Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 3, 2004 WET WEATHER RETURNS Farmers experienced yet another strong storm as Hurricane Jeanne passed through the State. Three to four inches of rain were common, according the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. However, drier weather toward the latter part of the week allowed farmers to make progress with fieldwork activities. Pond and stream levels have risen greatly. Crop conditions continued to be rated mostly fair to good except for pecans which were mostly very poor to poor. Harvest of the State's row crops was again slowed by the wet fields. Rains also delayed hay harvest. Armyworms remained active in pastures and soybeans. Cotton and pecan conditions deteriorated as result of the weather. Farmers were assessing the damage to the peanut crop. The losses of yield and quality were major concerns. Growers need drier weather until harvest is complete. County Extension Agents reported an average of 3.9 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn harvest was winding down. In other activities, farmers mowed pastures, fields were sprayed for insect control, and cattlemen weaned calves. Crop Progress Table Oct 3, 2004 Corn, Harvested for Grain 92 Cotton, Bolls Open 90 Cotton, Harvested 12 Peanuts, Dug 43 Peanuts, Combined 27 Rye, Planted 18 Sorghum, Harvested for Grain 47 Soybeans, Dropping Leaves 53 Soybeans, Harvested 4 Wheat, Planted 3 Other Small Grains, Planted 12 Apples, Harvested 63 Pecans, Harvested 1 Prev Week 90 83 8 28 15 11 41 42 2 1 6 50 0 Prev Year 95 82 13 55 40 19 59 46 8 4 13 54 1 5 Year Avg 95 85 15 56 40 18 50 50 6 3 13 60 1 Crop Condition Table October 3, 2004 Crop Very Poor Cotton 9 Hay 1 Peanuts 3 Sorghum 1 Soybeans 2 Pecans 21 Pasture 0 Poor Fair Good --Percentage-- 21 40 27 8 42 46 11 35 43 9 41 45 8 41 44 35 28 15 6 38 51 Excellent 3 3 8 4 5 1 5 Pasture Condition Table - District* Level October 3, 2004 Very Poor Poor Fair Good --Percentage-- Dist 1(NW) 0 6 46 41 Dist 2(NC) 0 1 37 58 Dist 3(NE) 0 9 21 60 Dist 4(WC) 0 6 40 54 Dist 5(C) 0 5 31 54 Excellent 7 4 10 0 10 Dist 6(EC) 0 4 36 60 0 Dist 7(SW) 0 6 34 53 7 Dist 8(SC) 1 10 52 33 4 Dist 9(SE) 0 1 44 52 3 *A list of the counties in each of the nine Georgia Agricultural Statistics Districts is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga/ctyests/districts.pdf. Soil Moisture Table Oct 3, 2004 Prev Year --Percentages-- Very Short 0 7 Short 2 42 Adequate 57 49 Surplus 41 2 5 Year Avg 6 28 59 7 Soil Moisture Table - District Level October 3, 2004 Very Short Short Adequate --Percentages-- Dist 1(NW) 0 8 89 Dist 2(NC) 0 4 86 Dist 3(NE) 0 2 86 Dist 4(WC) 0 5 84 Dist 5(C) 0 0 36 Dist 6(EC) 0 0 65 Dist 7(SW) 0 4 67 Dist 8(SC) 0 0 13 Dist 9(SE) 0 0 13 Surplus 3 10 12 11 64 35 29 87 87 Weather Information Table GEORGIA WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY OCTOBER 3, 2004 1/ 2004 Air Temperature Precipitation Totals Extreme Weekly Rain 30 60 Soil Location Max Min AvG Weekly Day Day Day Season Temp ALMA 90 67 76 2.96 1 14.20 17.99 40.74 77 ALPHARETTA 84 53 67 2.83 2 13.27 20.43 48.49 70 ARLINGTON 89 63 74 1.12 1 11.04 15.12 43.16 77 ATTAPULGUS 89 66 76 1.85 1 8.22 14.02 38.89 78 BLAIRSVILLE 78 47 63 1.80 4 10.07 15.85 44.03 70 BRUNSWICK 89 69 78 0.75 3 9.32 16.35 44.27 79 BYRON 87 60 72 3.32 1 7.85 11.66 31.80 74 CAIRO 91 66 76 1.70 1 8.59 13.78 36.71 78 CALHOUN 84 47 66 0.17 1 6.60 12.15 42.36 71 CAMILLA 90 64 75 2.01 1 8.55 13.17 35.26 79 CORDELE 89 63 73 4.44 1 12.24 18.26 41.73 75 COVINGTON 84 56 70 2.69 2 12.19 18.12 41.83 75 DAHLONEGA 82 51 66 1.66 2 11.16 16.00 43.47 68 DALLAS 83 53 67 0.72 1 8.64 11.62 41.08 72 DAWSON 89 61 73 1.02 1 7.34 11.27 34.14 77 DEARING 87 61 73 4.31 3 8.83 12.52 39.32 75 DEMPSEY 83 54 69 1.62 2 10.98 16.36 43.11 72 DIXIE 90 66 76 1.10 1 8.59 14.42 44.95 79 DUBLIN 89 63 73 3.44 2 11.23 17.76 39.39 77 DULUTH 83 53 67 2.06 2 10.16 12.44 35.12 71 DUNWOODY 82 54 67 3.79 2 13.20 18.99 48.20 71 EATONTON 84 54 69 5.62 2 13.58 18.56 40.16 76 ELLIJAY 81 48 65 0.47 2 11.36 14.97 43.85 69 FORT VALLEY 86 61 72 2.11 1 7.99 11.17 27.06 74 GAINESVILLE 81 56 68 2.47 3 10.12 15.71 37.56 73 GEORGETOWN 88 59 72 1.64 1 9.62 13.58 36.36 77 GRIFFIN 82 55 69 2.51 1 12.06 16.85 42.87 72 HOMERVILLE 91 67 76 2.44 1 18.37 25.61 50.67 77 JACKSONVILLE 86 60 72 5.72 2 13.29 17.11 39.92 75 JONESBORO 83 56 69 2.77 1 10.96 16.03 35.61 72 LAFAYETTE 83 47 65 0.00 0 5.43 8.12 34.86 71 MIDVILLE 88 64 74 2.90 2 9.02 17.07 43.27 77 NAHUNTA 90 65 76 2.50 2 17.76 24.38 58.82 79 NEWTON 89 64 74 1.28 1 7.33 11.31 36.57 78 PINE MOUNTAIN 85 56 69 3.30 1 11.39 16.61 48.49 71 PLAINS 87 62 72 1.74 1 12.27 17.43 42.71 74 ROME 85 49 67 0.00 0 3.82 6.52 38.42 73 ROOPVILLE 86 49 67 0.56 1 8.86 14.85 38.85 73 SAVANNAH 88 62 74 1.15 2 7.56 13.12 43.67 78 SNEADS 90 68 77 0.00 0 1.63 4.20 30.71 78 STATESBORO 87 63 73 2.36 3 10.02 14.04 31.84 78 TIFTON 89 65 76 5.31 3 14.56 16.71 48.25 75 VALDOSTA 90 68 77 1.39 2 12.24 18.57 40.31 78 VIDALIA 89 64 75 2.18 1 11.78 19.78 