producers planted 31 percent of their crop, but remained 13 points behind their 5-year average pace. With adequate soil moisture and minimal rainfall, planting progressed 15 points in Iowa, 14 points in Nebraska, and 12 points in both Illinois and Indiana. In other areas, rain limited fieldwork and planting progress in Minnesota, Tennessee and North Carolina. Progress in South Dakota and North Dakota advanced 19 and 17 points, respectively. Colorado growers took advantage of dry weather to plant 16 percent of their crop. Emergence gained momentum in most areas, but especially in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, all of which showed gains of at least 28 points. However, emergence lagged well behind the 5-year average in Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Soybeans: Planting was 50 percent complete, 2 percentage points ahead of last year's pace but 12 points behind normal for this date. The crop was 17 percent emerged, 3 points ahead of last year but 16 points behind the 5-year average. Each of the 18 major producing States was behind their 5-year average planting pace. Planting progress was more than 1 week behind normal in Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Heavy rainfall across the Southeast limited planting progress to 6 points or less in most States. With drier conditions, planting in Iowa surged 45 points, but remained 9 points behind the 5-year average pace. Illinois planting advanced 36 points during the week, running 4 points behind the 5-year average pace. Planting increased 32 points in South Dakota and 30 points in North Dakota. Fields slowly emerged across the Corn Belt, but all States in this area were still behind normal progress. Most states remained significantly behind their 5-year average emergence pace, with only Arkansas and Mississippi ahead of their average. Winter Wheat: Seventy-six percent of the Nation's winter wheat was headed, 3 percentage points ahead of last year's pace but 1 point behind the 5-year average. Development accelerated in the Corn Belt and yielded double-digit increases in the percent headed during the week for Indiana, Nebraska, and Ohio. Kansas made good progress and remained ahead of both last year and the 5-year average. Fields developed slower than normal due to cool temperatures across the northern Great Plains, where only a few fields were headed in Montana and South Dakota. Eleven of the 18 major-producing States were behind their 5-year average pace, with Michigan significantly behind by 25 points. Cotton: Planting advanced to 70 percent complete, 9 percentage points behind last year and 7 points behind the 5-year average. Only Oklahoma was at or above their 5-year average planting pace, with a 15 point planting increase this week. Growers in Missouri worked around scattered showers to boost planting by 28 points. Despite generally rainy conditions, planting advanced by 27 points in South Carolina, 14 points in North Carolina, 13 points in Georgia, and 11 points in Virginia. Progress stepped-up by 15 points in Louisiana and 13 points in Texas. Progress was only slightly slower in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. California planting progress remained slightly behind average, but increased 8 points under warmer, drier conditions. Sorghum: Planting advanced to 40 percent complete, 3 percentage points behind last year and 8 points behind the 5-year average. Of the 12 major-producing States, only Arkansas, Colorado, and South Dakota were ahead of their 5-year average pace. Planting accelerated with double-digit increases in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota. Nebraska planting