or-crop-weather Oregon Crop Weather Released: May 5, 2008 Week ending: May~4, 2008 OR-CW1405 OREGON CROP WEATHER NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office Phone: 503-326-2131 Released: May 5, 2008 Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157 Week ending: May~4, 2008 Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov Volume: 05-08 Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or Weather: Conditions remained cooler than average throughout most of the State last week with many areas reporting freezing night time temperatures. By week's end, however, many areas reported warmer conditions with temperatures reaching 80 degrees in southeastern Oregon. High temperatures ranged from 80 degrees in Ontario and Rome to 57 degrees in Bandon and North Bend. Low temperatures ranged from 39 degrees in Astoria, Portland, and The Dalles to 13 degrees in Burns and Christmas Valley. The Detroit Lake station received the most precipitation with 1.57 inches followed by the North Bend station with 0.93 inches. All but three stations received measurable precipitation with most occurring in the coastal areas. Central and eastern counties, where soil moisture is becoming depleted, received only a trace of rainfall. The cool and dry trend continued with most counties throughout the State reporting below normal temperatures and drier than average conditions. Field Crops: Farmers took advantage of the warmer days toward the end of the week to catch up on field work when possible. Crop growth and development continued to be behind throughout much of the State. Wheat growth in north central Oregon may be two to three weeks behind. Harvest will be later and the crop physically shorter. Grass seed and clover crops were generally behind normal development. Some winter wheat fields in Marion County showed some signs of disease due to cold and wet weather. Cool weather has postponed Klamath County planting. Potato yields in Umatilla County are expected to be low this year if weather conditions show no improvement soon. Vegetables: Soils were drying out pretty well this past week, allowing field work to kick in for vegetable crops around the State. Some ground was still too cool for vegetable growers, mainly around 50 degrees, but will hopefully warm up to over 60 degrees next week. This would allow many growers to start their planting, much of which is a couple of weeks behind schedule. Some cabbage, radishes, peas, carrots, and early corn were reported to already be in the ground in the southern Willamette Valley. Fruits and Nuts: Last week's warmer and drier weather was welcomed by fruit and nut growers. Pollination was able to happen for apples, pears, and blueberries. Yields on stone fruit crops were still expected to be reduced this season. Cherries on the Willamette Valley floor continued in bloom, while those in higher elevations were coming into bloom. Eastern Filbert Blight sprays were applied to hazelnut trees. Weather conditions in Hood River County varied through the week. Dry and mild conditions early in the week changed to cool and wet mid-week, then dry and warm by the weekend. At week's end, crop development in the lower Hood River Valley was as follows: d'Anjou pear at post bloom (WSU stage 8); Red Delicious apple at first bloom to near full bloom (WSU stages 7&8); Bing cherry past full bloom (WSU stage 8); Pinot noir grape at Eichhorn-Lorenz stage 5. Most apples and pears in southern Oregon have finished with bloom. Vineyards were starting to show new growth. Nurseries and Greenhouses: Night time temperatures near freezing continued to keep nurseries busy protecting plants vulnerable to frost. Nurseries were busy with tree and shrub sales and getting new cuttings planted. Greenhouses remained busy with spring vegetable starts and decorative lawn flowers. Livestock, Range and Pasture: Pasture growth has been slow due to cool springtime temperatures. Some areas of western Oregon saw some increased growth with the warmer temperatures the latter part of the week, but lack of moisture in many areas of eastern Oregon has put pasture and range grass growth behind. The 18,000 acres of primarily pasture that burned in Sherman County last year began to green up with weed dominated plant communities. Overall, livestock were in good condition. Soil Moisture-Week Ending 05/04/08 ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Very : : : : short : Short : Adequate : Surplus ------------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : Topsoil : 4 18 62 16 Subsoil : 6 19 57 18 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop Progress-Week Ending 05/04/08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5 year Crop : week : week : year : average -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Barley planted : 90 88 93 85 Barley emerged : 57 52 80 65 Spring wheat planted : 96 94 98 93 Spring wheat emerged : 76 68 83 72 : Days suitable for fieldwork : 5.6 4.6 5.0 5.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop Condition-Week Ending 05/04/08 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Winter wheat : 0 35 46 16 3 Spring wheat : 0 55 32 11 2 Barley : 0 11 58 18 13 Range and pasture : 1 19 37 35 8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WESTERN OREGON BENTON/LINN/LANE: The weather in the Willamette Valley continued to be close to freezing overnight with cooler day time temperatures than average for this time of the year. All of the grass crops at this time are a little behind their normal growth. Forage fescue was 30 percent headed. Annual ryegrass was beginning to push heads. Expected warmer and dryer weather this coming week is needed to dry wetter fields. Winter wheat continued to look good on dryer ground, poorly drained ground has taken a toll on winter wheat fields. This year there is greater pressure to achieve good yields on all grass seed and grain crops in order to counter excessively high fertilizer and fuel costs. All farmers' dependence on constantly changing weather conditions puts us in an especially high risk situation. Vegetable farmers have started working ground and getting it ready for vegetable crops. Plums were at the end of blooming stage, and pears and cherries were nearing the end. Peaches were also mostly done. Tree fruits crops are about one to two weeks behind. CLATSOP: Conditions were somewhat dryer last week, but still cool and the grass was still slow to grow. COOS/CURRY: Temperatures were very cool through mid-week, with a high of only 52 degrees in Brookings on Wednesday, but temperatures warmed late in the week. There was some precipitation early in the week, with 0.78 inches over 3 days. Pastures were starting to dry out again at the end of the week. Curry County: The low temperature for the period was 42.56 degrees, 1.11 degrees below the 5-year average. The high temperature for the period was 78.5 degrees, 10.08 degrees above the 5-year average. Precipitation for the period was 0.25 inches, compared to a 5-year (including drought years 2003-2004) average of 1.03 inches. Precipitation for Current weather year precipitation (began 10/07) stands at 62.97 inches, 12.41 inches below the 5 year average. Historical average precipitation through April is 64.54 inches. Little rain and warmer temperatures spurred forage growth. Most pastures were in excellent condition. DOUGLAS: It was a cool week with a few drizzly days. Field activities were few as farmers continued to wait for warmer weather. There have been enough clear days and a couple of mild days to get some good pollination for apples and pears. Stone fruit crops still look pretty poor. Blueberries need a little more time for pollination and next week looks good, same for strawberries. Soils were drying out pretty well so field work was kicking in for vegetable crops and we expect a pretty good planting pace next week. Soil temperatures were still cool, in the 50's, but next week should get them up near 60 degrees where we need to be for summer vegetables. Disease pressure has been great for the tree fruits and berries but it looks like growers have kept fungicides on and crops look ok. There are concerns regarding how far pasture growth is behind this spring and unless conditions improve, there could be a forage loss this year. JACKSON: It was a cool wet start to the week, but it dried out some by mid- week. Nights were still too cool with warmer days. Still a few late spring grains fields being planted. The hay crops were still running a bit late. The cool wet days slowed down most all crops and planting. Most all fruit (apples and pears) have finished blooms. We still had a couple of cold nights this week with some needing frost protection. Spraying was being done at pedal closure. Vineyards were starting to show growth. Vegetable growers were trying to get things started, but the ground was still a bit cool. Most all onions were in, as well as some cabbage, radishes, peas, carrots, and some early corn. Greenhouses were still busy with spring vegetable starts and lots of decorative lawn flowers. Nurseries were still selling trees and shrubs. They were also getting new cuttings out and planted. Most all cattle were on spring pastures by last week. Grass is slow, but starting to show some good growth. Lots of babies were out with