We 1 (9-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released September 5, 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 Dawn Keen at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary August 26 - September 1, 2007 Highlights: Changing weather patterns brought favorably drier weather to the Midwest and drought-easing showers to parts of the Southeast. Temperatures also fell slightly from record-setting levels in the Southeast but soared across the High Plains and much of the West, where weekly readings averaged as much as 5 to 10 degrees F above normal. Drier Midwestern conditions helped to reduce pockets of excessive wetness and promoted corn and soybean maturation. In contrast, drought continued to adversely affect some late-planted soybeans across the southern tier of the Corn Belt, including the lower Ohio Valley. Farther south, drought remained deeply entrenched across the Southeast, despite locally heavy showers. Southeastern rain was also too late for summer crops, but boosted topsoil moisture and aided drought-stressed pastures. Some of the heaviest rain, with local totals in excess of 4 inches, fell in an area centered on Georgia. Meanwhile, scattered showers gradually subsided on the Plains, favoring fieldwork and summer crop maturation. Fieldwork activities on the Plains included final small grain harvesting (across northern areas), corn harvesting (across the south), and winter wheat planting preparations. Heavy showers lingered through week's end, however, in the western Gulf Coast region, slowing rice harvesting and other fieldwork. Elsewhere, the return of Western heat hampered wildfire containment efforts but favored fieldwork and crop maturation. Spotty Western showers offered little relief from hot, dry conditions, although some heavier amounts were noted in the Four Corners region. Despite somewhat cooler weather in the Southeast, dozens of locations completed their hottest August on record. Augusta, GA (86.1 degrees F, or 6.8 degrees F above normal), eclipsed an August average temperature record that had stood since 1878. August records from 1900 were broken in locations such as Jonesboro, AR (86.0 degrees F, or 6.2 degrees F above normal), and Columbia, SC (85.9 degrees F, or 5.6 degrees F above normal). August temperature records from 1936 were supplanted in Louisville and Bowling Green, KY; records from 1954 were shattered in Tupelo, MS, Jackson, TN, and Muscle Shoals, AL. In fact, August 2007 was the hottest month on record, edging July 1901, in several Southeastern cities, including Louisville (85.0 degrees F, or 8.0 degrees F above normal) and Bowling Green (85.0 degrees F, or 8.2 degrees F above normal). Elsewhere, August 2007 replaced July 1993 as the hottest month on record in Chattanooga, TN (85.7 degrees F, or 7.2 degrees F above normal); Atlanta, GA (85.6 degrees F, or 6.7 degrees F above normal); Athens, GA (85.2 degrees F, or 6.8 degrees F above normal); Raleigh-Durham, NC (84.1 degrees F, or 6.9 degrees F above normal); Greensboro, NC (83.2 degrees F, or 7.0 degrees F above normal); Knoxville, TN (83.2 degrees F, or 6.3 degrees F above normal); and London, KY (81.4 degrees F, or 7.0 degrees F above normal). Despite late-month Southeastern showers, record-low August rainfall was reported in Missouri locations such as Cape Girardeau (0.01 inch; previously, 0.22 inch in 1996) and Poplar Bluff (0.24 inches; previously, 0.26 inch in 1943). On August 24, Anniston, AL (0.49 inch), received its first measurable rainfall since July 29. Elsewhere in Alabama, Birmingham netted 3.46 inches of rain from August 24-26, following an August 1-23 total of just 0.25 inch. Meanwhile, the following Southeastern locations noted both record-high August temperatures and record-low August rainfall: Bristol, TN, London, KY, Danville, VA, and Bluefield, WV. As the week progressed, heat shifted into the West. However, Naples, FL, still tied a monthly record with a high of 97 degrees F on August 28 and eclipsed that mark with a high of 98 degrees F on August 29. Farther north, record-setting streaks with highs of 90 degrees F or greater ended at 34 days (July 26 - August 28) in Nashville, TN, and 31 days (July 30 - August 29) in Evansville, IN. Meanwhile, Phoenix, AZ, posted a high of 111 degrees F on September 1, representing its 32nd day this year with a high of 110 degrees F or greater. The previous annual record in Phoenix was 28 days of 110-degree heat in 1979 and 2002. Elsewhere in the Desert Southwest, daily-record highs in southern California for August 29 included 117 degrees F in Thermal and 116 degrees F in Indio. Elsewhere in California, Modesto collected a daily-record high (106 degrees F) on August 29 and closed the week with consecutive records (104 and 105 degrees F) on August 31 - September 1. Moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Dean embedded in the monsoon flow provided California with a few showers. Daily-record totals for August 26 included 1.45 inches in Escondido and 0.50 inch on Mt. Palomar. A day later, Las Vegas, NV (0.58 inch), also netted a daily record. Elsewhere in Nevada, Reno saw its seventh-longest spell without measurable rain end at 85 days (June 6 - August 29). Reno last experienced a longer dry spell from July 19 - November 24, 1995, when no measurable precipitation fell on 129 consecutive days. Farther east, rain fell on 11 day in a row (August 20-30) in McAllen, TX, breaking its all-time record of 9 consecutive days set in December 2001 and several earlier occasions. Meanwhile, scattered daily-record totals in the Southeast included 1.91 inches (on August 29) in Knoxville, TN, and 2.23 inches (on August 31) in Daytona Beach, FL. Very heavy rain developed in and near Savannah, GA (4.39 inches), on September 1-2, with totals reaching 7.60 inches in Hilton Head, SC, and 13.74 inches on Wilmington Island, GA. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary August 27 - September 2, 2007 Highlights: In the west, with the exception of portions of Washington, it remained dry with above average temperatures. Precipitation and average temperatures were limited to patchy areas of the Southwest, which received small amounts of moisture. Across the remainder of the Nation, except isolated portions of the mid-Atlantic and Corn Belt regions, temperatures remained above normal. Moderate rains were received in areas of the Corn Belt stretching northeast from southeast Nebraska to central Wisconsin. Farther south, moderate rain fell along the Texas Gulf Coast, stretching east through the Delta and into the Southeast, Tennessee Valley, and southern portions of Virginia. Central and eastern areas of Georgia and the southern tip of South Carolina received more than 4 inches of rain during the week. Corn: Most of the crop in the major corn producing States had reached the dough stage, with 96 percent at or beyond dough. Seventy-nine percent had reached the dent stage, and 25 percent of the acreage had matured. Progression at or beyond the dough stage was ahead of normal by 4 points, while acreage reaching dent was 12 points faster than the normal pace, and the maturation stage was 8 points ahead. As the dough stage wrapped up, it progressed 5 points during the week. Corn denting progressed 16 points during the week, in line with last years development at this time. Corn reaching maturation moved 6 points ahead of last year's pace. In the central Corn Belt, as well as in Kentucky, corn advanced more than 20 points during the week into the maturation stage. Soybeans: Fourteen percent of the soybean crop was at or beyond the leaf dropping stage. Moving 8 points during the