Mississippi Weekly Crop Weather

Released: Tuesday, 3PM October 11, 2005
Week Ending October 9, 2005                 
 
This report is best viewed with a monospace font.  
                        
Issue                                       
MS-CW4005
 
Agricultural Summary

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi,
there were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending October
9, 2005. With fall weather arriving in the state, time in the field was
plentiful and well utilized. Rice and cotton harvesting progressed well
compared to the past few weeks. The cool, dry conditions have been a
blessing to some, but have caused concerns for those trying to prepare
for winter forage planting, especially on ryegrass fields. Soil moisture
was rated 4 percent very short, 32 percent short, 63 percent adequate,
and 1 percent surplus.

Item   Event       This  Last  2004   5-Yr   Very
                   Week  Week         Avg    Poor   Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

Corn  
  Harvested         99    97   100     99     --     --    --    --      --
        
Cotton
  Open Bolls        98    96    97     98      9     17    36    36       2
  Harvested         52    31    59     53
    
Rice
  Harvested         93    77    97     88     --     --    --    --      --
   
Soybeans                               
  Shedding Leaves   99    97   100     95     --     --    --    --      --
  Harvested         91    81    94     73
    
Sweetpotatoes
  Harvested         70    60    62     64     --     --    --    --      --
   
Hay Harvested
  (Warm Season)    100    99    97     98     --     --    --    --      --
    

Cattle                                         2      5    20    53      20
Pasture                                        0     11    20    22      47

                                   

         Other Agricultural Comments and News
 
                         County Agent Comments

"Cotton harvest is in full swing but yields are low. Most cotton is
picking in the 650 -700 range with some in the 800 range. A lot of cotton
has not "fluffed" out and is being dropped by the picker."

                                       -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada

"Harvest of all crops is progressing with cool, dry conditions."

                                      -- Jay Phelps, Pontotoc

"Weather has been good for finishing the corn and soybean harvests, and
for getting started with cotton harvesting. We need for it to stay this
way for about another 3 weeks."

                                           -- Ernest Flint, Attala

"Cotton harvest was completed in the county this week. Soybeans continue
being harvested. Pasture conditions are getting pretty dry. Some armyworm
activity continues in hay and pasture land."

                                            -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha

"We are still trying to salvage the corn crop, but harvest has been slow
and has taken time away from harvesting cotton. The soybean harvest is
also almost complete and yields, for the most part, look good. We are
getting dry and the ryegrass pastures, in many areas, need some water.
We do welcome the cooler temps and hope they are here to stay for a
while."

                                             -- Bill Maily, Hinds

"The lack of rainfall continues to be a problem for pastures in desperate
need of moisture for planting and growth of rye grass. The lack of
rainfall is a plus for producers who are rebuilding barns and sheds as
well as repairing fences and for cotton picking."

                                          -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry

"We still have litter from trees in fields and thus cannot make another
hay cut even if the grass cooperates by growing. The hay situation for
winter does not look good for producers who lost barns and/or had hay
stacked. There are still a lot of fences down from trees that fell."

                                         -- Judith Breland, Stone

"We are getting great harvest weather and are almost finished harvesting 
rice. We are making good progress with cotton harvest and need the good 
weather to continue."

	                                    -- Don Respess, Bolivar

"We had an excellent week to harvest corn, soybeans and cotton. Harvest aid 
chemicals are being applied to cotton."

	                                      -- Melvin Oatis, Benton

Weather Information Table
 
Weather Summary from October 3, 2005 to October 9, 2005 for Mississippi 

                       Air             Precipitation      4 Inch Soil   Avg
                   Temperature      Weekly      Rn  Four  Temperature   Pan
                Max Min Avg Nrm DFN  Total  DFN Ds Weeks  Max Min Avg  Evap
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Upper Delta
Cleveland        90  50  72  67  +5  0.01 -0.45  1  6.27                   
Lambert          88  48  70          0.00 -0.63  0  3.52                   
Tunica           89  47  70  67  +3  0.05 -0.58  1  3.65                   
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Extreme/Average  90  47  71  67  +4  0.02 -0.61  1  3.65                   

2. North-Central
Calhoun City     86  49  70  66  +4  0.00 -0.64  0  1.87                   
Hickory Flat     87  46  69  64  +5  0.05 -0.66  1  3.48                   
Independence     86  47  68  65  +3  0.03 -0.62  1  2.71                   
Oxford           89  47  71  65  +6  0.06 -0.72  1  4.49                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  89  46  69  65  +4  0.04 -0.68  1                         

3. Northeast
Booneville       88  50  70  64  +6  0.00 -0.71  0  5.74                   
Iuka             86  48  66  62  +4  0.00 -0.76  0  3.98                   
Ripley           85  46  68  64  +4  0.00 -0.71  0  2.98                   
Tupelo           87  49  71          0.05        1  4.40                   
Verona           91  51  72  66  +6  0.03 -0.68  1  3.10                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  91  46  69  65  +4  0.02 -0.73  0  3.83                   

4. Lower Delta
Moorhead         92  51  73  69  +4  0.02 -0.68  2  4.19                   
Rolling Fork     93  52  73  68  +5  0.00 -0.82  0  3.97                   
Stoneville       91  54  77  68  +9  0.00 -0.70  0  7.14                   
Yazoo City       90  52  74  69  +5  0.00 -0.82  0  3.62                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  93  51  74  68  +6  0.01 -0.76  1  4.98                   

5. Central
Canton           89  51  72  68  +4  0.00 -0.70  0  8.89                   
Carthage         88  52  75  67  +8  0.00 -0.70  0  2.70                   
Eupora           87  48  70  65  +5  0.00 -0.79  0  3.73                   
Lexington        89  49  71  67  +4  0.10 -0.60  1  3.92                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  89  48  72  67  +5  0.03 -0.70  0  2.70                   

6. East-Central
Aberdeen         88  53  71  66  +5  0.00 -0.84  0  6.01                   
Houston          87  47  70  64  +6  0.05 -0.66  1  2.64                   
Philadelphia                 67      0.00 -0.70  0  3.04                   
State University             67      0.00 -0.71  0  1.64                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  88  47  71  67  +4  0.02 -0.70  0  6.01                   

7. Southwest
Crystal Springs  90  52  73  69  +4  0.00 -0.79  0  3.33                   
Natchez          91  51  73  70  +3  0.00 -0.84  0  8.00                   
Oakley           93  50  73  68  +5  0.00 -0.70  0  5.31                   
Vicksburg        90  53  74          0.00        0  4.09                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  93  50  73  69  +4  0.00 -0.77  0  8.00                   

8. South-Central
Collins                      68      0.00 -0.79  0  0.35                   
Columbia         93  54  76  69  +7  0.00 -0.77  0  0.51                   
Tylertown        91  53  75  71  +4  0.00 -0.84  0  1.09                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  93  53  76  69  +7  0.00 -0.77  0  0.51                   

9. Southeast
Beaumont         94  65  80          0.00        0  0.21                   
Hattiesburg                  70      0.06 -0.71  1  0.58                   
Laurel           90  55  75  68  +7  0.00 -0.73  0  2.00                   
Newton           88  48  71  67  +4  0.03 -0.68  1  3.64                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  48  75  68  +7  0.01 -0.71  0                         

10. Coastal
Gulfport                     73      0.00 -0.76  0  0.23                   
Poplarville                  71                     0.00                   
Waveland                     71                                            
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average              71                                            

State Averages   94  46  72  68  +4  0.02 -0.71  0  4.45                   

DFN = Departure from Normal.