Mississippi Weekly Crop Weather Released: Monday, 3PM August 8, 2005 Week Ending August 7, 2005 This report is best viewed with a monospace font. Issue MS-CW3105 Agricultural Summary According to the Mississippi Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending August 7, 2005. Warm- season hay harvesting continues to be affected by passing showers. Armyworms and plant bugs have been reported in row crops and forages, and are being treated in affected areas. Corn harvesting in Mississippi has begun, and early-planted soybeans are shedding their leaves. The last of the watermelon crop is being harvested and enjoyed by many across the state. Soil moisture was rated 2 percent very short, 19 percent short, 72 percent adequate, and 7 percent surplus. Item Event This Last 2004 5-Yr Very Week Week Avg Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Corn Dough 95 92 98 99 2 8 24 52 14 Dent 78 70 87 89 Mature 19 7 46 44 Harvested 1 -- 4 5 Silage Harvested 70 60 77 65 Cotton Setting Bolls 98 94 94 97 1 7 21 58 13 Rice Heading 89 68 82 81 0 0 8 78 14 Mature 1 -- 3 5 Sorghum Heading 100 99 100 99 0 0 11 82 7 Turning Color 81 60 86 77 Mature 13 -- 23 22 Soybeans Blooming 100 99 100 99 2 5 18 64 11 Setting Pods 97 93 97 91 Turning Color 20 7 36 22 Shedding Leaves 9 -- 17 8 Hay Harvested (Warm Season) 78 74 63 72 -- -- -- -- -- Watermelon Harvested 97 94 98 92 -- -- -- -- -- Sweetpotatoes 0 3 18 60 19 Cattle 7 12 30 38 13 Pasture 9 14 28 41 8 Other Agricultural Comments and News County Agent Comments "Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) is showing up in beans. Cotton is kicking off a lot of squares in some varieties. Some parts of the county are beginning to get dry. Homeowners are seeing an increase in insect pressure on turf." -- Tim Needham, Ttippah "Conditions are improving, but cotton has been set back by fruit shed resulting from weather extremes and daytime showers. Maturing corn is showing the effects of the June drought, but still looks good. Soybeans are progressing well with adequate soil moisture." -- Ernest Flint, Attala "Hay harvesting is in full swing. Scattered showers have helped our forage situation tremendously, but armyworms are on the attack." -- Perry Brumfield, Lincoln "Asian Soybean Rust was found in another plot in South Mississippi. The plot is located in Poplarville. The disease was found in the lower canopy of the plants. Corn is maturing quite rapidly and we should begin harvest in the very near future. Soybeans are beginning to color and lose their leaves. Soybean harvest is just around the corner." -- Bill Maily, Hinds "There is worm pressure in some areas of cotton. Most producers are finishing up on irrigation for this year, although there may be some exceptions. Crops are in pretty good shape going into the late season." -- Jimbo Burkhalter, Tallahatchie "We are in need for rain in most areas of the county. There are no major problems in the fields." -- Melvin Oatis, Benton "Insects such as worms and plant bugs continue to be spotty. Beans have a few leaf beetles and three- cornered alfalfa hoppers. A good rain would finish out the corn and most of the beans." -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada "Significant fruit shed has been observed in cotton. Group IV soybeans that received rainfall during the week should have enough moisture to fill pods for acceptable yields." -- Jay Phelps, Pontotoc "Several reports state that insect pressure is light, but cotton insect control is being used to control plant bugs. Irrigation is proceeding, except for maturing Group IV soybeans that are turning color. Overall, the soybean crop is still about 2 weeks behind last year." -- Tommy Baird, Sunflower "Conditions are improving, but cotton has been set back by fruit shed resulting from weather extremes and daytime showers. Maturing corn is showing the effect of the June drought, but still looks good. Soybeans are progressing well with adequate soil moisture." -- Kay Emmons, Montgomery "Thunder boomers dropped scattered rains across the area. A few more rains will finish corn and soybean crops for the year. Insect populations are still below normal." -- Dr. Bill Burdine, Chickasaw "Crops continue to develop well with summertime conditions. Some thunderstorms were locally severe with downed limbs and minor damage to utility lines in some areas. Hay harvest continues, but farmers are on alert for armyworm damage in hay fields and pastures." -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha "Asian Soybean Rust was found in another plot in South Mississippi. The plot is located in Poplarville. The disease was found in the lower canopy of the plants. Corn is maturing quite rapidly and we should begin harvest in the very near future. Soybeans are beginning to color and lose their leaves. Soybean harvest is just around the corner." -- Bill Maily, Hinds "Fieldwork, primarily corn silage and hay harvest along with discing ryegrass