Georgia weather and crops, 2004 September 26

Georgia Crop Weather
Week Ending Date September 26, 2004
WELCOMED DRIER WEATHER A relatively cool, dry week allowed farmers to make favorable progress with fieldwork activities, according the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service. Rainfall was mostly isolated across the State. Soil moisture supplies were rated as surplus to adequate. County Extension Agents reported an average of 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork.
Rainfall has helped pasture and hay fields. Armyworms infestations continue to plague pastures and soybeans. Farmers were actively harvesting corn and cutting silage. Cotton that was blown over or in muddy fields was defoliated by plane. In south Georgia, peanut harvest was slowed by wet spots in fields. A combination of untimely rains followed by recent cool temperatures have caused peanut development to lag. TSWV continued to be a problem in peanuts. Pecan growers were active clearing up downed tree limbs and resetting blown down trees.
Apple picking resumed as fields dried. Growers were active in planting small grains for grazing and cover crops. In other activities, producers harvested grapes, cut and baled hay, and continued the routine care of livestock and poultry.

Crop Progress Table

Sep 26,

2004

Corn, Harvested for Grain

90

Cotton, Bolls Open

83

Cotton, Harvested

8

Peanuts, Dug

28

Peanuts, Combined

15

Rye, Planted

11

Sorghum, Harvested for Grain 41

Soybeans, Dropping Leaves

42

Soybeans, Harvested

2

Wheat, Planted

1

Other Small Grains, Planted 6

Apples, Harvested

50

Prev Week
84 77
4 13
7 7 35 35 0 0 4 34

Prev Year
90 72
7 34 22 15 52 36
4 1 9 44

5 Year Avg 92 78 10 39 25 11 44 40 3 1 7 52

Crop Condition Table

September 26, 2004

Crop

Very Poor

Cotton

8

Hay

1

Peanuts

4

Sorghum

1

Soybeans

2

Apples

4

Pecans

17

Pasture

0

Poor Fair Good

--Percentage--

20

39

30

9

39

47

11

34

44

8

39

48

7

39

47

16

28

46

29

34

19

5

32

56

Excellent
3 4 7 4 5 6 1 7

Pasture Condition Table - District* Level

September 26, 2004

Very Poor Poor Fair Good

--Percentage--

Dist 1(NW)

0

7

32

51

Dist 2(NC)

0

2

25

68

Dist 3(NE)

0

9

16

65

Dist 4(WC)

0

2

35

61

Excellent
10 5
10 2

Dist 5(C)

0

7

24

55

14

Dist 6(EC)

0

4

39

57

0

Dist 7(SW)

0

3

34

57

6

Dist 8(SC)

0

11

42

43

4

Dist 9(SE)

0

1

37

59

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

Sep 26, 2004 Prev Year

--Percentages--

Very Short

0

4

Short

3

35

Adequate

70

58

Surplus

27

3

5 Year Avg
9 26 55 10

Soil Moisture Table - District Level

September 26, 2004

Very Short Short Adequate

--Percentages--

Dist 1(NW)

0

0

78

Dist 2(NC)

0

2

81

Dist 3(NE)

0

2

68

Dist 4(WC)

0

2

78

Dist 5(C)

0

4

68

Dist 6(EC)

0

5

79

Dist 7(SW)

0

8

77

Dist 8(SC)

0

1

55

Dist 9(SE)

0

0

53

Surplus
22 17 30 20 28 16 15 44 47

Weather Information Table

GEORGIA WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY

SEPTEMBER 26, 2004 1/

2004

Air Temperature

Precipitation Totals

Extreme Weekly Rain

30

60

Soil

Location

Max Min AvG Weekly Day Day

Day Season Temp

ALMA

87 59 71 0.00 0 10.44 14.94 36.76 75

ALPHARETTA

88 50 66 0.20 5 11.47 17.61 45.66 70

ARLINGTON

88 59 72 0.16 1 12.25 14.06 42.04 76

ATTAPULGUS

86 60 72 0.57 1

6.47 12.17 37.04 78

BLAIRSVILLE

85 41 64 0.00 0

9.55 15.36 42.23 71

BRUNSWICK

85 62 73 0.34 2

9.79 16.57 42.82 76

BYRON

87 54 69 0.00 0

5.26 9.10 28.48 74

CAIRO

87 60 73 0.76 1

7.71 12.12 35.01 78

CALHOUN

88 47 67 0.00 0

6.54 13.52 42.19 72

CAMILLA

88 58 73 0.33 1

6.69 11.39 33.25 80

CORDELE

88 55 71 0.03 1

9.53 13.90 37.29 75

COVINGTON

86 51 68 0.00 0 12.36 17.00 39.14 74

DAHLONEGA

86 48 66 0.00 0 11.33 15.12 41.81 69

DALLAS

86 51 67 0.00 0

9.06 11.27 40.36 71

DAWSON

86 56 72 0.04 1

7.69 10.31 33.12 77

DEARING

88 51 69 0.00 0

6.50 8.43 35.01 75

DEMPSEY

84 52 67 0.00 0 10.33 14.79 41.49 70

DIXIE

87 59 72 2.04 1

7.50 13.42 43.85 76

DUBLIN

87 55 70 0.02 1

9.63 14.85 35.95 76

DULUTH

87 49 67 0.12 1

8.27 10.38 33.06 71

DUNWOODY

87 52 67 0.00 0

9.98 15.34 44.41 71

EATONTON

86 52 67 0.00 0 10.98 13.02 34.54 75

ELLIJAY

86 46 65 0.00 0 11.07 15.07 43.38 70

FORT VALLEY

86 54 70 0.00 0

6.80 9.08 24.95 73

GAINESVILLE

85 53 67 0.00 0 10.89 14.45 35.09 73

GEORGETOWN

85 55 70 0.00 0

9.47 11.94 34.72 78

GRIFFIN

84 52 67 0.00 0 10.38 14.72 40.36 71

HOMERVILLE

88 59 72 5.78 1 17.71 23.17 48.23 75

JACKSONVILLE 86 53 69 0.00 0

8.58 11.39 34.20 74

JONESBORO

87 53 68 0.00 0

9.18 13.43 32.84 71

LAFAYETTE

85 46 66 0.00 0

5.95 8.56 34.86 71

MIDVILLE

87 54 70 0.02 1

8.20 14.31 40.37 76

NAHUNTA

88 59 71 0.00 0 14.86 20.58 53.87 76

NEWTON

87 59 72 0.30 1

6.23 10.20 35.29 77

PINE MOUNTAIN 85 53 67 0.00 0

9.15 13.31 45.19 71

PLAINS

86 55 70 0.00 0 10.92 15.69 40.97 74

ROOPVILLE

87 49 66 0.00 0

8.57 14.75 38.29 73

SAVANNAH

87 56 70 0.00 0

7.66 12.90 42.20 75

SNEADS

83 65 74 0.00 0

1.68 4.36 30.71 77

STATESBORO

86 55 69 0.00 0

7.51 11.38 28.98 78

TIFTON

88 57 72 0.00 0

9.43 10.65 42.18 74

VALDOSTA

88 62 74 2.60 2 11.75 17.31 38.92 75

VIDALIA

87 56 70 0.00 0 10.96 17.75 41.83 77

WATKINSVILLE 86 52 67 0.00 0

7.59 11.60 34.60 71

WILLIAMSON

85 52 67 0.03 1

9.39 12.13 37.86 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 September 26, 2004
DISTRICT 1 - NORTHWEST Eight to ten inches of rain last week from hurricane Ivan left fields saturated.
DISTRICT 2 - NORTH CENTRAL Finally, a week dry enough to get some work done! Farmers cut and harvested hay, silage and corn. The dry weather has also improved the apple crop, but with another storm en route we'll see what happens.
Many hay fields cut this week - red grape harvest continued in commercial vineyards.
DISTRICT 3 - NORTHEAST Folks have been cleaning up from the storm and evaluating it's damage. Cool, clear weather has helped considerably.
DISTRICT 4 - WEST CENTRAL Producers have started to defoliate a lot of cotton this past week. Regrowth is going to become a big issue, especially after hurricane Jeanne comes through.
Still not dry enough in some peanut fields to dig and/or harvest and hurricane Jeanne hit this morning. Disease pressure has increased, worm populations have increased; peanut crop definitely harmed by effects of storms.

