ga-crop-weather State Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 3, 2006 Issue GA-CW3506 Agricultural Summary September 3, 2006 MORE SCATTERED RAINS The State did not receive as much rainfall as hoped from Ernesto this week, but most areas did receive late summer afternoon showers, according USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office. Rainfall totals remained widely varied, although most totals were higher than they have been over the past several weeks. Some stations reported only a trace and others reported well over three inches. Weeklong highs remained near 90 with nighttime lows near 70. Soil moisture conditions were rated at 10% very short, 35% short, 52% adequate, and 3% surplus. Crop conditions varied with precipitation totals. Rainfall was beneficial for producers who received it, but overall conditions remain dry. Producers expressed concerns about the condition of peanut and cotton crops. They fear the heat and drought have made the crops worse than expected with poor pod maturity, burnt pegs, pod rot, and disease for peanuts, and cotton that is not fluffed out enough for pickers to harvest. Corn harvest continued, but humidity kept grain moisture high. Many producers claimed it is too late for corn and soybeans. Hay supplies remained short. While the scattered showers helped pastures and hayfields green-up, they have interfered with some hay harvests. Farmers were still selling off portions of their herds because of lack of grass and affordable hay. More rainfall will be critical in order to replenish hay reserves for winter. Armyworms continue to be a problem for many producers. They have been reported in hayfields, pastures, and forage crops. Cutworms were reported in peanuts. Aphids were reported in cotton, causing spotty mold or sticky cotton. Continued rain may prevent harvest and increase disease pressure in commercial vineyards. Other activities included preparing land for planting small grains and planting Vidalia onion seed beds. County Extension Agents reported an average of 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork. CROP PROGRESS Sep 3, Prev Prev 5 Year 2006 Week Year Avg Corn, Mature 96 91 93 96 Corn, Harvested 66 48 37 56 Soybeans, Blooming 99 96 98 99 Soybeans, Setting Pods 92 82 89 93 Soybeans, Dropping Leaves 15 7 7 12 Sorghum, Harvested 43 29 17 20 Cotton, Bolls Open 54 34 18 36 Apples, Harvested 24 14 10 22 Peanuts, Dug 1 0 1 3 Tobacco, Harvested 92 83 95 94 CROP CONDITION September 3, 2006 Crop Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent --Percentages-- Corn 13 29 30 22 6 Soybeans 15 35 30 20 0 Sorghum 8 26 36 27 3 Cotton 16 28 32 22 2 Pasture 12 32 34 21 1 Apples 3 9 20 65 3 Hay 11 31 39 19 0 Peanuts 8 22 39 29 2 Pecans 16 35 34 13 2 PASTURE CONDITION - DISTRICT* LEVEL September 3, 2006 Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent --Percentages-- Dist 1(NW) 31 42 21 6 0 Dist 2(NC) 4 21 35 39 1 Dist 3(NE) 9 34 51 6 0 Dist 4(WC) 6 44 30 20 0 Dist 5(C) 18 30 36 16 0 Dist 6(EC) 14 45 27 14 0 Dist 7(SW) 14 31 20 32 3 Dist 8(SC) 8 32 35 24 1 Dist 9(SE) 4 9 58 29 0 *A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga/ctyests/districts.pdf. Soil Moisture Table Sep 3, 2006 Prev Year 5 Year Avg --Percentages-- Very Short 10 1 8 Short 35 15 28 Adequate 52 71 55 Surplus 3 13 9 SOIL MOISTURE - DISTRICT* LEVEL September 3, 2006 Very Short Short Adequate Surplus --Percentages-- Dist 1(NW) 18 60 22 0 