ground to lay fallow several weeks prior to planting, continued around the widely scattered rain showers each day this week. The quality of our summer hay will be low due to advanced stages of maturity at rain-delayed harvest, along with the hay getting wet between cutting and baling. Late-planted corn for silage is performing much better than early corn due to receipt of adequate rainfall during critical growth periods. Many dairy producers are making financial arrangements in hopes of being able to purchase several top quality Holsteins at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Coastal Plain Branch dairy herd dispersal sale on August 25th near Newton. Although milk prices continue to fluctuate wildly, dairy cattle prices continue to be very high in relation to milk income potential. However, dairy producers planning to expand herd numbers are positioning themselves to invest in additional cattle as they prepare to survive in the dairy business." -- Lamar Adams, Walthall "Rain has caused a problem with summer hay harvest. Most producers are behind in harvesting, and the quality is going down day by day. Peanuts and cotton look good, but we could use a few days of sunshine." -- Mike Steede, George "There is plenty of grass but it has been hard to harvest hay with daily rainfall. Late watermelons are looking good. Some armyworm problems are scattered around the county in bermuda grass pastures." -- Chuck Grantham, Jones "Rain this week has been very beneficial to pastures in the area. There has been a marked improvement in fields that are being cut for hay. Areas where there was minimal growth have begun to show rapid growth. The major concern now is the nutrient content of the hay that will be cut from these fields." -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry "Warm-season hay continues to be harvested between weekly rains. Cattle are in good condition and post-season blueberry practices continue. Corn is drying down and we should have about average yields on corn production." -- Allen McReynolds, Wayne Weather Information Table Weather Summary from August 1, 2005 to August 7, 2005 for Mississippi Air Precipitation 4 Inch Soil Avg Temperature Weekly Rn Four Temperature Pan Max Min Avg Nrm DFN Total DFN Ds Weeks Max Min Avg Evap --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Upper Delta Cleveland 93 71 82 82 0 0.30 -0.08 1 2.61 Lambert 97 66 82 0.00 -0.70 0 1.92 Tunica 94 70 83 81 +2 0.62 +0.02 1 2.71 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 97 66 82 82 0 0.31 -0.34 1 2.41 2. North-Central Calhoun City 92 67 79 81 -2 0.87 +0.10 4 3.85 Hickory Flat 93 67 80 79 +1 0.19 -0.67 1 4.93 Independence 94 65 80 80 0 0.12 -0.58 1 3.25 Oxford 93 68 81 80 +1 0.37 -0.45 3 3.74 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 94 65 80 80 0 0.39 -0.39 2 3.94 3. Northeast Booneville 89 68 79 80 -1 1.98 +1.19 2 6.88 Iuka 92 62 77 78 -1 0.45 -0.47 1 3.91 Ripley 94 66 80 79 +1 0.39 -0.36 1 4.52 Tupelo 93 69 81 0.33 3 6.03 Verona 96 69 82 81 +1 0.25 -0.52 2 4.68 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 96 62 80 80 0 0.68 -0.07 2 5.20 4. Lower Delta Moorhead 93 68 81 82 -1 0.23 -0.46 2 2.11 Rolling Fork 95 68 83 82 +1 0.00 -0.69 0 1.49 Stoneville 95 69 82 82 0 0.12 -0.42 1 3.33 Yazoo City 93 67 81 82 -1 0.57 -0.28 1 4.92 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 95 67 82 82 0 0.23 -0.49 1 2.96 5. Central Canton 91 65 79 82 -3 0.38 -0.38 3 1.70 Carthage 92 67 80 81 -1 0.85 -0.05 2 7.00 Eupora 92 65 79 80 -1 0.29 -0.43 2 8.50 Lexington 91 65 79 80 -1 0.17 -0.53 2 4.96 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 92 65 79 81 -2 0.42 -0.44 2 6.82 6. East-Central Aberdeen 93 68 81 81 0 0.00 -0.67 0 3.65 Houston 91 67 79 79 0 1.04 +0.35 3 5.20 Philadelphia 94 68 81 81 0 0.32 -0.62 2 3.64 State University 81 1.39 +0.57 3 9.38 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 94 67 80 81 -1 0.69 -0.12 2 5.47 7. Southwest Crystal Springs 94 67 81 82 -1 0.50 -0.29 2 3.20 Natchez 93 67 80 82 -2 0.95 +0.11 4 3.52 Oakley 81 1.83 +0.99 5 3.52 Vicksburg 93 68 81 0.10 1 2.62 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 94 67 81 81 0 0.85 -0.06 3 3.22 8. South-Central Collins 89 68 80 81 -1 1.12 +0.15 3 8.55 Columbia 91 69 81 82 -1 1.48 +0.36 4 4.92 Tylertown 90 68 79 81 -2 1.62 +0.42 3 5.05 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 91 68 80 82 -2 1.41 +0.33 3 6.17 9. Southeast Beaumont 90 67 79 1.99 5 5.04 Hattiesburg 91 67 80 82 -2 2.14 +0.96 6 6.05 Laurel 92 69 80 81 -1 1.20 +0.17 4 5.74 Newton 92 60 77 81 -4 1.02 +0.08 4 6.82 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 92 60 79 81 -2 1.59 +0.61 5 5.91 10. Coastal Gulfport 90 70 80 83 -3 3.46 +2.10 5 8.96 Poplarville 91 69 79 82 -3 1.34 +0.03 5 3.89 Waveland 88 70 80 82 -2 0.87 -0.42 4 6.72 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 91 69 80 82 -2 1.89 +0.53 5 6.52 State Averages 97 60 80 81 -1 0.85 -0.04 3 4.96 DFN = Departure from Normal.