We 1 (10-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released October 21, 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 Brian T. Young at (202) 720-7621, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 90, No. 42 October 12 - 18, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. HIGHLIGHTS: On the northern and central High Plains, conditions for winter wheat establishment deteriorated due to unfavorable dryness and late-week warmth. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 6 deg F above normal on the Montana High Plains. High winds accompanied the northern High Plains' warming trend, offsetting the limited benefits of isolated, early- to mid-week showers. Elsewhere on the Plains, warm (3 to 5 deg F above normal), mostly dry weather favored summer crop harvesting and winter wheat planting but hampered wheat establishment across portions of the southern High Plains, including southwestern Oklahoma and northern and western Texas. Meanwhile, highly beneficial showers diminished across eastern Washington, while unfavorably dry weather persisted in other Northwestern winter wheat-producing areas. The remainder of the West experienced dry weather and a rapid, late-week warming trend, promoting autumn fieldwork but highlighting the severity of long-term water-supply concerns across the Southwest, Great Basin, and Intermountain West. Farther east, early- to mid-week showers briefly slowed Midwestern winter wheat planting and summer crop harvesting operations. By week's end, however, the return of dry weather allowed corn and soybean harvests to advance. Minor fieldwork delays were also noted across much of the South, where dry weather also became established by week's end. Although drier weather also overspread Deep South Texas, some fieldwork delays persisted due to the lingering effects of the latest round of heavy rain. Most of the week's significant precipitation was confined to the Pacific Northwest and the Nation's northeastern quadrant. During the early- to mid-week period, rain from the Corn Belt into the Northeast resulted in daily-record totals in locations such as Detroit, MI (1.78 inches on October 14), Indianapolis, IN (1.71 inches on October 14), and Portland, ME (1.63 inches on October 15). Farther west, heavy rain in Washington on October 16 resulted in several daily-record totals, including 2.46 inches in Bellingham and 1.66 inches in Olympia. Cool weather lingered early in the week across the Northwest and Intermountain West, where daily-record lows included 27 deg F (on October 13) in Ashland, OR, and 23 deg F (on October 14) in Cedar City, UT. Four days later, however, Cedar City posted a daily-record high of 83 deg F. Elsewhere in Utah, Delta also noted a 4-day turnaround from October 14 to 17, warming from 14 to 85 deg F. By October 16, daily-record warmth overspread the southern High Plains, resulting in highs of 91 deg F in Roswell, NM, and 92 deg F in Lubbock, TX. Record warmth expanded by week's end to encompass locations spread across more than half of the Nation. On October 18, highs of 103 deg F in Phoenix, AZ, 91 deg F in Minden, NE, 90 deg F in Dodge City, KS, and 85 deg F in Twin Falls, ID, were among dozens of daily-record highs established from the Plains westward to the Pacific Coast. Farther east, record warmth also spread into the western Corn Belt, where record highs for October 18 included 85 deg F in Spencer, IA, and 84 deg F in Sioux Falls, SD. Although near- to below-normal temperatures replaced early- to mid-week warmth across much of Alaska, weekly temperatures ranged from 3 to 6 deg F above normal. On October 15 in Bethel, a high of 55 deg F was among the last of several Alaskan daily-record highs. Although wet, unsettled weather persisted in much of the State, portions of interior and southeastern Alaska remained drier than normal for the first 19 days of October. Month-to-date precipitation included 0.09 inch (18 percent of normal) in Fairbanks and 1.33 inches (28 percent) in Juneau. Meanwhile in Hawaii, remarkably dry weather prevailed toward week's end, following widespread showers. On Maui, West Wailuaiki reported a weekly total of 5.16 inches, nearly all (5.13 inches) of which fell in a 120-hour period from October 12-17. National Agricultural Summary October 13 - 19, 2003 Highlights: From the Pacific Coast to the