Mississippi Weekly Crop Weather

Released: Monday, 3PM June 14, 2004
Week Ending June 13, 2004                 
 
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Issue                                       
MS-CW2404

Agricultural Summary 
                                         
According to the Mississippi Agricultural Statistics Service, there were
4.9 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending June 13, 2004. After
several weeks of rainy weather, producers took advantage of the drier
conditions to harvest wheat, bale hay and plant late-season soybeans. 
Although there has not been much report of insect damage throughout the
state, the humid temperatures have contributed to some spread of disease;
in particular, tomato spotted wilt disease has become problematic for
quite a few commercial growers. Soil moisture was rated 6 percent short,
81 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus.


Item   Event      This  Last  2003   5-Yr   Very
                  Week  Week         Avg    Poor   Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

Corn 
       Silked       55   20    50     46      0     1     20     52      27
              
Cotton
      Planted      100   99    99    100      1     2     24     53      20
      Emerged       99   98    97     99
      Squaring      30    8    26     36

Rice
      Emerged      100   99    98     99      0     1     19     58      22
       
Sorghum 
      Emerged      100   99    99     99      0     0     24     70       6
      Heading        2   --    --     --
       
Soybeans
      Planted       99   98    96     97      0     3     17     55      25
      Emerged       98   97    92     92
      Blooming      42   20    26     23
      Setting Pods  20   --    --     --

Wheat
      Mature        96   90    96     97      0     2     24     65       9
      Harvested     80   42    62     69
       
Hay Harvested
    (Cool Season)   95   85    95     98      0     1     15     59      25
    (Warm Season)   20   18    35     31

Sweetpotatoes
      Planted       40   35    57     55     --    --     --     --      --
            
Watermelons         
      Planted       98   97   100    100      0     4     19     70       7 

Blueberries                                   0     0      1     70      29

Cattle                                        1     5     14     60      20
Pasture                                       0     5     16     60      19



         Other Agricultural Comments and News
 
                         County Agent Comments
                  
"Feast to famine! We now need some rain to keep this crop growing. Most
producers will be ready for some rain by Monday."

                                     -- Mack Young, Quitman

"It was a very busy week with the completion of soybean planting behind
wheat, producers side-dressing cotton with nitrogen solution, weed
control activities in cotton and soybeans and irrigation activities in
corn and some soybeans."

                                -- Jerry Singleton, Leflore

"Growers were able to make some progress this past week in applying
fertilizers and herbicides, but some are still not finished. We need
another week of clear weather to get past this stage of work. Some cotton
is setting squares now, and the earliest corn fields are in silk and
tassel. Insects have been light, in general, with the exception of a few
soybean fields which have been treated."

                                     -- Ernie Flint, