Georgia Crop Weather Week Ending Date April 18, 2004 Issue GA-CW1604 Agricultural Summary April 18, 2004 WELCOMED RAIN Up to four inches of much needed rain fell across the State early in the week, according to the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. The rain helped replenish soil moisture and green up fields and pastures. More rain is needed. Dry conditions delayed field preparation and planting. Cool temperatures and windy conditions damaged newly transplanted tobacco, watermelons, and vegetables. County Extension Agents reported an average of 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Producers continued to irrigate crops. Land preparation for peanuts, cotton, and tobacco progressed slowly. The condition of corn and small grains improved slightly. Wheat disease was minimal. Pecan trees were being sprayed with pre-pollination fungicide. Pasture conditions continued to decline forcing producers to supplement feed. Other activities included the routine care of livestock and poultry. Crop Progress Table Corn, Planted Corn, Emerged Cotton, Planted Peanuts, Planted Sorghum, Planted Soybeans, Planted Tobacco, Transplanted Wheat, Jointing Wheat, Boot Wheat, Heading Onions, Harvested Watermelons, Planted Apples, Blooming Apr 18, 2003 89 76 4 1 6 3 69 98 86 65 13 77 72 Prev Week 81 62 1 0 4 0 46 93 67 39 6 65 47 Prev Year 66 47 2 1 2 1 35 97 82 55 3 68 61 5 Year Avg 84 73 5 1 10 1 74 96 86 68 5 76 64 Crop Condition Table April 18, 2004 Crop Very Poor Corn 0 Cotton 4 Hay 4 Sorghum 0 Tobacco 0 Wheat 1 Onions 6 Watermelons 0 Apples 0 Peaches 0 Pasture 5 Poor Fair Good --Percentage-- 6 43 46 27 46 23 23 52 19 12 73 14 7 58 34 14 45 37 14 39 33 15 56 25 0 15 78 1 2 97 25 47 21 Excellent 5 0 2 1 1 3 8 4 7 0 2 Pasture Condition Table - District* Level April 18, 2004 Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent --Percentage-- Dist 1(NW) 0 8 44 42 6 Dist 2(NC) 0 6 59 30 5 Dist 3(NE) 1 18 46 34 1 Dist 4(WC) 6 36 38 18 2 Dist 5(C) 10 20 51 19 0 Dist 6(EC) 6 22 59 13 0 Dist 7(SW) 1 37 49 11 2 Dist 8(SC) 12 34 34 18 2 Dist 9(SE) 1 15 57 27 0 *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 Apr 18, 2004 Prev Year --Percentages-- Very Short 17 0 Short 48 4 Adequate 35 62 Surplus 0 34 5 Year Avg 3 15 51 31 Soil Moisture Table - District Level April 18, 2004 Very Short Short Adequate --Percentages-- Dist 1(NW) 4 33 63 Dist 2(NC) 4 35 61 Dist 3(NE) 20 23 57 Dist 4(WC) 14 56 30 Dist 5(C) 14 60 26 Dist 6(EC) 20 52 28 Dist 7(SW) 22 51 26 Dist 8(SC) 27 45 26 Dist 9(SE) 7 56 37 Surplus 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Weather Information Table GEORGIA WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY APRIL 18, 2004 1/ 2004 Air Temperature Precipitation Totals Extreme Weekly Rain 30 60 Soil Location Max Min AvG Weekly Day Day Day Season Temp ALPHARETTA 84 36 56 1.21 5 2.26 3.77 10.89 58 ARLINGTON 84 39 61 0.37 2 1.52 2.87 9.17 66 ATTAPULGUS 83 36 60 0.69 2 2.11 4.06 10.69 67 BLAIRSVILLE 82 31 54 2.84 3 3.91 5.99 11.75 56 BRUNSWICK 78 42 64 0.08 1 0.88 5.13 9.46 69 BYRON 84 39 61 0.18 1 0.85 2.17 9.40 63 CAIRO 83 39 61 0.61 2 0.96 2.89 9.83 64 CALHOUN 84 37 57 0.74 2 2.10 4.32 10.82 58 CAMILLA 84 40 62 0.30 2 1.17 2.39 9.67 68 CORDELE 85 38 62 0.13 1 0.42 1.75 5.28 67 COVINGTON 84 37 59 0.71 2 1.33 2.71 10.20 62 DAHLONEGA 83 34 56 1.78 3 2.73 5.19 12.58 56 DALLAS 82 36 58 3.25 3 4.71 6.65 14.53 59 DAWSON 84 38 61 0.24 2 0.54 2.21 7.94 68 DEARING 86 36 61 0.59 2 1.64 3.89 9.17 61 DEMPSEY 83 35 59 0.93 2 1.72 2.89 9.79 63 DIXIE 84 40 62 0.31 2 0.94 2.86 9.67 67 DUBLIN 85 35 61 0.25 1 0.83 2.29 8.17 66 DULUTH 85 36 56 1.07 2 2.26 3.77 10.87 59 DUNWOODY 82 36 57 0.86 2 2.17 3.57 11.08 59 EATONTON 85 35 58 0.68 3 1.12 2.61 9.01 63 FORT VALLEY 84 36 60 0.32 1 1.14 2.21 7.68 64 GAINESVILLE 81 36 56 1.26 3 2.22 3.34 10.15 61 GEORGETOWN 84 37 60 0.37 2 0.49 2.34 8.07 66 GRIFFIN 82 35 60 0.87 2 1.60 2.78 9.36 61 HOMERVILLE 84 35 61 0.36 1 1.06 3.10 9.17 67 JACKSONVILLE 84 37 60 0.47 2 1.79 3.44 11.19 63 JONESBORO 85 36 58 0.66 3 1.50 2.59 9.87 60 LAFAYETTE 83 35 56 1.09 3 2.30 5.42 12.97 57 MIDVILLE 85 39 62 0.36 1 1.10 3.94 12.44 68 NAHUNTA 84 35 61 0.65 1 2.32 5.61 10.74 68 NEWTON 84 39 60 0.37 2 1.37 2.98 11.74 67 PINE MOUNTAIN 83 35 58 0.99 2 2.24 4.08 10.61 61 PLAINS 83 38 61 0.40 2 0.71 3.56 9.53 65 ROME 83 34 57 0.96 3 2.87 5.96 14.33 57 ROOPVILLE 84 33 57 1.09 2 2.67 3.95 12.12 63 SAVANNAH 83 36 61 1.53 2 2.51 3.71 9.02 66 SNEADS 81 43 62 0.84 2 1.45 3.73 11.16 68 STATESBORO 85 38 63 0.24 1 0.63 2.43 8.28 70 TIFTON 81 40 62 0.58 2 1.95 3.54 13.41 65 VALDOSTA 84 42 64 0.31 1 1.32 2.81 8.72 71 VIDALIA 85 39 63 0.28 1 0.82 1.92 8.94 67 WATKINSVILLE 84 37 58 0.63 3 1.45 2.58 9.79 61 WILLIAMSON 83 35 59 0.77 2 1.28 2.30 7.88 63 1/ Weather data supplied by Georgia Automated Environmential 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 April 18, 2004 DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST Two+ inches of rain helped soil moisture this week. DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL No comments available. DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST No comments available. DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Rain amounts from 1.5 to 4.0 inches fell across the county this week. There may be some cotton in the ground next week. It is getting dry and producers are starting to plant based on moisture. Wheat is heading out. A lot of burn down chemicals going out on small grains. Scattered rainfall on Monday, the 12th and Tuesday, the 13th from 0.2 inch to 0.5 inch. Dry conditions. Light rain very welcome but did little to relieve dry conditions. Grass not growing much; too much hay being fed. Wheat trying to head out. Routine care and extra hay for livestock. DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL Some rain early in the week, around 1/2 inch in most locations of the county. We need a lot more! Small grain and corn conditions improving slightly due to the rain. Hay feeding still continuing by cattlemen. Lack of moisture and cool night temperatures is slowing down green up of pastures and hayfields. We received some much needed rainfall. However, we are still very dry. The cooler temperatures have slowed down planting by a week or so. Need rainfall. Dry weather conditions. Only received about 0.5 inches of rain this week. Late cold snap may cause further damage to emerging grass in pastures and hay fields. Some winter kill areas already evident from frost received on April 1st on Bermuda grass. Farmers continue to lime and fertilize fields. Hoping rain will come soon. Remains dry! Corn is up and looking good however producers are having to irrigate. Cotton planting is slowing. Small grains need rain! Pastures continuing to green up. Land preparation continues. Continued drought has caused some farmers to begin feeding hay to livestock. Very dry, planting has been halted to wait on adequate moisture. We need those April showers! Dry weather continues to hurt farmers here. Some farmers received a little rain but not near enough. Soils are too dry for land preparation and planting. DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Still very dry in areas. Field preparation being done for peanuts and cotton. Very little surface moisture. Got about 0.4" rain in past week. Wheat disease very minimal. Attempting to sub-soil in preparation for strip-planting cotton. Very dry. Still dry. Field work slowed because of lack of moisture. DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST We received 0.57" of rainfall. Pastures greening up. Dry, dry, dry! Scattered rainfall on 12th and 13th , 0.2 inch to 0.6 inches. Poor corn stands on dryland. DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Dry and windy. Transplanting tobacco and planting late corn. Preparing soil for cotton and peanuts. Irrigating of tobacco. Putting electric blankets and hot water bottles around our poor little watermelon plants. Much sand blasting and cool weather stunt on melon crop to date. Some part of county received 7/10 inches of rain some less. Still need more rain, but in better shape than last year. Weather windy and very dry. Winds this past week damaged newly transplanted tobacco and young produce plants. Top soil moisture is very short for preparing land for planting peanuts, cotton, and soybeans. Hay and pastures are very short. We are feeding hay to livestock. Pecan trees are being sprayed with the first pre-pollination fungicide spray. Wind damage to vegetables widespread. Cool weather has affected watermelon crop. Pythium infection has occurred, and some farmers are replacing the affected transplants. DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Some rain on Tuesday of last week. From 0.3 to 0.7 inches reported in the county. Contact Information David S. Abbe, Director Phone: 706-546-2236 E-mail: nass-ga@nass.usda.gov Website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/ga