Mississippi Weekly Crop Weather Released: Tuesday, 3PM October 11, 2005 Week Ending October 9, 2005 This report is best viewed with a monospace font. Issue MS-CW4005 Agricultural Summary According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi, there were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending October 9, 2005. With fall weather arriving in the state, time in the field was plentiful and well utilized. Rice and cotton harvesting progressed well compared to the past few weeks. The cool, dry conditions have been a blessing to some, but have caused concerns for those trying to prepare for winter forage planting, especially on ryegrass fields. Soil moisture was rated 4 percent very short, 32 percent short, 63 percent adequate, and 1 percent surplus. Item Event This Last 2004 5-Yr Very Week Week Avg Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Corn Harvested 99 97 100 99 -- -- -- -- -- Cotton Open Bolls 98 96 97 98 9 17 36 36 2 Harvested 52 31 59 53 Rice Harvested 93 77 97 88 -- -- -- -- -- Soybeans Shedding Leaves 99 97 100 95 -- -- -- -- -- Harvested 91 81 94 73 Sweetpotatoes Harvested 70 60 62 64 -- -- -- -- -- Hay Harvested (Warm Season) 100 99 97 98 -- -- -- -- -- Cattle 2 5 20 53 20 Pasture 0 11 20 22 47 Other Agricultural Comments and News County Agent Comments "Cotton harvest is in full swing but yields are low. Most cotton is picking in the 650 -700 range with some in the 800 range. A lot of cotton has not "fluffed" out and is being dropped by the picker." -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada "Harvest of all crops is progressing with cool, dry conditions." -- Jay Phelps, Pontotoc "Weather has been good for finishing the corn and soybean harvests, and for getting started with cotton harvesting. We need for it to stay this way for about another 3 weeks." -- Ernest Flint, Attala "Cotton harvest was completed in the county this week. Soybeans continue being harvested. Pasture conditions are getting pretty dry. Some armyworm activity continues in hay and pasture land." -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha "We are still trying to salvage the corn crop, but harvest has been slow and has taken time away from harvesting cotton. The soybean harvest is also almost complete and yields, for the most part, look good. We are getting dry and the ryegrass pastures, in many areas, need some water. We do welcome the cooler temps and hope they are here to stay for a while." -- Bill Maily, Hinds "The lack of rainfall continues to be a problem for pastures in desperate need of moisture for planting and growth of rye grass. The lack of rainfall is a plus for producers who are rebuilding barns and sheds as well as repairing fences and for cotton picking." -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry "We still have litter from trees in fields and thus cannot make another hay cut even if the grass cooperates by growing. The hay situation for winter does not look good for producers who lost barns and/or had hay stacked. There are still a lot of fences down from trees that fell." -- Judith Breland, Stone "We are getting great harvest weather and are almost finished harvesting rice. We are making good progress with cotton harvest and need the good weather to continue." -- Don Respess, Bolivar "We had an excellent week to harvest corn, soybeans and cotton. Harvest aid chemicals are being applied to cotton." -- Melvin Oatis, Benton Weather Information Table Weather Summary from October 3, 2005 to October 9, 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 90 50 72 67 +5 0.01 -0.45 1 6.27 Lambert 88 48 70 0.00 -0.63 0 3.52 Tunica 89 47 70 67 +3 0.05 -0.58 1 3.65 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 90 47 71 67 +4 0.02 -0.61 1 3.65 2. North-Central Calhoun City 86 49 70 66 +4 0.00 -0.64 0 1.87 Hickory Flat 87 46 69 64 +5 0.05 -0.66 1 3.48 Independence 86 47 68 65 +3 0.03 -0.62 1 2.71 Oxford 89 47 71 65 +6 0.06 -0.72 1 4.49 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 89 46 69 65 +4 0.04 -0.68 1 3. Northeast Booneville 88 50 70 64 +6 0.00 -0.71 0 5.74 Iuka 86 48 66 62 +4 0.00 -0.76 0 3.98 Ripley 85 46 68 64 +4 0.00 -0.71 0 2.98 Tupelo 87 49 71 0.05 1 4.40 Verona 91 51 72 66 +6 0.03 -0.68 1 3.10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 91 46 69 65 +4 0.02 -0.73 0 3.83 4. Lower Delta Moorhead 92 51 73 69 +4 0.02 -0.68 2 4.19 Rolling Fork 93 52 73 68 +5 0.00 -0.82 0 3.97 Stoneville 91 54 77 68 +9 0.00 -0.70 0 7.14 Yazoo City 90 52 74 69 +5 0.00 -0.82 0 3.62 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 93 51 74 68 +6 0.01 -0.76 1 4.98 5. Central Canton 89 51 72 68 +4 0.00 -0.70 0 8.89 Carthage 88 52 75 67 +8 0.00 -0.70 0 2.70 Eupora 87 48 70 65 +5 0.00 -0.79 0 3.73 Lexington 89 49 71 67 +4 0.10 -0.60 1 3.92 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 89 48 72 67 +5 0.03 -0.70 0 2.70 6. East-Central Aberdeen 88 53 71 66 +5 0.00 -0.84 0 6.01 Houston 87 47 70 64 +6 0.05 -0.66 1 2.64 Philadelphia 67 0.00 -0.70 0 3.04 State University 67 0.00 -0.71 0 1.64 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 88 47 71 67 +4 0.02 -0.70 0 6.01 7. Southwest Crystal Springs 90 52 73 69 +4 0.00 -0.79 0 3.33 Natchez 91 51 73 70 +3 0.00 -0.84 0 8.00 Oakley 93 50 73 68 +5 0.00 -0.70 0 5.31 Vicksburg 90 53 74 0.00 0 4.09 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 93 50 73 69 +4 0.00 -0.77 0 8.00 8. South-Central Collins 68 0.00 -0.79 0 0.35 Columbia 93 54 76 69 +7 0.00 -0.77 0 0.51 Tylertown 91 53 75 71 +4 0.00 -0.84 0 1.09 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 93 53 76 69 +7 0.00 -0.77 0 0.51 9. Southeast Beaumont 94 65 80 0.00 0 0.21 Hattiesburg 70 0.06 -0.71 1 0.58 Laurel 90 55 75 68 +7 0.00 -0.73 0 2.00 Newton 88 48 71 67 +4 0.03 -0.68 1 3.64 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 94 48 75 68 +7 0.01 -0.71 0 10. Coastal Gulfport 73 0.00 -0.76 0 0.23 Poplarville 71 0.00 Waveland 71 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 71 State Averages 94 46 72 68 +4 0.02 -0.71 0 4.45 DFN = Departure from Normal.