OR-crop-weather

Oregon Crop Weather
Released: May 19, 2008 
Week ending: May 18, 2008     
OR-CW0708

OREGON CROP WEATHER
 
NATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL
STATISTICS
SERVICE

USDA, NASS, Oregon Field Office

Phone: 503-326-2131
Released: May 19, 2008
Toll Free: 1-800-338-2157
Week ending: cweek@, @year_cwk@
Email: nass-or@nass.usda.gov
Volume: 07-08
Internet: www.nass.usda.gov/or

Weather: After a moderate start to the week, conditions quickly warmed up to 
record setting temperatures by the end of last week.  High temperatures 
ranged from 105 degrees in Roseburg to 82 degrees at the Crescent City 
weather station.  Low temperatures ranged from 46 degrees in Portland and The 
Dalles to 21 degrees in Redmond and Christmas Valley.  The Astoria weather 
station received the most precipitation with 1.04 inches followed by the 
Detroit Lake station with 0.52 inches. Only 16 of the 43 stations received 
measurable precipitation with most reporting just a trace.  Temperatures were 
well above average and precipitation levels were below normal in most areas 
of the State.    

Field Crops: Hot and dry weather conditions prevailed during the latter part 
of last week, which allowed field crops to get a good growth spurt.  Farmers 
were busy catching up with field work and irrigating full throttle field 
crops across the State to avoid heat stress.  Dry land winter grains in north 
central areas already showed signs of heat stress.  Much more moisture is 
needed to keep these grains growing.  Haying has begun in many western areas 
and the dry weather allowed for good haying conditions.  Grass and hop fields 
in Marion County grew fast with the aid of the warmer weather.  In Washington 
County, crimson clover was nearing bloom, while red clover was ready for 
harvest. 
   
Vegetables: Vegetable growers took full advantage of the very warm and dry 
weather this past week, allowing many to finally get their crops in as well 
as spurring growth in those vegetables already planted. This warm weather 
should give many vegetables a good start.  Onions, peas, and sweet corn were 
all reported as still being behind schedule in Umatilla County. Onions were 
just starting to emerge in Klamath County.

Fruits and Nuts: In the north Willamette Valley, strawberries, early apples 
and pears, and some varieties of blueberries continued in bloom. Grape 
development continued. There has been Pseudomonas syringae damage in stone 
fruits this season. In the south Willamette Valley, plums were at the end of 
bloom with an estimated 80 percent crop reduction; cherries appear to have 
over a 70 percent reduction. Apples continued in bloom with a large looking 
crop. Blueberries were starting to bloom and showing cold damage on leaves. 
Strawberries were in various stages of bloom. There is some concern about 
sunburn on strawberries in cold frames or haygrove plastic houses. Southern 
Oregon grapes showed a lot of new growth. Cool temperatures early in the week 
gave way to unseasonably warm weather in Hood River County. Petal-fall spray 
applications continued in the lower Hood River Valley. At week's end, crop 
development in the lower Hood River Valley was as follows: Red Delicious 
apple at post bloom (WSU stage 9); Pinot noir grape at Eichhorn-Lorenz stages 
9 through 12.

Nurseries and Greenhouses: Nurseries were busy with irrigation as very warm 
weather arrived last week. Shade was also being applied on some of the more 
sensitive nursery crops. Greenhouses remained busy preparing vegetable and 
flowing plants for sale.

Livestock, Range and Pasture: The warm weather was a welcome change on 
irrigated pasturelands, improving growth after a long cool spell.  Non-
irrigated pasture and rangeland and grasses on well drained soil were drying 
out and will continue to suffer without some moisture.  Livestock were 
reported to be doing well.  Calving was about finished up, with a few late 
calves here and there.

