Georgia weather and crops, 2004 December 19

Georgia Crop Weather
Week Ending Date December 19, 2004

FREEZING TEMPERATURES A cold front moved through the State bringing the first hard freeze of the year, according to the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. Most areas dropped below freezing. Planting of small grains was limited, but active in a few locations. Soil moisture levels were rated 6 percent short, 81 percent adequate, and 13 percent surplus.
Producers continued to harvest soybeans and cotton. Wheat remained in mostly good condition. There were reports of frost damage to small grains. Supplemental feeding continued to increase due to declining pasture conditions. However, pasture was rated in mostly good to fair condition.
County Extension Agents reported an average of 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Vegetables were rated in mostly good to fair condition. Other activities included producers shredding cotton stalks, repairing farm equipment, and the routine care of livestock and poultry.

Crop Progress Table December 19, 2004 Data for the table will resume in April 2005.

Crop Condition Table

December 19, 2004

Crop

Very Poor

Vegetables

0

Wheat

0

Pasture

3

Poor Fair Good

--Percentage--

4

40

53

1

26

70

13

38

43

Excellent
3 3 3

Pasture Condition Table - District* Level

December 19, 2004

Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent

--Percentage--

Dist 1(NW)

4

13

48

35

0

Dist 2(NC)

0

3

26

64

7

Dist 3(NE)

0

4

46

44

6

Dist 4(WC)

3

10

45

39

3

Dist 5(C)

8

11

21

59

1

Dist 6(EC)

0

19

39

42

0

Dist 7(SW)

2

14

38

42

4

Dist 8(SC)

5

20

39

31

5

Dist 9(SE)

0

2

43

54

1

*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

Dec 19, 2004 Prev Year

--Percentages--

Very Short

0

NA

Short

6

NA

Adequate

81

NA

Surplus

13

NA

5 Year Avg
NA NA NA NA

Soil Moisture Table - District Level

December 19, 2004

Very Short Short Adequate

--Percentages--

Dist 1(NW)

0

0

50

Dist 2(NC)

0

1

88

Dist 3(NE)

0

0

84

Dist 4(WC)

0

0

93

Dist 5(C)

0

4

81

Dist 6(EC)

0

16

75

Dist 7(SW)

1

6

75

Dist 8(SC)

0

8

85

Dist 9(SE)