middle of the Great Plains, temperatures were above normal, with little to no rainfall. Temperatures were well above normal in the Southwest, where record highs were set in Arizona. This warm, dry weather also extended into the northern Corn Belt, encouraging summer grain harvest and winter wheat planting. Moderate rainfall and below-normal temperatures only slightly delayed fieldwork in the southern Corn Belt and Ohio Valley. Despite the dry weather and near-normal temperatures in the Mississippi Delta and Southeast, crop development and fieldwork progressed slowly. In the Northeast, temperatures were near normal, but moderate to heavy rainfall caused pasture and range conditions to decline. Corn: Harvest was 56 percent complete, 7 percentage points above last year at this time but 2 points below the 5-year average. Harvest progressed rapidly in the western Corn Belt and adjacent areas of the Great Plains, with producers in Minnesota and North Dakota harvesting over 30 percent of their crop during the week. However, harvest progress in the rest of the Great Plains was slow, despite similar conditions. In the eastern Corn Belt, harvest progressed well, but growers in the Ohio Valley focused on harvesting soybeans and planting winter wheat, and remained over 1 week behind normal. Soybeans: Seventy-four percent of the crop had been harvested, 3 percentage points ahead of last year but even with the normal pace. Harvest progressed well in the eastern Corn Belt and Ohio Valley, where growers were not deterred by moderate rainfall. Progress was steady in the western Corn Belt and Great Plains, but Kansas producers fell behind their normal pace by over 2 weeks. Harvest progressed slowly across the Mississippi Delta and Southeast. Winter Wheat: Seeding advanced to 82 percent complete, the same as last year but 3 percentage points ahead of normal. Sixty-one percent of the expected acreage had emerged, 2 points below last year but 6 points above the 5-year average. Planting progress was most rapid in the Corn Belt, where Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio growers planted 20 percent or more of their expected acreage. In the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain States, planting neared completion, with Colorado growers reaching 100 percent. Emergence progressed well across most States, with Montana leading the way as 32 percent of its crop emerged during the week. Across the Great Plains, emergence was slowed by the lack of rainfall. Cotton: Eighty-nine percent of fields had open bolls, 7 percentage points behind last year and the 5-year average. Acreage harvested, at 35 percent, was 3 points behind last year and 13 points behind normal for this date. Though the crop continued to develop slowly across the Nation, fields with open bolls reached 100 percent in Arizona, California, Louisiana, and Mississippi. However, development was still 2 weeks behind normal nationwide, with Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee 3 weeks or more behind their normal pace. Nationwide, harvest progress was over 1 week behind normal. All States lagged behind their normal harvest pace, with Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia still over 2 weeks behind. Sorghum: Ninety-five percent of the crop had turned color, 4 percentage points behind last year at this time and 5 points behind the average. Seventy-eight percent of the crop was mature, 10 points behind last year and 16 points behind normal. Acreage harvested was at 52 percent, compared with last year's 62 percent and the 5-year average of 73 percent. Nationwide, the crop remained over 3 weeks behind normal in turning color and over 2 weeks behind in maturation and harvest. Texas remained over 5 weeks behind normal in all stages, while Kansas remained over 2 weeks behind. However, harvest progressed steadily in most States. Illinois growers harvested 20 percent of their crop during the week but remained nearly 2 weeks behind their normal pace. Rice: Harvest progressed to 92 percent complete, the same as last year at this time but 2 percentage points behind normal. Progress slowed across the Mississippi Delta as harvest neared completion. In California, growers harvested 10 percent of their crop during the week but fell to 10 points behind normal. Peanuts: Fifty-nine percent of the acreage had been harvested, 