                Soil Moisture-Week Ending 05/18/08                
------------------------------------------------------------------
                :   Very    :           :             :           
                :   short   :   Short   :  Adequate   :  Surplus  
------------------------------------------------------------------
                :                     Percent                     
                :                                                 
Topsoil         :     6          35           58            1     
Subsoil         :     9          24           65            2     
------------------------------------------------------------------

                       Crop Progress-Week Ending 05/18/08                       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                :   This    :   Last    :   Last    :  5 year   
              Crop              :   week    :   week    :   year    :  average  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                :                    Percent                    
                                :                                               
Winter wheat headed             :    4           -          18          20      
Barley planted                  :   98          93          98          91      
Barley emerged                  :   90          61          88          75      
Spring wheat emerged            :   95          78          96          88      
                                :                                               
Days suitable for fieldwork     :    6.9         6.6         6.4         5.8    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           Crop Condition-Week Ending 05/18/08                           
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         :   Very    :           :           :           :               
           Crop          :   poor    :   Poor    :   Fair    :   Good    :   Excellent   
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         :                            Percent                            
                         :                                                               
Winter wheat             :     6          33          37          22             2       
Spring wheat             :     7          42          31          17             3       
Barley                   :     3          30          53          12             2       
Range and pasture        :     2          20          25          41            12       
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 WESTERN OREGON                                 

BENTON/LINN/LANE: Unseasonable hot weather has taken a toll on topsoil 
moisture available to grass seed and grain crops, especially well drained, 
lighter soils. The heat has advanced maturity in fawn and gulf grass seeds. 
Grass seed was heading and was looking good. Rain is much needed to reach the 
yield potential of all grass seed and grain crops. Fungicide sprays were 
being applied. Grass hay and silage harvest has begun. Lots of crops were 
being planted and irrigation is going. Windrowers and combines were being 
tuned. Vegetable crops were going in. Plums were at the end of bloom with 80 
percent of the crop down so far. Cherries appear to have over a 70 percent 
crop reduction. Apples were blooming and it looks like a huge crop still. 
Blueberries were starting to bloom and seeing cold damage to leaves. 
Strawberries have had a huge bloom but blooms were at various stages. There 
is some concern about sunburn on strawberries in cold frames or haygrove 
plastic houses. 
 
CLACKAMAS: The week began with mild dry days until showers came Tuesday. 
Drying returned Wednesday, warmer Thursday, then very hot (high 90's) Friday, 
and Saturday moderating some Sunday. First early high quality hay was made 
over the weekend. Crimson clover was coloring up. Winter wheat was beginning 
to head. Little green sweet cherries were big enough to see driving by. The 
heat was too much too soon.

COLUMBIA: It was very hot (> 95) at end of last week. Great fruit set for the 
few small orchards and home gardeners. High temperatures challenged nurseries 
for irrigation and getting some shade on the more sensitive crops.

COOS/CURRY: Conditions went from being unseasonably cool to windy with 
record-setting high temperatures in just a few days. Pasture grasses were at 
the peak of their production. Pastures with well-drained soils were showing 
the first signs of drying out.

DOUGLAS: Well above average temperatures on Friday and Sunday. Temperatures 
soared into the 100's two consecutive days with other days during the week 
above average. This has everyone irrigating crops as top soil moisture levels 
are drying rapidly. Hay, row crops, vegetables were all getting attention and 
water as the warmth has spurred growth. Tree crops were not in need of 
additional fungicides at this time as warm dry weather is allowing growth 
without infection.

JACKSON: With the good weather last week, spring grain planting should be 
done. Some first cutting of hay was being made. It was a very hot week, so 
good drying weather. Lots of spraying last week on fruits as blossoms had 
dropped. Vineyards were starting to show good growth. Lots of ground 
preparation was being done on vegetables as well as some planting. Some early 
corn, and tomato and pepper plants were being planted. The warm weather gave 
vegetable plantings a good start. Greenhouses were still very busy getting 
vegetable and flowering plants out for sale. Pastures are quite good now, but 
the hot week really dried out some non-irrigated ground. Most calving was 
done with a few late calves here and there. There were three days at or over 
100 degrees last week. Haying was getting started and now lots of irrigating 
too. It was a good week for outside work.

JOSEPHINE: Conditions were ideal at the beginning of the week. By Wednesday, 
conditions began to decline with record-breaking heat and high winds. 
Overnight lows were in the low 70's and daytime highs were in the 100's. That 
made it hard to work, especially in mid-day. Plants were beginning to wilt, 
even under irrigation as new growth was too soft to sustain itself from the 
wind and heat. Grapes were looking good with lots of new growth. 

MARION: Last week started out as a nice one for the farmers with cool 
conditions and a few scattered showers. It was good weather with pretty 
normal temperatures. It seems the rush to get field work underway has pretty 
well died down as there were fewer tractors running early in the morning and 
later in the evening than in past weeks when the weather was holding the 
farmers out of their fields. However, last weekend turned very hot and 
irrigation water was really being poured onto the crops that were in need of 
water to avoid heat stress. With temperatures in the mid to upper 90's on 
Friday and Saturday, we got our first taste of summer. Water was being 
applied to nurseries, many hop fields, and some grass fields. As a result of 
the warm-up in weather, grass fields were especially growing very fast and 
were starting to head out. It looks like the hop fields put on a major growth 
spurt as some of the hops plants shot two or more feet up the strings over 
the weekend. The first cutting of alfalfa was being cut, cured, baled, and 
stacked on some fields during this past week. The growth in field crops last 
week should help crops make up some lost time caused by the cool conditions 
so far.

POLK: Above average temperatures beginning Thursday and continuing on through 
the weekend.  The winter wheat crop was looking very good. There was still 
some spring planting to be done.  Spring crops that were planted earlier were 
sprouting. Grass seed fields were look good. It's too early for projecting 
condition of cherries and other fruit crops due to frost during bloom.  
Producers say they expect harvest will be later this year but are unsure of 
frost damage.

TILLAMOOK: Grass was growing well and the weather has warmed to above normal 
temperatures. It reached into the mid-90's on Friday, May 16. Grass silage 
was being harvested.  Some fields of cut silage were rained on Monday and 
Tuesday. There was still snow on the Coastal Range, providing good water flow 
in all streams.

WASHINGTON: According to AGRI-MET data, temperatures reached 93 degrees in 
the Forest Grove area on Friday. Reports of high temperatures were received 
throughout the County. Crops were being irrigated. Less visibility of snow in 
the Coastal Range was observed. Crimson clover was nearing full bloom. 
Lowland small grains were being re-planted and weed control was on-going for 
fall wheat. Red clover was ready to cut in some fields. Berries were blooming 
with longer and warmer days. It was finally warm enough to plant vegetables. 
There have been reports that the peach crop has not been affected by 
pollination issues. Greenhouses and nurseries were irrigating shrubs and 
trees. There was much improvement in range and pasture conditions in just one 
week.

YAMHILL: The weather turned warm near the end of last week. This will help 
the growth rate of all orchard crops. There is a lot of Pseudomonas syringae 
damage in stone fruits this season. The cold weather in the spring may have 
made this problem worse. Red clover silage has started and red clover for hay 
was being cut. Wheat hay has been cut and baled. Grasses looked great. 

                                 EASTERN OREGON                                 

BAKER/UNION: Unseasonably hot temperatures (mid- to high-80s) arrived at the 
end of last week.

GILLIAM: Lack of moisture with hot, dry weather.

HOOD RIVER: Cool temperatures early in the week gave way to unseasonably warm 
weather. Petal-fall spray applications continued in the lower Hood River 
Valley. At week's end, crop development in the lower Hood River Valley was as 
follows: Red Delicious apple at post bloom (WSU stage 9); Pinot noir grape at 
Eichhorn-Lorenz stages 9 through 12.

KLAMATH: Unusually hot weather this past week. Top soil was drying out and 
crops were being irrigated. Small grains have been planted. Earlier frost 
heaves, stagnant water from heavy snow melt, and a spring cold snap resulted 
in about a 70 percent winter wheat re-plant. The planting should continue the 
next two weeks. Onions have been planted and the early ones were just 
emerging. 

LAKE: Unseasonably hot temperatures for the majority of the week and over the 
weekend. No precipitation was received. Farming has begun in many areas of 
the County. 

MALHEUR: Temperatures suddenly went from below normal to above normal. There 
was no rainfall and some wind. Runoff from rapid snow melt will help some 
reservoirs. The warm weather helped crop growth, but declining moisture 
levels began to take their toll on rangeland grasses. 
 
MORROW: Developing drought in Morrow County has impacted non-irrigated wheat 
yield significantly. Outlook for this year's crop is not good. Depleted soil 
moisture and hot weekend weather will decrease yield further. No significant 
pest problems.

SHERMAN: With no moisture again last week and the heat over the weekend, the 
potential for a 2008 crop is looking much worse. Range pastures are nearly to 
the point of no recovery even with a good shower. Cereal rye began heading 
last week but wheat was still behind in development. It was not all bad as 
the heat will not do much damage to plant productivity, although we expect 
high temperatures to turn some fields blue and shallow spots to yellow up. 
Other spring planted grains took off with the nice weather. They may be more 
impacted by heat this weekend than winter grains. The County is in need of 
long gentle rains. A crowd of 50 attended Long Term Experiment Filed Day at 
Sherman Station in Moro. It is a very good program with some surprising new 
information that is research based. Expect it will lead to some change in 
practices. 

UMATILLA: Below normal precipitation coupled with high temperatures has 
stressed both wheat and barley crops. The western portion of the County was 
the most severely impacted but other areas were also starting to be impacted. 
Dryland wheat is being especially impacted by current weather conditions.  
Poor range conditions were evident with minimal growth from the long cold 
season and below normal precipitation levels. The first cutting of hay will 
start in the next week or two. Potatoes, onions, peas, and sweet corn were 
still behind.

WASCO: The last half of week was extremely hot and dry. Grain crops were 
starting to show drought stress and rain is needed quickly. Winter wheat 
producers were very concerned with the high temperatures over the weekend. 
Alfalfa fields have not started to bloom. Grapes were leafing out and grape 
clusters were visible. Berry and pea crops were blooming. Livestock on range 
and pasture grasses were doing quite well in most areas, but the high 
temperatures concerned forage and rangeland producers. Some areas were 
reporting short grass stands. The hills on rangelands were getting brown 
rapidly.