0

13

86

Surplus
50 11 16
7 15
9 18
7 1

Weather Information Table

GEORGIA WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY

DECEMBER 19, 2004 1/

2004

Air Temperature

Precipitation Totals

Extreme Weekly Rain

30

60

Soil

Location

Max Min AvG Weekly Day Day

Day Season Temp

ALMA

67 25 44 0.00 0 2.91

3.97 45.77 50

ALPHARETTA

54 19 34 0.02 1 8.10 10.61 60.38 41

ARLINGTON

66 23 43 0.00 0 4.31

5.71 50.53 48

ATTAPULGUS

68 25 45 0.00 0 6.86

8.26 49.77 51

BLAIRSVILLE

53 12 31 0.01 1 6.89 12.04 57.22 43

BRUNSWICK

70 30 48 0.00 0 2.71

2.89 50.14 54

BYRON

63 20 41 0.00 0 2.12

3.39 36.44 50

CAIRO

68 25 45 0.00 0 7.34

9.60 48.86 61

CALHOUN

56 17 35 0.00 0 8.26 13.01 58.05 41

CAMILLA

67 24 43 0.00 0 5.93

6.25 43.05 50

CORDELE

65 22 42 0.00 0 5.17

5.68 48.20 51

COVINGTON

57 18 37 0.00 0 2.35

4.29 47.65 45

DAHLONEGA

56 16 35 0.00 0 6.41 11.58 56.35 43

DALLAS

56 19 36 0.03 1 9.42 11.64 54.56 44

DAWSON

64 24 41 0.00 0 3.65

4.10 38.72 52

DEARING

61 19 40 0.00 0 4.15

5.46 45.60 52

DEMPSEY

57 20 37 0.00 0 3.87

7.03 52.60 43

DIXIE

69 26 45 0.00 0 2.76

5.46 52.70 51

DUBLIN

66 20 41 0.00 0 2.42

3.18 43.69 49

DULUTH

57 20 36 0.00 0 7.95 10.55 46.74 44

DUNWOODY

55 20 36 0.00 0 8.41 11.13 60.80 43

EATONTON

59 17 37 0.00 0 3.06

4.98 47.01 43

ELLIJAY

52 16 32 0.00 0 8.29 14.02 59.71 42

FORT VALLEY

62 22 40 0.00 0 2.40

3.76 32.73 46

GAINESVILLE

55 21 37 0.00 0 5.72

8.34 46.76 46

GEORGETOWN

62 22 41 0.00 0 4.31

5.64 41.13 51

GRIFFIN

56 21 39 0.00 0 4.54

8.03 53.36 49

HOMERVILLE

69 25 44 0.00 0 1.93

2.59 54.46 53

JACKSONVILLE 62 22 40 0.00 0 3.94

4.88 46.48 49

JONESBORO

58 20 37 0.01 1 3.90

8.25 46.06 44

LAFAYETTE

56 17 35 0.00 0 7.63 11.69 48.75 45

MIDVILLE

63 19 41 0.00 0 1.32

1.90 46.01 50

NAHUNTA

69 22 44 0.00 0 1.48

2.18 62.31 54

NEWTON

68 22 42 0.00 0 6.15

6.48 44.80 53

PINE MOUNTAIN 58 18 37 0.00 0 5.96

8.37 59.56 45

PLAINS

63 24 41 0.00 0 3.42

4.37 47.55 45

ROME

57 19 36 0.00 0 6.64

8.32 48.22 44

ROOPVILLE

59 20 36 0.02 1 6.32

9.48 50.95 46

SAVANNAH

67 22 43 0.00 0 2.11

2.34 49.58 52

STATESBORO

64 23 43 0.00 0 2.76

3.27 36.38 50

TIFTON

65 26 44 0.00 0 3.63

4.69 53.68 51

VALDOSTA

69 28 47 0.06 2 2.02

2.91 45.34 55

VIDALIA

65 25 44 0.00 0 3.06

4.05 49.22 51

WATKINSVILLE 57 20 38 0.00 0 6.96 10.34 50.81 43

WILLIAMSON

56 20 38 0.00 0 3.91

6.49 49.39 45

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 December 19, 2004
DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST Rains last week and through the weekend have continued to delay soybean harvest. Quality going down fast. Arctic blast coming may freeze ground to enable producers to get back into the fields, but many are trying to make the decision if it is feasible to harvest.
DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Seasonably cold weather finally arrived.
Cold temperatures this morning. Low around 12 degrees.
Routine care of livestock and poultry.
DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Extreme cold snaps everything into dormancy for winter.
The coldest temperatures (19F)of the season has taken its toll on much of the remaining pastures in the county.
DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL
DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Really cold! Low's in the 20's several mornings this week. Hay feeding to livestock continued to increase. Small grains looking good but showed some signs of cold damage.
Some areas in pastures and wheat fields were too wet. Otherwise conditions are alright.
Cold weather is the best way to describe the conditions in the county. Hopefully, we'll see a suppression in insects and diseases.
Cold! Hard freeze.
First killing frost this week.
DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Hard freezes and some low wet spots where some cotton slowed grain growth remains.
DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST First hard freeze occurred this week.
Cotton harvesting continues. Small grains look good overall. Plantings

continued. Cold conditions prevented early hour cotton harvesting.
DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Cold, need some rainfall. Winter grazing needs rainfall. Farmers were destroying cotton stalks. Tobacco producers are trying to justifying planting tobacco with low contract prices being offered. Most are not to excited about planting tobacco in 2005. Colder temperatures negatively affected crop conditions.
DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST No comments available.
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