1 percentage point behind last year and 4 points behind the 5-year average. Virginia producers harvested 30 percent of their crop during the week but remained over 1 week behind their normal pace. Texas growers were still 3 weeks behind normal. Harvest progressed steadily and remained ahead of normal in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Other Crops: Seventy-five percent of the sugarbeet crop was harvested, 6 percentage points ahead of last year and 2 points ahead of normal. With cooling weather across the major producing areas, harvest progressed well, nearing completion in Minnesota and North Dakota. Despite harvesting 20 percent of their crop during the week, Michigan growers remained over 1 week behind normal after slow progress in previous weeks. The sunflower crop advanced to 61 percent harvested, 27 percentage points ahead of last year and 19 points ahead of the 5-year average. North Dakota growers harvested 31 percent of their crop during the week to pull 27 points ahead of normal. However, harvest progress in Kansas was over 1 week behind. Corn: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 54 29 32 41 IL : 65 47 67 69 IN : 35 24 42 53 IA : 55 31 38 54 KS : 87 80 84 85 KY : 82 78 89 91 MI : 18 8 33 36 MN : 70 38 31 51 MO : 83 75 90 82 NE : 42 30 44 58 NC : 97 94 78 89 ND : 65 32 31 40 OH : 20 13 35 37 PA : 30 24 58 43 SD : 44 32 32 40 TN : 95 93 97 98 TX : 92 90 95 96 WI : 35 20 21 33 : 18 Sts: 56 39 49 58 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States harvested 94% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 43 35 38 48 IL : 79 64 81 77 IN : 64 44 75 74 IA : 94 84 84 86 KS : 33 23 68 70 KY : 33 26 41 53 LA : 69 62 59 82 MI : 69 44 70 57 MN : 98 89 72 88 MS : 89 82 68 80 MO : 39 28 63 59 NE : 85 70 75 82 NC : 8 3 10 14 ND : 97 87 79 86 OH : 64 46 72 75 SD : 92 78 73 77 TN : 32 20 34 41 WI : 77 54 51 64 : 18 Sts: 74 60 71 74 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States harvested 96% of last year's soybean acreage. Cotton: Percent Bolls Opening, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 95 94 99 97 AZ : 100 99 100 100 AR : 92 91 100 100 CA : 100 94 99 100 GA : 93 90 96 93 LA : 100 99 100 100 MS : 100 98 100 100 MO : 91 87 100 100 NC : 92 89 100 97 OK : 97 95 97 96 SC : 81 74 88 94 TN : 95 89 100 100 TX : 80 71 93 94 VA : 81 72 100 94 : 14 Sts: 89 83 96 96 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States planted 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Cotton: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 39 24 35 51 AZ : 21 15 39 34 AR : 46 35 35 64 CA : 20 7 46 26 GA : 30 22 39 37 LA : 81 70 57 82 MS : 71 61 40 73 MO : 37 27 49 66 NC : 12 7 34 31 OK : 22 17 29 43 SC : 17 11 30 38 TN : 32 24 39 68 TX : 28 25 35 43 VA : 11 4 46 38 : 14 Sts: 35 28 38 48 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 14 States harvested 98% of last year's cotton acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 33 21 19 24 CA : 10 9 14 11 CO : 100 98 99 99 ID : 95 87 95 88 IL : 57 34 80 67 IN : 59 38 70 64 KS : 85 78 89 88 MI : 77 57 88 81 MO : 53 36 57 50 MT : 98 92 96 91 NE : 99 96 99 99 NC : 22 20 18 23 OH : 72 43 86 81 OK : 87 78 87 77 OR : 65 51 43 58 SD : 97 93 96 94 TX : 80 76 77 71 WA : 98 92 96 95 : 18 Sts: 82 74 82 79 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 16 7 8 8 CA : 3 2 6 4 CO : 84 73 85 85 ID : 49 34 47 46 IL : 26 6 46 32 IN : 24 8 37 32 KS : 63 50 67 61 MI : 35 16 52 50 MO : 31 14 30 24 MT : 64 32 78 62 NE : 91 82 90 90 NC : 11 4 13 12 OH : 24 3 53 48 OK : 73 62 72 50 OR : 32 23 14 31 SD : 62 50 78 76 TX : 60 50 59 45 WA : 82 69 81 83 : 18 Sts: 61 48 63 55 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 90% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 96 93 92 96 CA : 70 60 89 80 LA : 99 99 99 100 MS : 97 94 89 95 MO : 92 84 78 86 TX : 100 100 100 100 : 6 Sts : 92 89 92 94 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States harvested 100% of last year's rice acreage. Peanuts: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 82 73 69 69 FL : 90 80 83 82 GA : 73 60 69 72 NC : 47 28 61 58 OK : 48 25 58 57 TX : 17 9 28 37 VA : 60 30 71 82 : 7 Sts : 59 47 60 63 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 7 States harvested 98% of last year's peanut acreage. Sorghum: Percent Coloring, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 