We 1 (5-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released May 1, 2007, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Greg Thessen at (202) 720-4857, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary April 22 - 28, 2007 Highlights: Heavy rain soaked the central Plains and much of the Midwest, halting corn planting and other spring fieldwork. Weekly rainfall totaled at least 4 inches across parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and neighboring areas, triggering lowland flooding. In contrast, only light showers fell across the northern Plains and upper Midwest, allowing corn planting to commence and promoting an acceleration of spring wheat seeding. Meanwhile, generally light rain fell across the East and South. In the latter region, showers temporarily eased irrigation demands and provided local relief for drought-stressed pastures and emerging summer crops. Little rain fell, however, in the southern Atlantic region, where drought effects included diminishing water supplies (e.g. southern Florida's Lake Okeechobee) and the threat of additional wildfires. Elsewhere, the West experienced a warming trend, while locally severe thunderstorms dotted the south-central U.S. Western fieldwork included planting of small grains in the Northwest, rice in California, and cotton in Arizona. Farther east, strong thunderstorms erupted on the central and southern High Plains on April 23, eventually reaching the lower Midwest by April 26. On April 24, Texas' deadliest tornado in nearly 10 years claimed seven lives near Eagle Pass. Late in the week, very warm weather developed across the northern Plains and the West. During the weekend, unusual warmth expanded across the remainder of the Plains and the Midwest, boosting temperatures to near 90 degrees F. One heat-related concern was the effect of hot weather on winter wheat damaged by the early-April cold snap. Although near- to above-normal temperatures prevailed nationwide, there were a few pockets of chilly weather. For example, lingering cold conditions in the West resulted in daily-record lows for April 24 in Montague, OR (26 degrees F), and Douglas, AZ (34 degrees F). Two days later, San Angelo, TX (38 degrees F), notched a record low for April 26. Elsewhere on the 26th, freezes were noted on the central High Plains in locations such as Burlington, CO (29 degrees F), and Goodland, KS (30 degrees F). However, winter wheat was generally not yet heading in the freeze-affected areas, and thus not vulnerable to damage with readings at or slightly below 30 degrees F. Meanwhile, a bigger story was expanding warmth. In Wisconsin, La Crosse notched its fourth 80-degree reading of the year on April 22. The last time La Crosse recorded four highs of 80 degrees F or greater by April 22 was 1987. Farther east, a brief surge of warmth into the Northeast on April 23 produced daily records in locations such as Hartford, CT (88 degrees F), and Bangor, ME (83 degrees F). Elsewhere in Maine, the April 23 maximum of 81 degrees F in Portland represented the highest reading since August 22, 2006, when it was 82 degrees F. At week's end, record warmth exploded across the West and began to spread. On April 28 in California, monthly record highs were tied or broken in Indio (109 degrees F), Needles (106 degrees F), and Imperial (106 degrees F). The only other times Indio reached 109 degrees F in April was on the 21st and 22nd in 1958. Many additional daily records and several monthly record highs were set or tied during the final 2 days of April; details will appear in next week's summary. Early in the week, heavy showers peppered the north-central U.S., including Nebraska, where daily-record rainfall totals for April 22 included 1.32 inches in Broken Bow and 0.98 inch in Omaha. Meanwhile, a storm moving ashore in the West produced record amounts in Modesto, CA (0.33 inch on April 22), and Grand Junction, CO (0.38 inch). Heavy rain erupted across the central Plains on April 24, when Lincoln, NE (2.60 inches), experienced its wettest April day on record (previously, 2.34 inches on April 28, 1974). Daily-record totals for April 24 included 3.46 inches in Kearney, NE, 2.09 inches in Denver, CO, and 2.08 inches in Sioux City, IA. In Colorado, as much as 2 feet of snow accumulated in the