Mississippi Crop Weather Released October 1, 2007 Week Ending Date September 30, 2007 Issue MS-CW3907 Agricultural Summary According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, September 30, 2007. Overall, harvesting of cotton progressed well, although there were scattered showers in the lower Delta. In parts of the State where dry conditions persist, producers have delayed planting cool-season forage crops until there is an adequate amount of precipitation. Soil moisture was rated 27 percent very short, 32 percent short, 32 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Crop progress for week ending 09/30/07 --------------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year : average --------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Corn, harvested : 98 96 100 97 Cotton, open bolls : 98 95 99 95 Cotton, harvested : 46 35 56 35 Hay-Warm Season, harvested : 96 95 95 96 Peanuts, harvested : 32 24 27 -- Rice, mature : 100 100 100 99 Rice, harvested : 95 88 90 81 Sorghum, mature : 100 100 100 100 Sorghum, harvested : 97 96 100 99 Soybeans, turning color : 100 98 100 98 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 93 91 98 93 Soybeans, harvested : 65 59 90 76 Sweet Potatoes, harvested : 53 45 57 49 Winter Wheat, planted : 1 -- 17 11 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 09/30/07 ------------------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Item : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Cotton : 2 5 25 51 17 Livestock : 3 11 31 46 9 Pasture : 9 20 32 31 8 Peanuts : 0 0 36 55 9 Soybeans : 2 6 15 43 34 Sweet Potatoes : 0 0 23 67 10 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments "Good weather this week should allow growers to harvest cotton and soybeans. Yields on all crops continue to be good." -- Don Respess, Coahoma "Yields on are good corn this year and there is very little left in the field. Soybeans are mixed. Some are looking very good but the soybeans that are planted behind wheat are suffering. Cotton is being defoliated and several producers started picking this week." -- Jimbo Burkhalter, Tallahatchie "There still has been no rain for North Mississippi. Producers are in a holding pattern waiting for enough moisture to plant fall cool season grasses. Most of the fescue pastures are still in dormancy; some stand losses have been observed. Time is running out to have any cool-season grasses to graze this fall and early winter. Supplemental feed prices continue to soar." -- Mike Howell, Lee "Rains slowed harvest and field activities this past week. The quality of soybeans is deteriorating each week that they stay in the field." -- Jerry Singleton, Leflore "Scattered thundershowers and drizzles stopped harvest early in the week. Fieldwork such as bedding and subsoiling are the only field activities happening where only a slight amount of rainfall fell. Some areas reported as much as 5 inches of rain." -- Tommy Baird, Sunflower "Cotton harvest started in earnest. Showers have slowed the picking but it is starting out with good yields. We will wait and see." -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada "Corn harvest has been slowed due to storage and transportation shortages. Most Group IV soybeans have been harvested and Group V's are near maturity. Cotton harvest aid applications are nearly complete." -- Jay Phelps, Pontotoc "Although the dry weather is good for harvesting, it has become a big problem for forage production and for planting cool season forage crops." -- Ernest Flint, Attala "Cooler nights, shorter days and no rainfall are not a good combination for growing hay. Most producers are hoping to get a good last cutting. A little rain would help." -- Ruby D. Rankin, Kemper "Scattered showers gave some benefit to area pastures. Final hay cuts proceeded during the week with little impediment by rain. Soybean harvest is underway with fields in various stages from just dropping leaves to ready to harvest. Cotton defoliation has been effective and harvest is beginning." -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha "Dry weather has allowed for late summer hay harvest and the planting of cool season forages. Hay should be plentiful this winter but some moisture is needed to get cool season forages off to a good start." -- Richard Hay, Amite "The cotton crop is looking good. Peanuts have been harvested and irrigation improved the yields. Pastures are beginning to show signs of very dry conditions and producers are selling cattle to keep from over wintering." -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry Mississippi Weather Summary for Week Ending 09/30/07 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : :4 Inch Soil: : Air Temperature : Precipitation :Temperature:Avg :------------------------------------------------------:Plan Division/Station :Max:Min:Avg:Norm:DFN:One : DFN :Rain:Four :Max:Min:Avg:Evap : : : : : :Week: :Days:Weeks: : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upper Delta : Cleveland :89 57 75 71 4 0.39 -0.20 3 1.61 Lambert :94 58 78 0.33 -0.37 3 1.72 Tunica :91 58 77 70 7 0.52 -0.11 2 1.95 Extreme/Average :94 57 77 71 6 0.41 -0.23 3 1.76 North-Central : Calhoun City :91 52 76 70 6 0.00 -0.75 0 3.13 Hickory Flat :91 52 75 68 7 0.54 -0.30 2 2.29 Independence :91 51 75 69 6 0.32 -0.43 1 1.18 Oxford :92 56 77 69 8 0.11 -0.73 2 1.09 Extreme/Average :92 51 76 69 7 0.24 -0.55 1 1.92 Northeast : Iuka :90 65 78 66 12 0.00 -0.90 0 3.36 Ripley :92 50 75 67 8 0.19 -0.65 2 1.72 Tupelo :91 65 79 0.11 1 4.03 Verona :91 52 76 70 6 0.03 -0.84 1 4.16 Extreme/Average :92 50 77 68 9 0.08 -0.80 1 3.32 Lower Delta : Moorhead :88 59 76 72 4 2.31 1.51 4 6.25 Rolling Fork :90 60 77 72 5 0.66 -0.11 3 3.37 Stoneville :91 64 78 71 7 1.27 0.50 4 4.35 Yazoo City :89 62 77 73 4 0.72 -0.01 2 6.37 Extreme/Average :91 59 77 72 5 1.24 -0.47 3 5.09 Central : Canton :90 55 78 72 6 0.30 -0.40 3 3.18 Carthage :89 55 75 71 4 0.00 -0.76 0 1.71 Eupora :89 53 74 69 5 0.08 -0.81 1 6.52 Lexington :89 56 75 70 5 0.38 -0.32 1 6.00 Extreme/Average :90 53 76 71 5 0.19 -0.57 1 4.35 East-Central : Aberdeen :89 57 76 70 6 0.55 -0.33 4 4.93 Philadelphia :90 64 78 71 7 0.65 -0.06 1 0.75 State University:91 53 76 70 6 1.20 0.43 2 4.55 Extreme/Average :91 53 77 70 7 0.80 0.01 2 3.41 Southwest : Crystal Springs :91 63 78 73 5 1.06 0.10 2 3.41 Natchez :89 64 77 73 4 1.33 0.49 3 4.58 Oakley :90 58 77 72 5 0.87 0.22 3 4.32 Vicksburg :89 65 78 0.65 3 5.37 Extreme/Average :91 58 78 73 5 0.98 0.27 1 4.42 South-Central : Collins :89 64 77 72 5 2.00 1.08 2 2.70 Columbia :91 63 79 73 6 1.13 0.25 2 2.99 Tylertown :89 66 79 74 5 0.83 -0.07 2 2.42 Extreme/Average :91 63 78 73 5 1.32 0.42 2 2.70 Southeast : Beaumont :93 66 80 Hattiesburg :90 68 79 73 6 1.00 0.12 2 4.47 Laurel :95 60 79 72 7 0.00 -0.91 0 3.27 Newton :91 54 75 71 4 0.72 -0.07 2 2.76 Extreme/Average :95 54 78 72 6 0.43 -0.29 1 2.63 Coastal : Gulfport :90 70 79 76 3 0.22 -0.97 1 3.17 Extreme/Average : State :95 50 77 71 6 0.63 -0.14 2 3.29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ DFN = Departure from Normal.