their mothers, and some marking and tagging of new calves was being done. JOSEPHINE: It was a beautiful work week. Mornings were cool and afternoons were warm. It was a bit breezy during the day, with 20 mph winds at times. Recorded precipitation was two tenths of an inch of rain, but not enough with the wind blowing. Daytime temperatures were in the 70's with night temperatures in the 28-38 range. We will start showing shortages of moisture now. It's a beautiful time of the year in the Valley. Livestock are looking good. Pastureland was still strong without irrigation. Hay fields were looking good without irrigation, and first cutting looks to be on schedule. Truck gardens were doing their final tilling and grading before planting. Some early crops were in. Timing for fruit tree spraying is a little off with the wind for home gardeners. Wine grapes were budding out nicely. MARION: This week continued our cool, unsettled weather pattern. The first of the week had rainy spells mixed with hail, showers, overcast, and blue skies, then toward the end of the week the weather got generally warmer with a pretty good rain on Saturday afternoon. Field crops were starting to grow with the warmer late-week temperatures. There was still some spring wheat being planted. Winter wheat was showing some foliar diseases caused by cool moist conditions. As weather permitted, tractors were tilling the fields, fertilizer was being spread and field sprayers were spraying the crops. Overall this week brought on more of the growth that reminds us of springtime. Trees have that fresh leafing-out look, with some in bloom, berries are getting a little more growth on the vines and the grass is really growing rapidly. Overall, however, crops were still behind in development. WASHINGTON: Some winter wheat fields appear non-uniform with areas of stunted yellowish plants. OSU is reporting Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus in the State, but unsure if the winter wheat is being affected by this virus in Washington County. All clover and grass crops appear to be two weeks behind in growth due to wet and cold weather conditions. Spot spraying in grass seed fields and weed control in fall grains was being done. Strawberries were two weeks late and rhubarb was being picked. Orchardists were trimming out filberts to control blight. Fields were being prepared for beets (table), corn, beans, and potatoes. Greenhouses were digging, balling, and burlapping shrubs and arborvitae. Calves look good and pastures were improving rapidly. YAMHILL: Last weekend's weather was good for bee flight and pollination on tree fruits. Cherries were still blooming, and orchards in higher elevations were coming into bloom. Eastern Filbert Blight sprays were being applied on hazelnuts. Overall, the cooler weather has kept crops a couple of weeks behind schedule and has kept vegetables from being planted. Some spring heat is needed to go along with the rain. EASTERN OREGON BAKER/UNION: Last week we felt some warmer temperatures during the day. Had some freezing nights that affected bloom for stone fruits, apples, and pears in the east part of the County. Parts of the County were still to wet too plant. Parts of the Valley were dry and in need of spring rains. Irrigation has started on the south end. Some areas received some precipitation during the weekend. Not much growth on the range pastures due to dry cold conditions during the past month continuing up to the present. Winter Wheat stands were starting to grow. HOOD RIVER: Weather conditions varied through the week, with dry mild conditions early in the week changing to cool and wet mid-week and then dry and warm by the weekend. At week's end, crop development in the lower Hood River Valley was as follows: d'Anjou pear at post bloom (WSU stage 8); Red Delicious apple at first bloom to near full bloom (WSU stages 7&8); Bing cherry past full bloom (WSU stage 8); Pinot noir grape at Eichhorn-Lorenz stage 5. JEFFERSON: A positive outcome of the unseasonably cool spring has been relatively low insect and disease pest pressure on all crops. Growing conditions have finally improved. KLAMATH: More rain and scattered snow during the week. Temperatures were still cool for spring. Growth continues to be slow. Spring planting was being postponed by some because of the cold weather. There was not enough precipitation to delay field work. LAKE: Some snow and rain showers during the week and over the weekend. Some field work has begun. MALHEUR: Cold weather still prevails. The freezing weather has made small grains look worse and slowed range grass growth. Both high and low temperatures were still