Rockies, while April 24 wind gusts were clocked to 67 m.p.h. in Pueblo and 52 m.p.h. in Colorado Springs. By April 25, heavy rain continued on the central Plains and spread across the Midwest, where South Bend, IN (2.48 inches), collected a daily-record sum. In the rain's wake, many Midwestern rivers climbed out of their banks. Flooding was particularly severe in central Iowa, where a few rivers rose to their highest levels since July 1993. Among them: the N. Fork Raccoon River near Perry (7.20 feet above flood stage on April 27), Beaver Creek near Grimes (1.86 feet a.f.s. on April 27), and the S. Skunk River at Colfax (1.71 feet a.f.s. on April 27). Elsewhere in Iowa, the S. Skunk River near Ames surged 5.89 feet above flood stage on April 26, the second highest crest there in the last 75 years behind a reading of 6.87 feet a.f.s. on June 17, 1996. In several other Iowa basins, including the Iowa River at Marshalltown (4.50 feet a.f.s. on April 26), the Raccoon River at Des Moines, and the S. Raccoon River near Redfield, flood waters reached their highest levels since June 1998. Meanwhile, heavy rain briefly returned to the Northeast on April 27, resulting in daily-record totals in Newark, NJ (2.36 inches), and New York's Central Park (2.04 inches). As a result, Central Park's month-to-date precipitation reached 13.05 inches (328 percent of normal), becoming its second-wettest April behind 14.01 inches in 1983. Farther west, January-April precipitation totaled 11.60 inches in Sioux City, IA, breaking its 1998 record of 11.33 inches. In stark contrast, drought worsened across the southern Atlantic States. By April 29, the average surface elevation of Florida's Lake Okeechobee fell to 9.66 feet, just a little more than 8 inches above the record-low level of 8.97 feet, set on May 24, 2001. Meanwhile in southern Georgia, the combined acreage of two large wildfires near Waycross topped 78,000 acres by April 29. The larger of the fires, the Sweat Farm Road incident, was responsible for the loss of nearly two dozen structures since starting on April 16 after a tree fell on a power line. Farther west, however, a rash of severe weather included Texas' deadliest tornado since May 27, 1997, when 27 people perished in Jarrell (Williamson County). The April 24 tornado, which killed seven people near Eagle Pass (Maverick County), originated from a thunderstorm that formed over northern Mexico before crossing the Rio Grande. Most of Hawaii remained rather dry, although scattered showers continued to dampen windward locations. On the Big Island, Hilo's weekly rainfall of 2.19 inches boosted its month-to-date total to 7.15 inches (60 percent of normal). Hilo also posted a daily record-tying low of 62 degrees F on April 25. Farther north, significant precipitation was confined to southern Alaska, while mild, mostly dry weather prevailed on the mainland. From April 21-24, McGrath (57, 60, 62, and 60 degrees F) posted four consecutive daily-record highs. Meanwhile, Kodiak's weekly rainfall of 2.08 inches lifted its April 1-28 precipitation total to 11.86 inches (233 percent of normal). National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary April 23 - 29, 2007 Near to above normal temperatures prevailed nationwide, as moderate to heavy rains fell across much of the Nation's mid-section during the week. A warming trend brought average temperatures back to near normal in the central and southern Rocky Mountains and the central and southern Great Plains, and up to 5 degrees F or more above normal elsewhere. In the West and across the northern Plains, warm, dry weather was favorable for spring planting and crop development. Midweek storms across the central Plains and the Corn Belt led to weekly rainfall totals in excess of 4 inches over much of the area and brought spring planting and other fieldwork to a standstill. Moderate rainfall brought some relief to pastures and emerging crops from the Delta northeastward, but missed South Carolina, Georgia and Florida where conditions remain critically dry. Corn: Planting was underway in all States, advancing 12 percentage points during the week to 23 percent complete, well-behind last year's 48 percent and the 42 percent average. Progress in most States was well-behind last year and normal, especially in the Corn