Dist 2(NC) 9 22 66 3 Dist 3(NE) 4 44 52 0 Dist 4(WC) 11 42 46 1 Dist 5(C) 8 39 52 1 Dist 6(EC) 12 38 48 2 Dist 7(SW) 16 28 51 5 Dist 8(SC) 10 37 49 4 Dist 9(SE) 2 24 70 4 *A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga/ctyests/districts.pdf. Weather Information Table GEORGIA WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2006 1/ 2006 Air Temperature Precipitation Totals Extreme Weekly Rain 30 60 Soil Location Max Min AvG Weekly Day Day Day Season Temp ALBANY 96 71 81 0.06 2 5.04 9.06 33.01 89 ALMA 96 70 80 2.31 5 6.65 7.72 32.43 83 ARLINGTON 96 67 78 2.08 4 4.04 9.18 28.79 83 ATTAPULGUS 94 67 80 0.02 2 2.86 8.61 28.23 88 BLAIRSVILLE 88 64 72 1.47 7 3.54 7.07 33.37 80 BOWEN 95 69 80 2.52 4 6.50 8.47 27.55 86 BRUNSWICK 94 72 81 1.55 4 7.96 8.65 26.62 83 BYROMVILLE 96 68 79 4.21 3 9.08 11.68 30.72 83 BYRON 95 70 79 0.91 3 3.98 8.75 23.70 84 CAIRO 95 69 80 1.02 2 2.93 6.44 23.59 84 CALHOUN 96 65 77 0.45 3 2.48 4.17 25.53 82 CAMILLA 97 68 80 0.34 3 3.41 11.47 33.18 89 CLARKS HILL 96 65 77 2.06 5 4.29 9.15 32.24 82 CORDELE 97 68 79 1.26 3 4.10 8.45 25.08 84 COVINGTON 92 68 76 0.71 3 4.18 7.10 20.02 81 DAHLONEGA 92 65 74 3.24 6 4.50 6.55 25.72 77 DALLAS 95 63 77 1.01 3 1.89 4.80 27.49 81 DAWSON 96 67 79 1.92 3 4.17 8.04 20.46 83 DEARING 97 67 78 0.87 4 4.95 9.26 27.67 83 DEMPSEY 93 68 77 0.57 3 2.98 4.77 20.41 82 DIXIE 94 68 80 0.54 3 3.91 8.94 28.39 86 DUBLIN 99 70 79 1.42 4 3.22 5.12 23.16 83 DULUTH 92 69 77 1.70 3 2.82 6.18 28.82 82 DUNWOODY 91 69 76 1.34 3 4.44 6.13 29.30 81 EATONTON 94 67 77 0.21 2 2.55 6.27 22.76 83 ELBERTON 97 66 77 2.22 2 3.12 8.05 24.63 80 ELLIJAY 90 65 73 1.59 7 3.22 5.54 30.80 79 FORT VALLEY 94 68 78 0.56 3 3.73 7.07 19.69 80 GAINESVILLE 91 68 76 1.88 5 3.14 4.85 23.31 81 GEORGETOWN 96 66 79 0.10 3 1.32 4.65 22.31 86 GRIFFIN 92 68 77 0.50 4 2.98 5.47 22.01 81 HOMERVILLE 98 67 80 1.09 3 2.54 5.94 22.51 85 JACKSONVILLE 94 68 78 0.72 2 3.86 8.69 23.08 84 JONESBORO 92 70 77 3.21 5 7.53 10.47 30.91 82 LAFAYETTE 94 61 75 0.28 3 2.39 5.06 26.42 80 MCRAE 97 68 79 2.30 3 2.94 5.80 25.91 86 MIDVILLE 97 67 80 0.68 3 2.14 3.25 20.32 85 NAHUNTA 96 68 80 0.52 3 3.69 6.76 23.54 85 NEWTON 95 69 79 3.03 4 6.22 10.27 34.67 85 PINE MOUNTAIN 94 65 77 0.59 2 2.20 8.27 25.34 82 PLAINS 96 67 78 1.77 2 7.34 15.19 34.20 84 ROME 95 67 78 0.73 3 2.36 4.88 25.92 82 ROOPVILLE 92 69 77 3.44 4 7.33 10.86 35.02 81 SAVANNAH 97 71 81 0.27 1 3.64 6.64 27.24 85 SKIDAWAY 93 71 80 0.90 5 6.07 8.83 28.83 81 SNEADS 93 71 82 0.00 0 0.21 0.39 15.74 88 TIFTON 95 71 80 1.72 4 2.60 5.63 26.29 82 TIGER 90 61 72 1.97 6 4.36 6.29 35.73 77 VALDOSTA 98 72 83 0.14 2 1.65 7.18 28.79 83 VIDALIA 97 71 80 0.34 4 2.88 6.35 20.62 84 WATKINSVILLE 94 68 77 1.88 3 4.34 7.84 28.78 82 WILLIAMSON 94 68 77 0.97 1 1.52 5.21 19.89 84 WOODBINE 97 70 80 1.23 2 4.98 6.74 22.92 86 1/ Weather data supplied by Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (AEMN) and the office of the State Climatologist, University of Georgia. For detailed Georgia weather data visit the AEMN homepage, www.georgiaweather.net. NA - not available. District Highlights These comments are written by the Georgia County Extension Agents, and have been compiled and edited by the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. DISTRICT COMMENTS September 3, 2006 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST Recent scattered showers have helped green up pastures. It is too late for corn and soybeans though. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Received much needed rain this week. Rain continues to improve crop conditions except for local vineyards. Additional rainfall may slow harvest and lead to increased disease pressure in commercial vineyards. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Having some problems with armyworms. Scattered showers are causing problems with hay harvest. Tropical Storm Ernesto helped topsoil conditions. Pasture and hay would be better but armyworms hit and have eaten most available forage. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Armyworms are in a feeding frenzy in forage crops. Cutworms in peanuts. Armyworms continue to be a problem in hay and pasture. Remains dry with very spotty showers; armyworms continue; feeding and looking for hay. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Some badly needed rain in most of the county. Some areas got more than others, most areas got an inch or more. Pasture and hayfield conditions improved slightly due to the rains. Armyworms still a problem in some pastures and hayfields and have shown up in some home lawns. Land preparation for the planting of small grains beginning. We have gotten some late evening rainfall, but things are still very dry. Having huge problem with chinch bugs and armyworms-which are destroying lawns and hay & grazing pastures. Some farmers have had some rains to bring some relief to pastures and hayfields. Fall armyworms continue to attack fields that are getting the rains. Farmers are stilling selling off portions of the herd to reduce stocking rate due to lack of grass and availability of affordable hay. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Cotton defoliation has started. I'm afraid severe heat and drought will make peanuts and cotton worse than we expect due to lack of pod maturity, burnt pegs, pod rot, late-season TSWV and cotton that is open but not fluffed out enough for the pickers to get. Corn harvest progressing but humidity keeps moisture high in the grain. Tropical Storm Ernesto brought nothing! DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Received 1.17" of rainfall. Armyworms damaging coastal pastures. Corn harvesting nearing completion. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Checked several early planted peanut and cotton fields. Early estimates for cotton are less than a bale to 1.25 bales. One dryland peanut field was fair and other was poor. Pops, Pod rot from lack of Calcium, and pods with good nuts shutting down, copper color inside and will not mature anymore due to drought. Lots of soil insect damage to nuts and finding various molds on nuts. Not sure if it is alfatoxin. Small vines will not provide much peanut hay if dug. Aphids showing up in open cotton and causing sotty mold or sticky cotton. Needs defoliating. Hay supplies short. Drought and heat and irrigation cost are taking its toll. Cost of fuel per barn to cure out tobacco is eating into profits. Heavy rains are damaging open cotton. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Vidalia onion seed beds planted this week. Cotton defoliation in full swing. Find agricultural statistics for your county, State, and the Nation at www.usda.gov/nass/. Media Contact: Douglas G. Kleweno, Director USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office Phone: 706-546-2236 E-mail: nass-ga@nass.usda.gov Website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga