Mississippi Weekly Crop Weather Released: Monday, 3PM July 24, 2006 Week Ending July 23, 2006 This report is best viewed with a monospace font. Issue MS-CW3006 Agricultural Summary According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi, there were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, July 23, 2006. Dry conditions continue to be a problem for Mississippi. Scattered rains are helping, but are still not enough to bring many operations out of the drought for more than a few days. Due to poor conditions, many row crops may have lower yields this year. An unusual situation has arisen with a few reports of aphids on peanuts. Some pastures are bouncing back with the much needed rain that they received while others are still struggling with insufficient moisture. Soil moisture was rated 60 percent very short, 28 percent short, and 12 percent adequate. Item Event This Last 2005 5-Yr Very Week Week Avg Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Corn Silked 100 100 100 100 19 22 20 37 2 Dough 97 87 87 89 Dent 78 60 53 60 Mature 18 1 1 8 Silage Harvested 68 46 41 34 Cotton Squaring 100 98 100 98 10 19 28 34 9 Setting Bolls 83 67 80 81 Peanuts Pegging 100 70 -- -- 3 9 23 65 0 Rice Heading 58 32 34 43 0 5 16 65 14 Sorghum Heading 99 94 96 94 4 4 35 57 0 Turning Color 76 43 25 38 Soybeans Blooming 99 97 99 93 11 21 30 32 6 Setting Pods 93 85 87 79 Turning Color 21 5 2 4 Hay Harvested (Warm) 65 62 69 64 16 24 26 34 0 Sweetpotatoes Planted 100 90 100 100 0 20 35 40 5 Watermelons Harvested 93 90 76 79 0 25 52 23 0 Blueberries 0 13 11 76 0 Cattle 13 19 29 32 7 Pasture 27 34 27 12 0 Other Agricultural Comments and News County Agent Comments "Non-irrigated crops are burning up, but irrigated crops are holding up pretty well. Pastures are burning up. Hay will be short this year." -- Jimbo Burkhalter, Tallahatchie "The pasture situation has deteriorated to critical in most of the northern Mississippi counties. Producers are looking at utilizing abandoned crops such as corn and soybeans as a hay source. Hay feeding in most areas has been underway for more than three weeks." -- Mike Howell, Lee "Recent rains have only prevented further rapid deterioration of the crop. Additional rains are needed to get soil moisture to levels that will significantly improve our situation." -- Ernest Flint, Attala "We are getting some relief from the very dry conditions with sporadic afternoon thunderstorms; however, forage production (no matter if conditions improve) is in a state of disaster. Many cow and calf producers will be forced to reduce their herds." -- Mark Gillie, Greene "Drought has really slammed our dry land crops and the cost of diesel has wrecked the budgets of irrigated crops." -- Mack Young, Quitman "It's been very dry and it's showing in fields. Crops and forages are wilting and leaves are turning due to heat and moisture stress. Vegetables are also in need of rain." -- Melvin Oatis, Benton "The hay crop is 50% at best for the first cutting and there is no regrowth for any second cutting. Pastures are about eaten to the ground. We had better get some rain soon." -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada "Fruit retention in cotton is still high. Isolated cotton aphid, tarnished plant bug, and bollworm populations have required control measures. High temperatures in the past week caused some bloom abortion in soybeans." -- Jay Phelps, Pontotoc "Moisture is needed on all crops. Insect pressure is picking up in beans and cotton. Gardens have burned up and we are seeing a lot of early defoliation of trees." -- Tim Needham, Tippah "We missed the rains again. The harvest of non-irrigated corn and soybeans has started. Early yields are one-fourth to one-half of normal." -- Jerry Singleton, Leflore "It is still hot and dry. Irrigation is the only thing keeping crops going. Corn is maturing and early groups of soybeans are being harvested. Insect pressure is light and scattered." -- Tommy Baird, Sunflower "Spotted showers across the southwest district have been uplifting to everyone that has been fortunate enough to have received a sprinkle or two. We all probably wanted more rain, but at this point, any rain is more than some folks have had in a long time. Pastures and hay fields are trying to green-up again. Most silage producers are cutting now or getting ready to cut because of the drought-like conditions