Mississippi Weekly Crop Weather

Released: Tuesday, 3PM May 30, 2006
Week Ending May 28, 2006

This report is best viewed with a monospace font.

Issue
MS-CW2206

Agricultural Summary

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Mississippi,
there were 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday,
May 28, 2006. With little rainfall in the past couple of weeks, farm
operators continued with fieldwork activities. Significant rainfall is
needed soon to help with the quality of emerging crops. Weed control is
being sprayed on crops and warm-season hay is being fertilized. Soil
moisture was rated 12 percent very short, 42 percent short, 45 percent
adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Item   Event       This  Last  2005   5-Yr   Very
                   Week  Week         Avg    Poor   Poor  Fair  Good  
Excellent

Corn
  Silked            10    --    --     --      0      0    13    56      31

Cotton
  Planted           98    87    97     95      1      9    22    59       9
  Emerged           90    74    90     88

Peanuts
  Planted           86    77    --     --      0      0    12    42      46

Rice
  Planted           99    97    99     98      1      3    19    74       3
  Emerged           97    95    98     95

Sorghum
  Planted          100    99   100     98      0      1     5    94       0
  Emerged           99    98   100     95

Soybeans
  Planted           98    96    97     92      0      4    16    67      13
  Emerged           96    92    92     86
  Blooming          15    --     9      6

Wheat
  Mature            75    32    55     55      0      2    24    57      17
  Harvested         12    --    --     --

Hay
  Harvested (Cool)  83    67    82     83
            (Warm)   8    --    15     15      0      5    14    57      24

Sweetpotatoes
  Planted            8     2     7     15     --     --    --    --      --

Watermelons
  Planted           98    92   100     97      0      0     1    79      20

Blueberries                                    0      0    13    74      13

Cattle                                         1      5    26    54      14
Pasture                                        0      7    35    35      23


         Other Agricultural Comments and News

                          County Agent Comments

"Dry weather conditions have arrived. Most areas need a good rain. Early
weed controls seem to be working well on row crops and pastures."

                                        -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha

"A small amount of needed rain was received this weekend. Producers have
been busy spraying pastures and finishing up baling ryegrass hay. The
quality of a lot of this hay is not very good. Hopefully the warm season
hay quality will be better."

                                        -- Shelby Bearden, Copiah

"Most of the county has been very dry, with no rain for 21 days, but a
good rain event has replenished most of the county."

                                            -- Mark Gillie, Greene

"Poultry growers are having to monitor houses closely with the 90+ degree
temperatures. Soil moisture is getting short. Corn is twisting, pastures
are short and summer hay grasses are not growing. Rain is needed soon!"

                                         -- Chuck Grantham, Jones

"Blueberries, corn and watermelons could use some rain. Southern
high-bush and early varieties of rabbit-eye blueberries are being
harvested. Harvesting of cool season hay is near completion. Warm season
forages are receiving an application of nitrogen. We received less than
a tenth of an inch of rain fall in the county this week."

                                       -- Allen McReynolds, Wayne

"Light showers over the weekend helped all crops. Crops look much better 
after warmer weather. We had to replant many acres of rice."

	                                    -- Don Respess, Bolivar

"Feast to famine. The rain stopped and we will be finished with planting in 
about 4-5 days. Moisture is getting short and we will need a rain by the 
middle of the week."

	                                       -- Mack Young, Quitman

"Insect pressure is low to moderate in cotton now since crops have started 
growing and thrip treatments have been made. A warm shower would really 
kick-start the stressed crops that are starting to show signs of recovery."

	                           -- Jimbo Burkhalter, Tallahatchie

"The latter part of May is completely opposite of the first two weeks of 
May. We went from having way too much rainfall to desperately needing a 
rain."

	                                      -- Anthony Bland, Tunica

"We had a good week to get soybeans and cotton planted. Most areas of the 
county need a good rain."

	                                      -- Melvin Oatis, Benton

"We have replanted about 50-60% of our cotton crop. Sore shin has really 
hurt us this year. The cotton is coming up in most places but we have run 
out of moisture in areas. We need a good slow 1 inch of rain."

	                              -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada

"Dry weather has helped planting. The cool temperatures last week have 
slowed germination of the planted cotton. Some areas are needing moisture 
while others are just getting dry enough to plant. Winter hay yields look 
good. Insect pressure is picking up on younger crops and homeowner 
gardens."

	                                    -- Tim Needham, Tippah

"This was a busy week on the farm. Most cotton and soybean producers were 
busy applying glyphosate to control weeds in their cotton and soybeans. 
Many acres of cotton received a sidedress application of nitrogen. Most 
corn producers turned on their irrigation systems."

	                                -- Jerry Singleton, Leflore

"Drier weather has created a lot of irrigation on small soybeans and 
cotton. Soil moisture is being taken out by hot days and winds during the 
day. A good soaking rain would help all crops at this time. Some insects 
are being treated in cotton and soybeans."

	                                   -- Tommy Baird, Sunflower

"We will need rain this next week to avoid yield losses due to moisture 
stress. Some late-planted or replanted fields of cotton will need water 
to complete emergence."