                        Weather data for selected stations in Oregon, Week ending: May 18, 2008 (as of 11:00 am) 1/                       
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         :                               :     Growing     :  Last week precip. 4/   :    Season cum. precipitation 5/    
                         :      Air temperature 2/       : degree days 3/  :--------------------------------------------------------------
         Station         :-------------------------------:-----------------:  Total  :       :       :  Total  :       :   Pct.   :       
                         :  Low  : High  : Avg.  :DFN 6/ :  Total  :DFN 6/ : inches  :DFN 6/ :Days 7/: inches  :DFN 6/ :  normal  :Days 7/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COASTAL AREAS            :                                                                                                                
  Astoria/Clatsop        :  45       93     61       +9       76      +58     1.04      0.38     3      56.86    -3.58      94       171  
  Bandon 8/              :  38       88     59       +7       66      +50     -        -0.63     -      51.45    -3.66      93       160  
  Crescent City          :  39       82     59       +6       65      +37     -        -0.68     -      43.64   -17.91      71       110  
  Florence               :  33       99     61       +8       82      +61     -        -0.85     -      80.49     9.95     114       145  
  North Bend             :  37       86     59       +6       66      +42     -        -0.65     -      56.10    -3.22      95       135  
  Tillamook              :  39       99     63      +12       90      +76     0.41     -0.59     2      52.91   -27.55      66       158  
WILLAMETTE               :                                                                                                                
 VALLEY                  :                                                                                                                
  Aurora 8/              :  41       98     67      +12      117      +80     0.03     -0.46     1      39.16     2.22     106       147  
  Corvallis              :  35       92     65      +11      106      +73     -        -0.42     -      41.02     1.64     104       141  
  Detroit Lake 8/        :  37       95     61      +12       81      +67     0.52     -0.25     2      80.85    18.86     130       157  
  Eugene                 :  37       95     64       +9       99      +58     -        -0.49     -      33.40   -12.18      73       124  
  Hillsboro              :  37       92     63       +9       97      +61     0.08     -0.27     1      29.59    -4.37      87       127  
  McMinnville            :  38       97     65      +10      110      +70     0.02     -0.40     1      32.43    -7.83      81       137  
  Portland               :  46       95     66      +10      114      +65     0.15     -0.34     1      29.75    -2.62      92       140  
  Salem                  :  38       99     66      +12      116      +84     -        -0.42     -      34.77    -1.01      97       125  
SW VALLEYS               :                                                                                                                
  Grants Pass            :  38      102     67       +8      118      +55     -        -0.28     -      26.48    -2.91      90       111  
  Medford                :  36      102     70      +13      144      +88     -        -0.21     -      15.08    -2.05      88        93  
  Roseburg               :  40      105     69      +13      138      +90     -        -0.35     -      30.51     0.16     101       124  
NORTH CENTRAL            :                                                                                                                
  Condon                 :  27       96     58       +8       71      +53     0.01     -0.23     1       9.73    -1.65      86        87  
  Echo 8/                :  38       97     66       +7      111      +47     0.07     -0.07     2       6.86    -0.79      90        88  
  Heppner                :  37       95     61       +6       81      +42     0.11     -0.24     1      10.56    -0.89      92        99  
  Hermiston              :  36       98     66       +7      112      +48     0.09     -0.05     2       6.74    -0.91      88        69  
  Madras 8/              :  27       93     62       +8       91      +59     -        -0.17     -       6.00    -2.30      72        82  
  Moro                   :  39       95     61       +8       80      +54     -        -0.21     -       8.38    -1.08      89        73  
  Parkdale 8/            :  41       91     61       +6       78      +38     -        -0.21     -      19.95    -8.99      69        94  
  Pendleton              :  39       97     65       +8      110      +55     0.14     -0.07     2       8.51    -1.63      84        80  
  Prairie City 8/        :  27       93     62       +8       91      +59     -        -0.17     -       6.00    -2.30      72        82  
  The Dalles             :  46       98     68      +14      128      +96     -        -0.14     -      12.27     1.45     113        74  
SOUTH CENTRAL            :                                                                                                                
  Agency Lake 8/         :  33       86     61      +12       82      +71     -        -0.21     -      10.41    -3.46      75        82  
  Bend                   :  25       91     56       +6       61      +47     -        -0.17     -      11.58     2.17     123        71  
  Burns                  :  25       92     58       +8       71      +54     -        -0.21     -       7.35    -0.31      96        85  
  Christmas Valley 8/    :  21       93     58       +5       65      +38     -        -0.21     -       4.02    -5.84      41        59  
  Klamath Falls          :  26       91     61       +8       82      +57     -        -0.21     -       7.60    -3.89      66        71  
  Klamath Falls 8/       :  27       90     61       +9       84      +59     -        -0.21     -       8.28    -3.21      72        95  
  Lakeview               :   -        -      -        -        -        -     -         -        -       -        -          -         -  
  Lorella 8/             :  24       92     59       +7       72      +47     -        -0.21     -       6.98    -4.51      61        93  
  Redmond                :  21       97     61      +10       86      +69     -        -0.14     -       1.66    -4.85      25        33  
  Worden 8/              :  25       91     59       +7       71      +46     -        -0.21     -       6.86    -4.63      60        92  
NORTHEAST                :                                                                                                                
  Baker City             :  27       91     58       +5       63      +41     0.03     -0.25     2       6.57    -0.84      89        90  
  Joseph                 :  31       85     54       +7       47      +42     0.09     -0.36     2      14.06    -6.25      69       104  
  La Grande              :  30       91     61       +7       82      +51     0.08     -0.27     1       9.38    -4.49      68        78  
  Union                  :  31       92     58       +6       67      +46     0.07     -0.28     1       7.84    -2.15      78        81  
SOUTHEAST                :                                                                                                                
  Ontario                :  34       96     66       +7      112      +43     -        -0.14     -       5.30    -2.67      66        60  
  Rome                   :  27       95     60       +5       80      +40     -        -0.21     -       6.09     0.05     101        71  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Summary based on NWS data. Copyright 2008: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.                                                            
2/  Air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.                                                                                                
3/  Growing degree days base-50 degrees Fahrenheit.                                                                                       
4/  Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches.                                                                                    
5/  Season cumulative precipitation starts September 1, 2007.                                                                             
6/  DFN=Departure from normal (using 1961-1990 normals period).                                                                           
7/  Precipitation days = Days with precipitation of 0.01 inch or more.                                                                    
8/  Agri-Met weather stations.