maturing the corn earlier than usual. This year really reminds me of 1980 as far as rainfall goes." -- Houston Therrell, Rankin "Hot, dry conditions continue. Corn is rapidly maturing. Pastures and hay meadows will continue to deteriorate until we get more rain." -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha "Rains were a welcomed event. The only problem is that they were very scattered. There is still many places that are as dry as a bone. There are other places that are saturated. Pastures are looking somewhat better after the rains. The cotton was happy to get a shot of rain and it looks a little better. The jury is still out on the effect of the recent rains on soybeans." -- Bill Maily, Hinds "Almost everyone in Lamar County received one rain this week. Some got almost two inches while others received around one-tenth inch. In either case, it wasn't enough to last us very long. It's been clouding up and thundering a little every evening, and then it just seems to fade away without raining. Calls regarding pine beetles have picked up over the past couple of weeks, mainly in landscape situations that have received some soil disturbance." -- Clayton Rouse, Lamar "Producers are reporting lower yields for hay. Many producers have yet to cut hay due to a lack of rain and little or no growth. Spotty showers over the past week have provided some areas with minimal growth for grazing. Some producers are feeding hay that is in short supply; others are considering reducing herds." -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry "We have had some spotty rain that is helping, but we are still short." -- Judith Breland, Stone Weather Information Table Weather Summary from July 17, 2006 to July 23, 2006 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 102 64 85 82 +3 0.00 -0.65 0 1.11 Lambert 101 63 84 0.00 -0.77 0 1.41 Tunica 100 65 85 82 +3 0.00 -0.80 0 0.39 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 102 63 85 82 +3 0.00 -0.88 0 1.26 2. North-Central Calhoun City 101 65 84 81 +3 0.10 -0.83 1 0.75 Hickory Flat 102 59 83 79 +4 0.05 -0.98 1 2.13 Independence 98 58 81 81 0 0.00 -0.84 0 2.64 Oxford 101 61 84 81 +3 0.00 -0.91 0 0.52 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 102 58 82 81 +1 0.05 -0.89 1 2.64 3. Northeast Booneville 101 65 84 80 +4 0.12 -0.79 1 2.14 Iuka 99 59 81 78 +3 0.31 -0.74 3 0.77 Ripley 102 61 83 80 +3 0.09 -0.96 1 0.58 Tupelo 103 73 87 0.00 0 1.75 Verona 104 66 84 81 +3 0.00 -0.77 0 3.34 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 104 59 83 81 +2 0.13 -0.83 1 0.58 4. Lower Delta Moorhead 101 67 85 82 +3 0.00 -1.08 0 1.16 Rolling Fork 102 68 86 82 +4 0.07 -0.82 1 0.59 Stoneville 101 66 84 83 +1 0.00 -0.87 0 1.84 Yazoo City 100 69 84 82 +2 0.24 -0.72 1 0.84 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 102 66 86 83 +3 0.04 -0.93 1 0.88 5. Central Canton 100 68 84 82 +2 0.54 -0.32 2 1.04 Carthage 101 69 84 81 +3 2.20 +1.15 2 2.84 Eupora 100 62 82 80 +2 0.01 -0.90 1 2.05 Lexington 101 65 83 80 +3 0.37 -0.47 2 3.05 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 101 62 84 81 +3 0.46 -0.59 2 3.05 6. East-Central Aberdeen 102 69 84 81 +3 1.60 +0.74 3 1.70 Houston 102 63 84 80 +4 0.07 -0.79 1 0.46 Philadelphia 81 2.00E+0.89 2 2.33E State University103 63 83 81 +2 1.15 +0.17 3 2.64 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 103 63 84 81 +3 1.21 +0.18 2 1.60 7. Southwest Crystal Springs 99 68 85 82 +3 2.04 +1.11 4 3.28 Natchez 98 68 84 82 +2 1.50 +0.59 2 3.95 Oakley 100 66 83 81 +2 3.09E+2.25 3 6.79E Vicksburg 98 69 84 4.95 2 5.85 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 100 66 84 81 +3 2.90 +1.88 3 3.28 8. South-Central Collins 100 70 85 81 +4 3.53 +2.41 2 5.16 Columbia 98 70 85 82 +3 1.39 +0.13 2 3.63 Tylertown 97 68 83 81 +2 2.29 +0.92 3 5.32 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 100 68 84 81 +3 2.91 +1.72 3 9. Southeast Hattiesburg 99 68 85 82 +3 1.87 +0.54 3 5.62 Laurel 102 70 84 81 +3 0.75 -0.52 3 1.37 Newton 102 65 84 81 +3 0.32E-0.80 2 1.16E --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 102 65 84 81 +3 0.54 -0.72 3 1.37 10. Coastal Gulfport 93 72 83 83 0 0.36 -1.25 3 2.39 Pascagoula 3 NE 81 0.00 Picayune 82 1.75E+0.21 1 1.75E --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extreme/Average 93 72 82 1.75 +0.14 1 State Averages 104 58 84 81 +3 1.07 -0.02 2 1.98 DFN=Departure form Normal.