	                                   -- Ernest Flint, Attala

"Some cattlemen fertilized ryegrass and got a good second cutting of hay. 
Summer pastures finally started growing after the temperatures were hot 
enough. Now, some of the grass is starting to slow down growth because it 
is getting too dry. Pasture and hayfield spraying continues, but the pace 
has slowed down."

	                                 -- Houston Therrell, Rankin

"Cotton is looking better this week but we still have problems in some 
areas with poor root quality. Corn is starting to show signs of the high 
temperatures and lack of water. Peanuts look good at this point and 
soybeans have made a big jump in growth this week. Crawfish are still a 
problem in Noxubee County cotton and soybean crops."

	                        -- Dr. Dennis B. Reginelli, Noxubee

"Rains this Monday saved us for awhile; it had been 29 days since any 
appreciable rain. Pastures were really getting short. We were about to 
get in trouble. Some corn has been stunted by dry weather."

	                                 -- Lee Taylor, Forrest

"Field operations resumed this week as the skies cleared. Hot 
temperatures and dry winds have left some areas of the county needing 
a little rain. Some corn is still yellow from standing in water but it 
should outgrow the condition. More winter hay is being harvested and 
summer hay ground is being fertilized and sprayed for weeds."

	                                   -- Victor Lee, Newton

"Producers have completed the cutting of cool season hay and 
fertilizing pastures to get the maximum growth and quality. The 
watermelon crop is looking good but will have a smaller harvest due 
to the lack of rainfall. Early corn is beginning to silk."

	                          -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry

Weather Information Table

    Weather Summary from May 22, 2006 to May 28, 2006 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        94  60  80  74  +6  0.00 -1.14  0  5.51
Lambert          94  62  80          0.00 -1.33  0  4.43
Tunica           93  68  82  73  +9  0.00 -1.26  0  5.88
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  60  81  74  +7  0.00 -1.19  0  5.16

2. North-Central
Calhoun City     89  58  76  72  +4  0.00 -1.19  0  4.29
Hickory Flat     90  58  75  70  +5  0.00 -1.23  0  4.01
Independence     89  60  77  71  +6  0.00 -1.25  0  4.22
Oxford           91  60  78  71  +7  0.00 -1.26  0  3.83
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  91  58  77  72  +5  0.00 -1.21  0  4.22

3. Northeast
Booneville       98  60  80  71  +9  0.00 -1.38  0  3.17
Iuka             89  56  73  68  +5  0.02 -1.31  1  3.22
Ripley           90  60  76  70  +6  0.00 -1.19  0  3.98
Tupelo           92  64  79          0.00        0  4.51
Verona           96  62  79  72  +7  0.00 -1.09  0  5.48
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  98  56  77  72  +5  0.00 -1.30  0  4.07

4. Lower Delta
Moorhead         92  66  81  75  +6  0.00 -1.12  0  2.84
Rolling Fork     96  67  82  74  +8  0.00 -1.13  0  1.37
Stoneville       94  67  81  75  +6  0.00 -1.12  0  2.28
Yazoo City                   75      0.00 -1.17  0  1.97
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  96  66  81  75  +6  0.00 -1.20  0  2.11

5. Central
Canton           92  60  77  74  +3  0.01 -1.16  1  2.19
Carthage         92  59  75  73  +2  0.00 -1.11  0  4.24
Eupora           92  57  76  72  +4  0.00 -1.12  0  2.95
Lexington        92  54  77  72  +5  0.00 -1.12  0  2.41
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  92  54  77  73  +4  0.00 -1.09  0  2.68

6. East-Central
Aberdeen         93  61  78  72  +6  0.00 -1.19  0  2.82
Houston          90  55  75  71  +4  0.00 -1.26  0  3.50
Philadelphia     95  64  79  73  +6  0.00 -1.10  0  5.77
State University 91  57  77  73  +4  0.00 -1.04  0  2.78
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  95  55  78  73  +5  0.00 -1.11  0  2.80

7. Southwest
Crystal Springs  93  67  80  75  +5  1.15 +0.04  1  4.46
Natchez          93  64  79  75  +4  0.00 -1.19  0  1.36
Oakley           94  55  76  74  +2  0.00 -1.05  0  3.83
Vicksburg        90  67  80          0.00        0  5.37
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  55  78  75  +3  0.29 -0.90  0  3.73

8. South-Central
Collins          93  51  76  73  +3  0.00 -1.23  0  3.05
Columbia         92  64  80  75  +5  0.02 -1.19  1  1.52
Tylertown        94  63  79  75  +4  0.00 -1.25  0  1.00
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  51  78  75  +3  0.01 -1.20  1  2.29

9. Southeast
Beaumont
Hattiesburg      93  65  79  75  +4  0.00 -1.13  0  1.17
Laurel           93  62  78  74  +4  0.00 -1.11  0  5.86
Newton           94  59  78  73  +5  0.00 -0.84  0  6.83
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  59  78  74  +4  0.00 -1.04  0  5.86

10. Coastal
Gulfport         87  65  78  77  +1  0.00 -1.26  0  0.30
Pascagoula 3 NE              74                     1.88
Picayune                     76      0.00 -1.12  0  0.30
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  87  65      76

State Averages   98  51  78  74  +4  0.04 -1.11  0  3.65

DFN = Departure from Normal.