Belt. Planting lagged 32 points behind normal in Iowa and 23 points behind normal in Illinois, where 14 and 36 percent of the intended corn acreage was sown, respectively. Planting in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio also lagged 17 to 28 points behind normal. By week's end, only 4 percent of the crop had emerged, compared with 12 percent last year and the 10 percent average. Soybeans: Only 3 percent of the intended acreage was planted by week's end, compared with 9 percent last year and the 7 percent average. Planting was most advanced in the Delta, where Louisiana growers maintained a normal pace with 32 percent of their crop in the ground, while growers in Mississippi and Arkansas were behind schedule with 50 and 14 percent planted, respectively. Growers in most other States were behind schedule with 5 percent or less planted. Planting had not yet begun in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Winter Wheat: Twenty-six percent of the crop was at or beyond the heading stage, compared with 38 percent last year and the 28 percent average. Heading was ahead of normal in Texas, near normal in Oklahoma, and behind normal in Kansas, at 59, 74 and 7 percent, respectively. Elsewhere, the crop was most advanced in California and Arkansas, where heading was ahead of average at 98 and 93 percent, respectively. Following adverse weather conditions in many States earlier in the month, more seasonal temperatures and adequate moisture supplies since then have caused crop condition ratings to change very little over the past two weeks. Cotton: Nineteen percent of the crop had been planted, 11 points behind last year and 6 points behind the 5-year average. Planting in the Southwest advanced steadily, with 97 and 55 percent of the crop in the ground in California and Arizona, respectively. Texas growers were planting at a near normal pace with 20 percent in the ground, but growers in the Delta and Southeast were well-behind their normal planting pace. Sorghum: Planting was 4 points behind last year, but 3 points ahead of normal, with 23 percent of the intended crop in the ground. Seeding continued to advance well-ahead of normal in the Delta, with 80 percent planted in Arkansas and 86 percent planted in Louisiana. Texas and Oklahoma growers were making good progress, with 62 and 31 percent planted, respectively. Growers in Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota had not yet begun planting, while limited progress was made elsewhere. Rice: Planting advanced to 60 percent complete, 11 points behind last year and 2 points behind the 5-year average. Planting continued to gain momentum during the week, but remained behind normal in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Thirty-three percent of the crop had emerged, 17 points behind last year and 5 points behind the average. Emergence lagged behind normal in all States except California, with Texas lagging as much as 20 points behind. Small Grains: Thirty-four percent of the spring wheat crop had been sown, 5 points behind last year and 11 points behind normal. Planting continued ahead of the normal pace in Idaho and caught up to normal in Montana, but lagged behind elsewhere. Good progress was made in all States, especially Minnesota, the Dakotas and Montana where planting advanced 16 to 27 points. By week's end, 6 percent of the crop had emerged, compared with 9 percent last year and the 15 percent average. Emergence was 17 points ahead of normal in Idaho, but lagged behind normal in all other States. Barley planting, at 43 percent complete, was 11 points ahead of last year, and 2 points ahead of the 5-year average. Seeding was most advanced in Washington and Idaho, at 85 and 72 percent planted, respectively, with both States well-ahead of last year and normal. Fifteen percent of the crop had emerged, 8 points ahead of last year and 1 point ahead of normal. Oat growers had planted 62 percent of their acreage, compared with 77 percent last year and the 73 percent average. Except for Texas, growers in all States made significant progress during the week, but planting continued to lag behind the normal pace. Thirty-five percent of the crop had emerged, 13 points behind last year and 12 points behind normal. Other Crops: Sugarbeet planting advanced to 56 percent complete, 5 points ahead of last year, but 5 points behind the average. While planting in the Red River Valley was just underway the previous week, rapid progress was made during the week, advancing to 38 percent complete in Minnesota and 50 percent complete in North Dakota. Good progress was also made in Michigan, where planting advanced to 75 percent complete. Meanwhile, planting was nearly finished in Idaho. Peanut planting was underway in all States with 4 percent of the intended acreage in the ground by week's end, the same as last year, but 2 points behind normal. Oklahoma led the way with 10 percent of the crop seeded. Planting progress was close to normal in all States, except South Carolina where the pace lagged 9 points behind normal. Soybeans: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 14 8 31 22 IL : 1 0 4 4 IN : 2 0 4 8 IA : 0 0 5 3 KS : 0 0 5 3 KY : 2 1 6 4 LA : 32 14 44 32 MI : 2 1 7 5 MN : 2 0 3 3 MS : 50 39 86 60 MO : 3 2 12 7 NE : 0 0 3 3 NC : 2 0 6 3 ND : 1 0 0 1 OH : 4 0 15 13 SD : 0 0 1 1 TN : 5 1 6 4 WI : 0 0 3 2 : 18 Sts: 3 2 9 7 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 96% of last year's soybean acreage. Winter Wheat: Percent Headed, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 93 83 87 76 CA : 98 95 76 92 CO : 2 1 3 3 ID : 0 0 0 0 IL : 9 1 25 9 IN : 0 0 9 5 KS : 7 2 44 18 MI : 0 0 0 0 MO : 19 9 59 26 MT : 0 0 0 0 NE : 0 0 0 0 NC : 63 31 82 60 OH : 0 0 0 1 OK : 74 45 87 75 OR : 0 0 0 1 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 59 39 52 50 WA : 0 0 2 3 : 18 Sts: 26 16 38 28 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 92% of last year's winter wheat acreage. Corn: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 16 8 24 19 IL : 36 13 66 59 IN : 13 4 30 34 IA : 14 8 58 46 KS : 31 15 65 54 KY : 59 43 72 64 MI : 9 3 28 21 MN : 28 0 43 38 MO : 45 32 88 73 NE : 14 9 36 31 NC : 88 75 91 80 ND : 10 0 11 20 OH : 19 4 38 36 PA : 7 2 31 20 SD : 8 1 10 16 TN : 81 71 86 81 TX : 70 68 79 77 WI : 11 3 27 16 : 18 Sts: 23 11 48 42 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Corn: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 1 0 1 1 IL : 3 0 20 19 IN : 0 0 4 6 IA : 0 0 4 3 KS : 7 1 30 20 KY : 21 12 43 37 MI : 0 0 1 1 MN : 0 0 1 1 MO : 18 7 56 43 NE : 0 0 3 3 NC : 62 50 66 48 ND : 0 0 0 0 OH : 0 0 3 2 PA : 0 0 4 3 SD : 0 0 0 0 TN : 49 44 65 55 TX : 66 65 62 64 WI : 0 0 0 0 : 18 Sts: 4 3 12 10 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Rice: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 65 50 86 75 CA : 30 14 0 10 LA : 81 70 88 83 MS : 63 37 88 67 MO : 54 24 85 51 TX : 79 69 91 90 : 6 Sts : 60 44 71 62 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Rice: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 34 19 57 41 CA : 5 0 0 1 LA : 68 57 74 69 MS : 33 17 67 39 MO : 15 4 47 22 TX : 60 47 86 80 : 6 Sts : 33 20 50 38 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 100% of last year's rice acreage. Cotton: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 13 7 42 42 AZ : 55 40 53 61 AR : 16 4 37 24 CA : 97 88 65 69 GA : 4 2 22 16 KS : 0 0 0 0 LA : 22 3 52 44 MS : 13 5 54 38 MO : 26 4 40 28 NC : 10 1 19 17 OK : 1 0 6 5 SC : 4 0 16 13 TN : 5 2 10 8 TX : 20 14 24 21 VA : 22 0 36 27 : 15 Sts: 19 11 30 25 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 15 States planted 99% of last year's cotton acreage. Sorghum: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 80 63 67 60 CO : 1 0 10 3 IL : 2 0 12 6 KS : 0 0 6 3 LA : 86 75 79 56 MO : 9 5 23 16 NE : 0 0 0 0 NM : 1 0 0 0 OK : 31 11 13 11 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 62 58 66 52 : 11 Sts: 23 21 27 20 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Peanuts: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 8 NA 6 8 FL : 5 NA 4 7 GA : 2 NA 4 5 NC : 1 NA 1 2 OK : 10 NA 11 11 SC : 6 NA 11 15 TX : 3 NA 0 4 VA : 7 NA 9 7 : 8 Sts : 4 NA 4 6 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 8 States planted 98% of last year's peanut acreage. Sugarbeets: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 98 96 80 91 MI : 75 40 86 82 MN : 38 0 41 51 ND : 50 1 30 45 : 4 Sts : 56 22 51 61 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 4 States planted 81% of last year's sugarbeet acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 