week, development was ahead of normal by 3 points. Rapid advancement occurred in Louisiana during the week, with progress advancing 26 points, 19 points ahead of normal progress. North Carolina and Tennessee remained well ahead of normal by 10 and 29 points, respectively. Meanwhile, South Dakota remained 12 points behind the normal pace. Cotton: Boll setting was near complete in all major cotton producing States at 98 percent, while 37 percent of the acreage had bolls opening. Advancing 6 points during the week, boll setting was in line with the normal pace. Bolls had opened 4 points ahead of the 5-year average pace, moving 13 points during the week. Due to favorable conditions, all States had advanced more than 10 points during the week except for California, Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Sorghum: Acreage reaching the coloring stage across the Nation had reached 70 percent, while 28 percent had matured, and producers had reaped 19 percent of the crop. While sorghum has advanced rapidly to the coloring stage, 13 points ahead of normal, maturation and harvest were moving closer to the normal pace, only ahead of the 5-year average by 1 point. Harvest was two-thirds complete in Arkansas and Texas, and nearing completion in Louisiana, with only 13 percent of the crop yet to be harvested. Elsewhere, sorghum harvest had not yet begun or was just getting underway. Rice: Twenty-four percent of the rice crop had been harvested by the end of the week, with rapid progress in Arkansas and Mississippi moving them ahead of the normal pace by 9 and 6 points, respectively. Missouri also moved ahead of normal by 6 points during the week, keeping the crop 4 points ahead of the average pace, nationally. Small Grains: Barley harvest was winding down by the end of the week with 96 percent of the acreage harvested, 13 points ahead of normal progress. All States were at least 10 points ahead of normal progress with the exception of Washington, which was ahead of the 5-year average by 1 point. The spring wheat crop was 96 percent harvested, 16 points ahead of the 5-year average. With harvest winding down, all States, except Washington, were wrapping up well ahead of the normal pace. Corn: Percent Dough, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 89 72 77 74 IL : 100 98 98 97 IN : 98 93 95 93 IA : 94 85 96 93 KS : 99 98 99 98 KY : 100 99 100 99 MI : 89 80 92 76 MN : 99 96 98 89 MO : 100 96 100 99 NE : 97 94 98 96 NC : 100 100 100 99 ND : 96 91 96 85 OH : 90 86 94 91 PA : 87 73 90 82 SD : 95 84 96 91 TN : 100 100 100 100 TX : 100 97 100 99 WI : 88 81 86 76 : 18 Sts: 96 91 96 92 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Corn: Percent Dented, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 40 25 37 36 IL : 92 80 85 77 IN : 79 60 70 62 IA : 77 58 81 70 KS : 93 82 90 82 KY : 96 88 92 89 MI : 53 35 66 39 MN : 87 76 82 59 MO : 91 78 95 90 NE : 80 63 84 73 NC : 96 92 96 93 ND : 64 39 74 49 OH : 67 46 62 52 PA : 56 47 65 53 SD : 70 44 74 56 TN : 100 98 100 99 TX : 99 87 97 93 WI : 56 38 48 36 : 18 Sts: 79 63 79 67 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Corn: Percent Mature, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 3 0 9 6 IL : 44 17 19 18 IN : 25 10 9 12 IA : 16 7 13 13 KS : 40 22 51 41 KY : 81 57 58 57 MI : 7 2 9 5 MN : 13 4 6 4 MO : 57 30 66 58 NE : 10 2 15 10 NC : 87 70 82 75 ND : 9 5 11 5 OH : 7 2 5 3 PA : 26 9 17 15 SD : 6 3 7 8 TN : 98 84 74 69 TX : 75 61 72 74 WI : 6 0 3 2 : 18 Sts: 25 12 19 17 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 93% of last year's corn acreage. Soybeans: Percent Dropping Leaves, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 25 18 28 21 IL : 15 5 3 7 IN : 20 9 5 12 IA : 7 1 7 7 KS : 17 4 13 14 KY : 11 5 5 6 LA : 59 33 61 40 MI : 1 0 3 2 MN : 13 2 12 7 MS : 63 50 79 59 MO : 7 4 5 6 NE : 1 0 3 5 NC : 14 7 5 4 ND : 17 2 33 12 OH : 8 4 10 9 SD : 14 10 21 26 TN : 47 33 24 18 WI : 3 0 3 3 : 18 Sts: 14 6 12 11 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 18 States planted 96% of last year's soybean acreage. Cotton: Percent Setting Bolls, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 98 95 95 99 AZ : 100 100 100 100 AR : 100 100 100 100 CA : 98 97 98 98 GA : 100 100 100 100 KS : 100 100 100 88 LA : 100 100 100 100 MS : 100 100 100 100 MO : 100 100 100 100 NC : 100 100 100 100 OK : 96 79 97 98 SC : 99 93 98 97 TN : 100 100 100 100 TX : 95 84 98 96 VA : 100 100 100 100 : 15 Sts: 98 92 99 98 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 15 States planted 99% of last year's cotton acreage. Cotton: Percent Bolls Opening, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 42 30 47 35 AZ : 60 50 57 60 AR : 62 42 45 35 CA : 38 30 31 32 GA : 21 14 51 37 KS : 0 0 12 9 LA : 58 37 82 58 MS : 75 55 84 58 MO : 71 40 25 24 NC : 51 17 18 27 OK : 9 6 21 23 SC : 27 13 29 25 TN : 78 53 31 27 TX : 18 13 30 26 VA : 50 33 46 46 : 15 Sts: 37 24 40 33 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 15 States planted 99% of last year's cotton acreage. Rice: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 18 6 13 9 CA : 1 0 0 2 LA : 75 69 78 78 MS : 20 6 15 14 MO : 8 2 4 2 TX : 79 70 91 86 : 6 Sts : 24 16 22 20 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States harvested 100% of last year's rice acreage. Sorghum: Percent Coloring, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 100 100 99 97 CO : 43 35 37 32 IL : 87 68 79 72 KS : 63 42 52 51 LA : 100 97 100 99 MO : 58 44 82 74 NE : 65 33 67 53 NM : 30 14 21 20 OK : 35 29 53 53 SD : 86 59 78 63 TX : 87 80 72 66 : 11 Sts: 70 54 61 57 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sorghum: Percent Mature, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 97 89 89 79 CO : 12 9 8 6 IL : 36 16 25 18 KS : 4 1 9 9 LA : 98 93 91 92 MO : 19 9 29 24 NE : 2 0 3 2 NM : 4 2 5 2 OK : 11 6 20 25 SD : 11 4 6 5 TX : 69 59 67 59 : 11 Sts: 28 22 30 27 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States planted 97% of last year's sorghum acreage. Sorghum: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 68 36 54 39 CO : 0 0 0 0 IL : 3 0 0 0 KS : 0 0 3 2 LA : 87 75 80 70 MO : 5 2 4 4 NE : 0 0 0 0 NM : 0 0 0 0 OK : 3 1 2 9 SD : 0 0 0 0 TX : 61 51 63 55 : 11 Sts: 19 16 21 18 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 11 States harvested 98% of last year's sorghum acreage. Spring Wheat: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 92 79 88 82 MN : 99 96 100 80 MT : 94 84 93 74 ND : 95 84 97 77 SD : 100 100 100 100 WA : 96 88 93 95 : 6 Sts : 96 87 96 80 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 6 States harvested 99% of last year's spring wheat acreage. Barley: Percent Harvested, Selected States 1/ -------------------------------------- : Week Ending : :-----------------------: 2002- State:Sep 2, :Aug 26,:Sep 2, : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 : 2006 : Avg. -------------------------------------- : Percent : ID : 89 74 84 78 MN : 100 100 100 89 MT : 98 88 88 77 ND : 99 96 99 86 WA : 95 85 91 94 : 5 Sts : 96 89 92 83 -------------------------------------- 1/ These 5 States harvested 81% of last year's barley acreage. Corn: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : CO : 1 7 22 52 18 IL : 3 5 19 51 22 IN : 8 14 34 37 7 IA : 3 7 22 49 19 KS : 1 8 28 50 13 KY : 15 19 27 32 7 MI : 17 22 37 22 2 MN : 11 15 29 39 6 MO : 8 16 31 37 8 NE : 1 4 18 50 27 NC : 17 28 27 22 6 ND : 2 5 19 57 17 OH : 10 17 29 35 9 PA : 11 11 23 43 12 SD : 2 7 26 56 9 TN : 26 32 30 12 0 TX : 3 6 20 44 27 WI : 7 14 30 34 15 : 18 Sts : 6 10 25 44 15 : Prev Wk : 6 10 25 43 16 Prev Yr : 6 10 25 43 16 -------------------------------------- Soybeans: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 