below normal with frost or near frost 3 out of the 7 nights. Onion planting was finished. Sugar beet replants continued. Potato planting continued and corn planting got underway. SHERMAN: It was still quite cold and breezy with a few nights below freezing in the southern portion of the County. April temperatures averaged 5+ degrees cooler than normal. Wheat growth and development was maybe two to three weeks behind expected. Harvest will be later and the crop will be physically shorter. The 18,000 acres that burned last year, primarily on range, was showing some green but close inspection showed it is mostly weeds coming back. UMATILLA: The cold has continued causing planting date to have little influence on harvest date for many crops such as sweet corn and peas. Early potato yields are expected to be low unless weather changes dramatically. Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: May 4, 2008 (as of 11:00 am) 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : Growing : Last week precip. 4/ : Season cum. precipitation 5/ : Air temperature 2/ : degree days 3/ :-------------------------------------------------------------- Station :-------------------------------:-----------------: Total : : : Total : : Pct. : : Low : High : Avg. :DFN 6/ : Total :DFN 6/ : inches :DFN 6/ :Days 7/: inches :DFN 6/ : normal :Days 7/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ COASTAL AREAS : Astoria/Clatsop : 39 61 49 -2 6 -8 0.71 -0.09 6 55.64 -3.42 94 164 Bandon 8/ : 35 57 48 -3 3 -11 0.46 -0.29 3 51.36 -2.44 95 158 Crescent City : 37 58 49 -4 1 -20 0.27 -0.50 2 43.62 -16.52 73 109 Florence : 36 60 48 -4 3 -11 0.92 -0.04 3 80.15 11.37 117 143 North Bend : 36 57 49 -3 7 -9 0.93 0.14 3 56.06 -1.89 97 134 Tillamook : 36 61 49 -1 10 +3 0.74 -0.37 5 52.28 -26.13 67 154 WILLAMETTE : VALLEY : Aurora 8/ : 37 72 52 -1 23 -2 0.39 -0.17 4 39.13 3.17 109 146 Corvallis : 33 68 50 -3 15 -6 0.13 -0.36 3 41.02 2.54 107 141 Detroit Lake 8/ : 34 73 49 +3 13 +6 1.57 0.73 4 80.03 19.59 132 153 Eugene : 33 67 51 -2 23 -5 0.36 -0.20 3 33.39 -11.20 75 123 Hillsboro : 33 71 51 -2 23 -1 0.33 -0.08 4 29.51 -3.74 89 126 McMinnville : 36 71 52 -2 25 -3 0.17 -0.32 4 32.41 -6.99 82 136 Portland : 39 72 53 -1 30 -4 0.31 -0.18 4 29.55 -1.84 94 136 Salem : 35 69 51 +0 22 +1 0.19 -0.27 3 34.77 -0.17 100 125 SW VALLEYS : Grants Pass : 34 79 53 -3 34 -12 0.13 -0.16 3 26.48 -2.35 92 111 Medford : 32 74 54 -2 34 -6 0.04 -0.22 1 15.07 -1.62 90 92 Roseburg : 35 71 53 -1 33 -2 0.30 -0.12 2 30.51 0.86 103 124 NORTH CENTRAL : Condon : 26 71 47 -2 10 +2 0.08 -0.20 3 9.72 -1.14 90 86 Echo 8/ : 28 77 52 -4 22 -23 0.02 -0.15 1 6.79 -0.58 92 86 Heppner : 30 75 49 -3 16 -9 0.14 -0.18 4 10.45 -0.30 97 98 Hermiston : 29 74 53 -3 22 -23 - -0.17 - 6.65 -0.72 90 67 Madras 8/ : 25 68 46 -5 6 -15 0.13 -0.01 3 5.98 -2.01 75 80 Moro : 30 69 48 -2 13 -1 0.05 -0.09 3 8.38 -0.70 92 73 Parkdale 8/ : 32 68 47 -7 2 -26 0.14 -0.12 2 19.85 -8.67 70 92 Pendleton : 31 75 52 -3 21 -16 0.07 -0.19 3 8.36 -1.35 86 77 Prairie City 8/ : 25 68 46 -5 6 -15 0.13 -0.01 3 5.98 -2.01 75 80 The Dalles : 39 74 54 +3 30 +9 0.05 -0.09 1 12.27 1.73 116 74 SOUTH CENTRAL : Agency Lake 8/ : 28 66 45 +0 7 +0 0.02 -0.19 1 10.41 -3.04 77 82 Bend : 23 74 44 -3 3 -4 0.05 -0.09 2 11.58 2.48 127 71 Burns : 13 73 44 -4 7 -7 0.01 -0.19 1 7.35 0.11 102 85 Christmas Valley 8/ : 13 70 43 -7 3 -18 0.02 -0.19 1 4.02 -5.42 43 59 Klamath Falls : 17 69 43 -7 1 -13 0.04 -0.11 2 7.60 -3.50 68 71 Klamath Falls 8/ : 18 68 43 -6 1 -13 0.04 -0.11 2 8.28 -2.82 75 95 Lakeview : - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lorella 8/ : 14 69 42 -8 - -14 0.06 -0.09 1 6.98 -4.12 63 93 Redmond : 19 72 46 -2 6 -5 0.05 -0.09 1 1.66 -4.57 27 33 Worden 8/ : 21 68 44 -6 1 -13 0.02 -0.13 1 6.86 -4.24 62 92 NORTHEAST : Baker City : 18 75 44 -6 4 -10 0.11 -0.10 4 6.54 -0.32 95 88 Joseph : 22 67 43 -2 3 +3 0.38 -0.04 3 13.97 -5.47 72 102 La Grande : 27 73 48 -3 15 -6 0.47 0.12 4 9.30 -3.87 71 77 Union : 27 74 48 -2 17 +3 0.26 -0.09 3 7.77 -1.52 84 80 SOUTHEAST : Ontario : 29 80 53 -4 34 -15 - -0.14 - 5.30 -2.39 69 60 Rome : 17 80 47 -5 16 -9 0.02 -0.19 1 6.07 0.45 108 70 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Summary based on NWS data. Copyright 2008: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2/ Air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. 3/ Growing degree days base-50 degrees Fahrenheit. 4/ Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. 5/ Season cumulative precipitation starts September 1, 2007. 6/ DFN=Departure from normal (using 1961-1990 normals period). 7/ Precipitation days = Days with precipitation of 0.01 inch or more. 8/ Agri-Met weather stations.