increased 9 points, but remained 32 points behind the 5-year average pace. Illinois was 30 points behind average with minimal activity this week. Rice: Ninety percent of the crop had been planted, 5 percentage points behind last year and 4 points behind the 5-year average. The crop was 81 percent emerged, 3 percentage points behind last year but equal to the 5-year average. Warm, dry conditions in California allowed planting to advance 30 points during the week, but still remained 18 points behind the normal pace. Planting neared completion in the Delta, but progress was slowed by heavy rainfall in many areas. Warm weather promoted emergence in California, but lagged behind both last year and the average pace. Small grains: Spring wheat planting progressed to 90 percent, 4 percentage points ahead of last year and 2 points ahead of the 5-year average. The crop was 71 percent emerged, 22 points ahead of last year and 4 points ahead of the 5-year average. With dry but cool weather, North Dakota planting advanced 16 points to 84 percent complete, while Montana rose 15 points to 89 percent complete. Planting was completed in South Dakota and Washington, and virtually complete in Idaho and Minnesota. Emergence increased by 11 points or more in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota despite below-normal temperatures across the northern Great Plains and northern Rockies. The barley crop was 90 percent seeded, compared with last year's 89 percent and the 5-year average of 88 percent. The crop was 70 percent emerged, 20 percentage points ahead of last year and 4 points ahead of the 5-year average. North Dakota and Montana planting progress advanced 23 points and 15 points, respectively. Planting was completed in Washington and virtually complete in Minnesota. Emergence rose by at least 12 points in all States except Washington. The oat crop was 94 percent seeded and 82 percent emerged. Planting was ahead of last year's pace of 93 percent seeded and emergence was 13 percentage points ahead of last year. Planting was completed in Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota, and virtually complete in Minnesota. North Dakota's planting progress advanced 21 percentage points to 82 percent complete, 3 points behind last year and 2 points behind average. Pennsylvania showed slow progress due to wet conditions. Emergence increased by 20 points during the week in North Dakota and was slightly slower in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Other crops: Peanut planting was 75 percent complete, 3 percentage points behind both last year and the 5-year average. Planting progress accelerated by at least 12 points in each of the 7 major-producing States. Florida and Virginia led the way with 25 point increases despite rainy weather conditions. Georgia growers posted a 24 point increase, while planting in Texas rose by 21 points. Sunflowers planting progressed to 21 percent in the four major-producing States, behind last year's pace by 2 percentage points. Planting was most advanced in North Dakota at 31 percent complete, equal to last year's progress, but 4 points behind their average pace. Corn: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 86 70 92 93 IL : 91 79 71 90 IN : 73 61 39 84 IA : 94 79 97 96 KS : 97 90 97 96 KY : 84 76 68 88 MI : 70 39 69 83 MN : 96 91 96 95 MO : 91 81 82 88 NE : 91 77 96 97 NC : 94 92 100 97 ND : 85 68 85 80 OH : 88 86 42 84 PA : 59 55 70 78 SD : 88 69 92 84 TN : 92 90 98 98 TX : 99 98 99 98 WI : 73 61 76 85 : 18 Sts: 88 77 82 91 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 92% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 41 35 45 48 IL : 57 21 20 61 IN : 40 25 17 66 IA : 64 19 80 73 KS : 40 25 42 57 KY : 15 11 14 39 LA : 52 39 58 75 MI : 34 11 39 58 MN : 68 40 78 73 MS : 82 78 85 84 MO : 40 19 27 46 NE : 45 22 68 70 NC : 28 18 51 35 ND : 48 18 67 56 OH : 52 46 18 68 SD : 47 15 63 55 TN : 14 9 29 33 WI : 38 20 57 60 : 18 Sts: 50 25 48 62 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 96% of last year's soybean acreage. Corn: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 44 14 56 62 IL : 78 61 47 73 IN : 57 45 12 65 IA : 68 38 72 79 KS : 82 62 80 82 KY : 76 67 57 76 MI : 30 11 17 56 MN : 71 34 42 71 MO : 78 68 72 75 NE : 54 31 68 76 NC : 86 72 98 92 ND : 50 19 49 48 OH : 75 72 19 64 PA : 40 30 47 53 SD : 38 10 31 50 TN : 89 87 92 92 TX : 94 88 92 91 WI : 33 16 22 55 : 18 Sts: 64 43 51 71 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 92% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 34 28 29 31 IL : 14 5 5 35 IN : 22 12 4 44 IA : 10 2 21 35 KS : 15 11 25 37 KY : 8 0 6 25 LA : 38 33 41 62 MI : 7 2 8 29 MN : 15 2 8 33 MS : 75 70 72 70 MO : 16 6 15 26 NE : 11 3 23 32 NC : 15 5 31 20 ND : 12 3 8 17 OH : 39 31 6 42 SD : 5 1 5 18 TN : 5 0 15 19 WI : 7 3 12 26 : 18 Sts: 17 9 14 33 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 96% of last year's soybean acreage. Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 94 93 95 95 CA : 65 35 93 83 LA : 98 96 99 99 MS : 94 89 97 97 MO : 85 75 77 93 TX : 100 99 100 100 : 6 Sts : 90 83 95 94 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 78 73 92 91 AZ : 86 80 98 97 AR : 68 60 90 93 CA : 97 89 100 98 GA : 75 62 84 79 LA : 94 79 94 97 MS : 87 *79 91 94 MO : 76 48 88 96 NC : 80 66 94 90 OK : 76 61 72 64 SC : 70 43 90 80 TN : 46 38 74 89 TX : 57 44 64 58 VA : 96 85 100 98 : 14 Sts: 70 57 79 77 -------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ These 14 States planted 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Sunflowers: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 2 NA 8 NA KS : 8 NA 11 20 ND : 31 NA 31 35 SD : 7 NA 13 21 : 4 Sts : 21 NA 23 NA -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States planted 91% of last year's sunflowers acreage. Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 91 87 89 85 CA : 30 2 61 48 LA : 95 91 95 97 MS : 87 81 90 88 MO : 75 60 52 72 TX : 97 96 99 96 : 6 Sts : 81 72 84 81 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Sorghum: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 94 92 97 92 CO : 32 13 25 28 IL : 4 3 5 34 KS : 27 15 31 39 LA : 83 75 86 92 MO : 49 36 34 53 NE : 17 8 41 49 NM : 9 7 9 15 OK : 25 21 35 28 SD : 29 15 20 27 TX : 59 53 60 62 : 11 Sts: 40 31 43 48 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 76 56 79 86 FL : 75 50 74 74 GA : 70 46 82 83 NC : 84 70 92 85 OK : 84 72 78 74 TX : 77 56 64 64 VA : 85 60 92 93 : 7 Sts : 75 54 78 78 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 7 States planted 98% of last year's peanut acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 97 90 99 98 MN : 98 94 86 86 MT : 89 74 79 90 ND : 84 68 85 83 SD : 100 99 100 98 WA : 100 99 100 100 : 6 Sts : 90 78 86 88 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 95 87 97 96 MN : 99 96 82 82 MT : 90 75 87 93 ND : 85 62 85 80 WA : 100 99 100 100 : 5 Sts : 90 75 89 88 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 81% of last year's barley acreage. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 100 100 100 100 MN : 99 94 94 92 NE : 100 99 100 100 ND : 82 61 85 84 OH : 100 100 95 99 PA : 95 89 93 96 SD : 100 98 99 97 WI : 96 90 88 96 : 8 Sts : 94 87 93 93 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States planted 53% of last year's oat acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 82 71 91 88 MN : 84 70 50 70 MT : 58 39 40 63 ND : 65 49 37 58 SD : 99 93 91 91 WA : 97 90 94 97 : 6 Sts : 71 57 49 67 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Barley: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 81 69 79 81 MN : 83 63 45 66 MT : 62 44 46 67 ND : 63 38 31 52 WA : 96 93 96 97 : 5 Sts : 70 51 50 66 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 81% of last year's barley acreage. Oats: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 98 91 99 98 MN : 88 73 69 81 NE : 98 93 99 97 ND : 62 42 37 58 OH : 100 99 87 96 PA : 85 77 84 86 SD : 95 88 85 87 WI : 75 61 61 87 : 8 Sts: 82 70 69 81 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States planted 53% of last year's oat acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:May 25,:May 18,:May 25,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 99 100 100 CA : 100 99 100 99 CO : 55 29 55 56 ID : 0 0 0 3 IL : 91 85 87 93 IN : 83 62 74 88 KS : 98 88 92 95 MI : 2 0 1 27 MO : 94 89 93 92 MT : 1 1 0 3 NE : 34 10 33 45 NC : 95 93 100 100 OH : 67 17 37 74 OK : 100 100 100 100 OR : 24 9 32 24 SD : 4 1 0 9 TX : 97 93 95 95 WA : 19 12 22 27 : 18 Sts: 76 68 73 77 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 11 30 46 12 CA : 0 0 20 70 10 CO : 4 7 18 56 15 ID : 0 1 8 70 21 IL : 1 6 23 59 11 IN : 1 3 15 57 24 KS : 4 13 27 42 14 MI : 1 6 26 55 12 MO : 2 6 27 50 15 MT : 2 5 21 50 22 NE : 0 8 25 49 18 NC : 3 11 36 49 1 OH : 1 3 16 55 25 OK : 3 8 31 45 13 OR : 0 12 62 25 1 SD : 1 5 21 53 20 TX : 20 25 37 15 3 WA : 2 5 18 52 23 : 18 Sts : 6 11 28 42 13 : Prev Wk : 7 12 28 41 12 Prev Yr : 17 19 31 29 4 -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2002 planted acres. Oats: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 0 2 17 61 20 MN : 0 1 15 70 14 NE : 0 1 12 65 22 ND : 0 0 13 76 11 OH : 1 5 27 58 9 PA : 0 5 25 56 14 SD : 0 2 22 60 16 WI : 0 2 15 67 16 : 8 Sts : 0 2 17 66 15 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 1 4 32 54 9 -------------------------------------- Rice: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 5 30 47 17 CA : 5 15 75 5 0 LA : 0 1 20 72 7 MS : 0 3 17 65 15 MO : 0 2 16 78 4 TX : 0 0 19 74 7 : 6 Sts : 1 5 33 50 11 : Prev Wk : NA NA NA NA NA Prev Yr : 2 7 30 49 12 -------------------------------------- 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 3 30 53 14 :: NJ : 0 0 0 100 0 AZ : 18 35 32 11 4 :: NM : 31 39 29 1 0 AR : 0 4 28 58 10 :: NY : 0 0 7 61 32 CA : 0 0 30 60 10 :: NC : 0 1 15 66 18 CO : 4 32 38 24 2 :: ND : 2 9 36 45 8 CT : 0 0 25 65 10 :: OH : 1 3 19 59 18 DE : 0 3 14 60 23 :: OK : 2 12 32 46 8 FL : 5 5 30 55 5 :: OR : 2 8 40 46 4 GA : 0 3 16 66 15 :: PA : 0 6 16 56 22 ID : 0 1 25 57 17 :: RI : 0 0 30 70 0 IL : 0 1 14 55 30 :: SC : 0 1 6 71 22 IN : 0 2 19 61 18 :: SD : 6 17 31 36 10 IA : 0 2 14 60 24 :: TN : 0 4 16 61 19 KS : 11 19 36 27 7 :: TX : 17 25 38 17 3 KY : 1 2 13 53 31 :: UT : 5 15 38 40 2 LA : 6 18 35 37 4 :: VT : 0 2 25 57 16 ME : 2 12 26 52 8 :: VA : 0 3 19 53 25 MD : 0 2 24 52 22 :: WA : 0 1 38 49 12 MA : 0 0 7 42 51 :: WV : 0 2 18 70 10 MI : 1 5 20 59 15 :: WI : 2 4 23 54 17 MN : 1 5 21 60 13 :: WY : 6 17 40 37 0 MS : 0 4 19 65 12 :: : MO : 1 6 25 56 12 :: 48 Sts : 5 11 28 44 12 MT : 1 12 29 43 15 :: : NE : 6 19 36 32 7 :: Prev Wk: 5 12 29 42 12 NV : 1 8 16 40 35 :: Prev Yr: 10 18 30 34 8 NH : 0 1 7 59 33 :: : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2002 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 after 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 after 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 June 3, 2003. 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