77 72 50 69 MN : 20 4 40 40 MT : 41 18 32 41 ND : 22 3 29 34 SD : 57 30 80 84 WA : 80 74 68 87 : 6 Sts : 34 14 39 45 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 52 45 15 35 MN : 2 0 6 9 MT : 4 0 1 8 ND : 0 0 4 8 SD : 19 9 38 41 WA : 40 35 45 60 : 6 Sts : 6 4 9 15 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States planted 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Barley: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 72 65 30 55 MN : 19 4 42 32 MT : 48 26 43 47 ND : 20 1 19 25 WA : 85 79 60 77 : 5 Sts : 43 27 32 41 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 78% of last year's barley acreage. Barley: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 51 48 10 22 MN : 1 0 13 8 MT : 10 3 4 14 ND : 0 0 2 4 WA : 35 31 35 49 : 5 Sts : 15 13 7 14 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States planted 78% of last year's barley acreage. Oats: Percent Planted, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 73 58 95 96 MN : 38 11 68 57 NE : 86 67 95 92 ND : 18 2 25 29 OH : 54 28 90 72 PA : 44 28 87 72 SD : 52 30 69 75 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 55 19 77 58 : 9 Sts : 62 45 77 73 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 9 States planted 67% of last year's oat acreage. Oats: Percent Emerged, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Apr 29,:Apr 22,:Apr 29,: 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : IA : 23 7 52 63 MN : 2 0 24 18 NE : 45 20 60 62 ND : 0 0 2 4 OH : 7 1 56 31 PA : 10 3 42 31 SD : 18 7 29 33 TX : 100 100 100 100 WI : 3 0 24 18 : 9 Sts : 35 30 48 47 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 9 States planted 67% of last year's oat acreage. Winter Wheat: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States Week Ending Apr 29, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 25 36 24 15 0 CA : 1 2 5 26 66 CO : 2 3 18 47 30 ID : 0 0 10 79 11 IL : 21 16 38 22 3 IN : 8 18 40 31 3 KS : 19 18 24 25 14 MI : 3 9 31 45 12 MO : 25 39 31 5 0 MT : 1 4 29 51 15 NE : 2 9 34 44 11 NC : 10 17 39 33 1 OH : 7 22 35 30 6 OK : 2 6 22 51 19 OR : 0 0 12 81 7 SD : 2 7 26 56 9 TX : 2 7 25 43 23 WA : 2 5 22 63 8 : 18 Sts : 8 11 25 40 16 : Prev Wk : 9 12 25 39 15 Prev Yr : 19 19 26 30 6 -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2006 planted acres. Crop Progress and Condition Survey and Estimating Procedures Survey Procedures: Crop progress and condition estimates are based on survey data collected each week from early April through the end of November. The non-probability crop progress and condition surveys include input from 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 various stages of development. They also provide subjective evaluations of crop conditions. Most reporters complete their questionnaires on Friday or early Monday morning and submit them to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Field Offices in their States 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 when questionnaires are 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 by projections for weekend changes in progress and condition. 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, significantly reducing 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 used as reporting guidelines are available on the NASS website at: www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/National_Crop_Progress/terms_definit ions.asp. 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 Field 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 that is released after 12:00 pm ET on the second business day of the week. These estimates are subject to revision the following week. Crop Progress and Condition tables expected next week: Barley - Planted, Emerged Corn - Planted, Emerged Cotton - Planted Oats - Planted, Emerged, Condition Peanuts - Planted Rice - Planted, Emerged, Condition Sorghum - Planted Soybeans - Planted Spring Wheat - Planted, Emerged Sugarbeets - Planted Winter Wheat - Headed, Condition Pasture & Range - Condition 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: www.nass.usda.gov. 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 www.nass.usda.gov, under the right navigation, Receive reports by Email, click on National or State. 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