DISTRICT 5 - CENTRAL A drier, cooler week! Corn, grain sorghum, and hay harvest resumed as moisture levels permitted. Planting of small grains continued.
With rain & cooler temperatures, fescue pastures have begun to take off. The cooler temperatures have made Bermuda hay fields & pasture slow their growth rates.
We have dried out fairly well. Fortunately, hurricane Ivan didn't damage us as badly as we anticipated.
Some hay cut and baled this week with drier weather conditions - field conditions improved with drier weather, but fields are still wet.
Producers cut and baled hay. Peanut harvest continued. Producers evaluating cotton fields. Defoliation of cotton continued. Insect pressure continued on soybeans. Sunny weather was great!
DISTRICT 6 - EAST CENTRAL Cotton harvest and peanut harvest well underway. Soybeans could use one more rain.
Little or no damage from hurricane Ivan, but we got soaked from hurricane Jeanne.
Waiting on Jeanne.
DISTRICT 7 - SOUTHWEST Currently receiving wind and rain from hurricane Jeanne. Wind gust of 45 mph will cause more damage to cotton, sweet corn, and pecans. Rain will increase damage to peanuts, carrots, green beans, and tomato crop.
Eighty to ninety percent of corn was blown over by hurricanes Frances and Ivan.
Peanut disease (TSWV) heavy. Vines defoliating (leafspot). Maturity checks showing maturity of fields coming off at some time. Damage assessment of hurricane Ivan continued. No rainfall. Heavy worm damage in soybean fields. Some peanut fields with worms but not recommended to spray due to close harvest date.
Storm damage caused us to lose 50-70% of our pecan crop and 15-25% of our cotton.
Cotton harvest behind because storms hindered timely applications of harvest aids. In many fields cotton plants are laid over and tangled so badly that using a ground sprayer is not an option, forcing producers to go with aerial applications.
DISTRICT 8 - SOUTH CENTRAL Some fields have been defoliated. Been too breezy up until Wednesday. Cotton yields and quality are still a question but suspect even more of a loss due to cloudy wet weather from hurricane Ivan. Peanuts are being dug and picked and finally getting to fields that were too wet as of Monday. Yield and quality has been affected, but how much is unsure. Hopefully, next week we will have some yield and grade data. Corn that we thought could be picked when the field dried out is sprouting in the shuck and where ears are touching the wet soil. Also weevil damage. Worms are causing havoc in soybeans and peanuts. Some are spraying fungicides and insecticides by airplane. We are all worried about this hurricane Jeanne giving us rain by first of next week. If we get any rainfall amount to speak of we can just about claim a total disaster for our area of the state.

Most fields still too wet to dig for peanuts.
Peanut harvest in full swing.
Good to see the sun shine. Farmers attempting to get in the fields. Many having to go around wet spots. Cotton defoliation continuing. Seeing the impact of having to wait several weeks to harvest over mature peanuts due to rain soaked fields.
Pecan crop was 50-60 % lost to the hurricanes. Pecan tree damage to next year's crop may also be significant. Cotton harvest and peanut digging is slowly getting started. Muddy fields are hampering a timely and coordinated harvest. Cotton is being defoliated by plane due to blown down cotton and wet fields. Peanut digging is hampered by wet spots in fields. Pecan orchards are busy clearing up downed limbs and trying to reset blown down trees.
Weather has been favorable for harvesting this week.
DISTRICT 9 - SOUTHEAST Still wet from hurricane Frances, but getting better daily.
Too wet to harvest hay or much field work.
Some fields have dried out. Peanut and corn harvest underway. Cotton defoliation behind due to wet soil conditions.
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