10 21 28 28 13 IL : 8 11 26 43 12 IN : 7 14 36 37 6 IA : 1 5 21 52 21 KS : 1 8 35 47 9 KY : 28 21 35 15 1 LA : 2 8 26 59 5 MI : 6 20 39 32 3 MN : 6 13 29 43 9 MS : 3 5 16 47 29 MO : 10 19 38 28 5 NE : 1 3 19 54 23 NC : 34 26 20 17 3 ND : 2 3 15 61 19 OH : 6 16 28 38 12 SD : 0 2 19 59 20 TN : 36 34 23 7 0 WI : 5 13 28 38 16 : 18 Sts : 6 11 27 43 13 : Prev Wk : 6 11 28 41 14 Prev Yr : 4 10 27 44 15 -------------------------------------- Cotton: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 41 28 23 7 1 AZ : 0 1 32 53 14 AR : 0 9 24 44 23 CA : 0 0 2 56 42 GA : 7 14 36 35 8 KS : 0 10 25 55 10 LA : 6 10 30 52 2 MS : 3 5 22 52 18 MO : 10 25 26 34 5 NC : 19 28 32 18 3 OK : 0 3 18 74 5 SC : 13 32 43 12 0 TN : 7 25 40 22 6 TX : 3 11 30 42 14 VA : 0 38 41 21 0 : 15 Sts : 6 13 29 39 13 : Prev Wk : 6 14 31 37 12 Prev Yr : 14 19 28 32 7 -------------------------------------- Sorghum: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 1 7 28 47 17 CO : 0 0 23 66 11 IL : 10 17 37 33 3 KS : 1 5 27 52 15 LA : 0 8 23 53 16 MO : 3 12 45 38 2 NE : 1 1 13 53 32 NM : 0 0 51 47 2 OK : 0 8 24 62 6 SD : 2 7 34 50 7 TX : 3 12 32 42 11 : 11 Sts : 2 7 28 50 13 : Prev Wk : 2 7 27 51 13 Prev Yr : 17 21 32 26 4 -------------------------------------- VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent. National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2006 planted acres. Rice: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AR : 0 3 24 44 29 CA : 1 3 15 76 5 LA : 0 3 41 49 7 MS : 0 0 10 63 27 MO : 1 2 20 55 22 TX : 0 6 69 22 3 : 6 Sts : 0 3 26 51 20 : Prev Wk : 0 3 27 50 20 Prev Yr : 0 4 38 46 12 -------------------------------------- Peanuts: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 -------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX -------------------------------------- : Percent : AL : 16 24 33 25 2 FL : 15 10 50 15 10 GA : 5 11 32 42 10 NC : 5 21 38 36 0 OK : 1 6 23 69 1 SC : 5 18 62 13 2 TX : 0 0 23 54 23 VA : 0 23 43 26 8 : 8 Sts : 7 12 35 37 9 : Prev Wk : 6 17 35 35 7 Prev Yr : 7 19 39 31 4 -------------------------------------- Pasture and Range: Crop Condition by Percent, Selected States, Week Ending Sep 2, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : VP : P : F : G : EX :: State : VP : P : F : G : EX ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : AL : 44 30 22 4 0 :: NJ : 0 0 20 80 0 AZ : 14 25 39 19 3 :: NM : 5 15 35 33 12 AR : 18 38 25 18 1 :: NY : 7 19 42 27 5 CA : 78 18 4 0 0 :: NC : 59 30 9 2 0 CO : 3 10 37 37 13 :: ND : 3 12 33 46 6 CT : 2 41 37 20 0 :: OH : 17 24 29 23 7 DE : 31 14 25 29 1 :: OK : 1 4 19 60 16 FL : 1 4 55 35 5 :: OR : 31 32 27 10 0 GA : 24 24 31 17 4 :: PA : 20 12 29 36 3 ID : 14 51 32 3 0 :: RI : 0 40 60 0 0 IL : 26 22 26 23 3 :: SC : 35 29 32 4 0 IN : 45 24 22 7 2 :: SD : 4 8 32 50 6 IA : 2 6 30 48 14 :: TN : 55 31 12 2 0 KS : 5 14 32 43 6 :: TX : 1 4 21 46 28 KY : 37 35 21 7 0 :: UT : 12 25 35 28 0 LA : 3 14 46 32 5 :: VT : 0 14 69 17 0 ME : 4 17 25 35 19 :: VA : 25 28 34 13 0 MD : 16 34 31 18 1 :: WA : 12 21 19 41 7 MA : 0 17 55 28 0 :: WV : 20 30 36 14 0 MI : 17 22 37 17 7 :: WI : 10 10 26 41 13 MN : 18 23 30 24 5 :: WY : 6 23 40 27 4 MS : 1 17 42 35 5 :: : MO : 28 29 31 11 1 :: 48 Sts : 17 18 27 30 8 MT : 10 24 39 24 3 :: : NE : 5 11 24 48 12 :: Prev Wk: 17 19 28 28 8 NV : 42 54 3 1 0 :: Prev Yr: 23 24 29 21 3 NH : 1 11 26 62 0 :: : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: Corn - Dented, Harvested, Mature, Condition Cotton - Bolls Opening, Harvested, Condition Peanuts - Condition Rice - Harvested, Condition Sorghum - Coloring, Harvested, Mature, Condition Soybeans - Dropping Leaves, Condition Pasture & Range - Condition Winter Wheat - Planted ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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