100 100 100 CO : 100 100 99 99 IL : 99 98 100 100 KS : 97 95 100 100 LA : 100 100 100 100 MO : 100 99 100 100 NE : 100 100 100 100 NM : 100 96 100 100 OK : 97 95 93 98 SD : 100 100 100 100 TX : 88 85 99 100 : 11 Sts: 95 92 99 100 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sorghum: Percent Mature, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 100 100 100 CO : 94 90 83 89 IL : 95 93 99 97 KS : 74 64 85 96 LA : 100 100 100 100 MO : 94 86 99 98 NE : 98 96 99 97 NM : 54 46 69 77 OK : 86 80 88 90 SD : 100 98 94 97 TX : 73 67 89 93 : 11 Sts: 78 71 88 94 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 99 98 98 99 CO : 41 30 34 36 IL : 33 13 77 66 KS : 37 26 47 67 LA : 100 100 96 99 MO : 67 57 81 76 NE : 49 34 54 59 NM : 12 6 17 20 OK : 54 44 74 58 SD : 82 68 45 59 TX : 62 61 75 82 : 11 Sts: 52 45 62 73 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States harvested 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sugarbeets: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 35 20 30 40 MI : 26 6 22 37 MN : 98 72 87 90 ND : 99 77 98 94 : 4 Sts : 75 53 69 73 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States harvested 82% of last year's sugarbeets acreage. Sunflowers: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 1998- State:Oct 19,:Oct 12,:Oct 19,: 2002 : 2003 : 2003 : 2002 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 40 25 34 23 KS : 46 35 42 65 ND : 63 32 27 36 SD : 67 50 54 55 : 4 Sts : 61 36 34 42 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States harvested 91% of last year's sunflowers acreage. Corn: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 5 9 21 50 15 IL : 2 6 24 52 16 IN : 4 8 23 47 18 IA : 6 15 36 36 7 KS : 20 25 34 18 3 KY : 1 4 21 37 37 MI : 2 9 29 46 14 MN : 5 11 32 43 9 MO : 23 24 29 19 5 NE : 14 13 22 31 20 NC : 1 5 29 45 20 ND : 7 19 33 35 6 OH : 2 5 20 48 25 PA : 4 9 23 40 24 SD : 9 13 21 44 13 TN : 2 3 15 56 24 TX : 17 19 32 28 4 WI : 9 20 39 30 2 : 18 Sts : 7 12 28 40 13 : Prev Wk : 7 13 29 39 12 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Cotton: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 2 5 23 63 7 AZ : 2 9 25 20 44 AR : 1 5 22 49 23 CA : 0 0 15 55 30 GA : 1 7 27 48 17 LA : 0 1 15 56 28 MS : 4 6 13 47 30 MO : 2 7 36 41 14 NC : 3 6 48 41 2 OK : 7 17 45 24 7 SC : 0 3 26 66 5 TN : 0 3 15 61 21 TX : 18 24 35 17 6 VA : 1 8 31 46 14 : 14 Sts : 8 13 29 36 14 : Prev Wk : 8 12 31 36 13 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Sorghum: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 4 22 54 20 CO : 10 44 37 7 2 IL : 1 19 38 35 7 KS : 23 35 29 12 1 LA : 0 2 34 59 5 MO : 6 22 41 27 4 NE : 20 30 37 13 0 NM : 20 38 36 4 2 OK : 4 29 37 29 1 SD : 34 16 24 23 3 TX : 10 24 34 27 5 : 11 Sts : 16 29 32 20 3 : Prev Wk : 16 29 32 20 3 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- Peanuts: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 2 4 22 56 16 FL : 1 1 18 55 25 GA : 0 2 22 57 19 NC : 0 0 35 60 5 OK : 0 11 39 44 6 TX : 1 7 31 41 20 VA : 1 4 23 55 17 : 8 Sts : 1 4 26 51 18 : Prev Wk : 1 3 25 52 19 Prev Yr : NA NA NA NA NA -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2002 planted acres. Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 4 9 35 50 2 :: NJ : 0 0 55 45 0 AZ : 20 22 22 25 11 :: NM : 47 32 20 1 0 AR : 1 10 30 52 7 :: NY : 0 7 31 50 12 CA : 45 45 10 0 0 :: NC : 0 3 25 67 5 CO : 12 28 40 20 0 :: ND : 29 35 26 10 0 CT : 0 0 57 37 6 :: OH : 2 4 20 55 19 DE : 1 2 14 69 14 :: OK : 6 18 35 33 8 FL : 0 0 20 75 5 :: OR : 16 44 36 4 0 GA : 1 13 40 41 5 :: PA : 5 15 20 48 12 ID : 13 48 36 3 0 :: RI : 0 0 9 79 12 IL : 3 13 46 33 5 :: SC : 0 12 19 64 5 IN : 2 8 26 57 7 :: SD : 22 33 29 15 1 IA : 30 29 31 10 0 :: TN : 0 4 21 61 14 KS : 24 28 32 14 2 :: TX : 9 15 32 31 13 KY : 1 2 22 58 17 :: UT : 9 26 44 21 0 LA : 1 10 46 42 1 :: VT : 7 30 54 8 1 ME : 0 12 29 39 20 :: VA : 0 2 19 56 23 MD : 3 6 22 48 21 :: WA : 9 27 48 16 0 MA : 0 4 23 73 0 :: WV : 0 2 37 53 8 MI : 8 33 38 20 1 :: WI : 22 30 28 20 0 MN : 21 29 38 12 0 :: WY : 12 23 44 20 1 MS : 2 14 32 44 8 :: : MO : 4 14 39 37 6 :: 48 Sts : 15 22 29 28 6 MT : 42 34 19 5 0 :: : NE : 35 32 25 8 0 :: Prev Wk: 14 22 30 29 5 NV : 8 39 42 11 0 :: Prev Yr: 21 21 31 24 3 NH : 0 2 29 30 39 :: : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 October 28, 2003. 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