44.27 77 WATKINSVILLE 83 55 69 3.89 2 11.49 16.26 38.35 72 WILLIAMSON 83 53 69 2.24 1 11.45 14.36 40.10 72 1/ Weather data supplied by Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (AEMN) and the office of the State Climatologist, University of Georgia. For detailed Georgia weather data visit the AEMN homepage, www.georgiaweather.net. NA - not available. District Highlights These comments are written by the Georgia County Extension Agents, and have been complied and edited by the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. DISTRICT COMMENTS October 3, 2004 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST We're seeing a lot of white grubs in pastures and hayfields, producers spraying for these. General livestock work--weaning calves, working cow herd, fall calves being born. Livestock producers cutting hay. A lot of hay fields were flooded by Ivan causing dusty/dirty hay. Row crop producers worked as hard as they could to harvest corn and soybeans. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Most cleanup that was a result of the Hurricane has been completed. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Two inches from Jeanne caused more problems with peanut harvest. Equipment stuck in the fields from one end of county to the other. Peanut crop continued to deteriorate from wet conditions, over maturity, disease and insect pressure. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Wet, wet, wet, again!!! Hurricane Jeanne brought 5-6 inches of rain in a 24-hour period early in the week. Corn, grain sorghum, and hay harvests were pretty much brought to a halt except late in the week. Pond and stream levels have risen greatly. Excess moisture has also slowed small grain and winter grazing planting. Conditions were variable depending on crop. Pastures and some hay fields were in locations that didn't flood or in a stage of growth that wasn't negatively affected by the flood, so the rain helped in those areas. We received nearly 4 inches of rainfall as a result of tropical storm Jeanne. It remains to be seen what the storms long term impact will be on crop conditions in area. Received 6+ inches of rainfall on Monday with Hurricane Jeanne. Soil conditions very wet at this time but having good drying weather the later half of this week. Wet! More cotton on the ground following the storm. Remainder of pecans were lost to Ivan and Jeanne, 99.5% loss. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Late hay being cut, dryland peanuts and soybeans really coming on after Sept. rains, 15% cotton lost due to wind and rain. Wheat acreage projected down. Pasture overseeding w/ryegrass beginning. Peanut crop not hurt by rain. Worms and stinkbugs in soybeans were sprayed. No damage from Hurricane Ivan, just rain. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Rainfall 3.64 in. Estimated crop damage: cotton-30%; pecan-50%; peanut-30%; corn-5%; and green beans-60%. Cotton harvest hindered in many places by wet conditions. Excess moisture still an issue in peanut fields. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL We lost a few pecan trees and some pine trees. One estimate was at least 1/2 cord of pulpwood although some was going into chip and saw which has a higher value. Peanuts still in ground from last storms will be another 12-14 days before digging. Crop insurance folks have taken pictures and documentation. Some peanuts dug before storm but will have to be lifted or fluffed before picking. It will be 12 plus days before they can get into fields probably. In cotton, we lost probably another l5-25% more blown on ground and some more loss to boll rot and hardlock. Harvest will be delayed at least 2 weeks hopefully sooner. Airplanes are spraying defoliants. Most fields flooded, more due to excess rainfall and already saturated fields from previous storms. Worst I have seen in 22 years as a county agent. Wet soils have stopped crop harvesting. Excessive moisture in most every field. A small rain event of any kind will continue to keep farmers from harvesting already over mature crops. Hurricane dropped from 8 to 10 inches of rain in area. More pecan trees were blown down in pecan orchards. Large homeowner pecan trees and pine trees were blown down. Pond dams were washed out. Roads were washed and damaged. Cotton was blown out of bolls about 50% loss of crop. Corn still in the field is a complete loss due to being blown down and moisture rotting corn on the stalk. It is too wet to dig or combine peanuts. Fields are too wet for equipment to enter. We need good dry weather to get back to harvesting what little crops are left. Wet, wet, wet. Wet conditions cause delays and yield reductions. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Some rain this week. Cotton and peanut harvest resumed. Contact Information David S. Abbe, Director Georgia Agricultural Statistics Phone: 706-546-2236 E-mail: nass-ga@nass.usda.gov Website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga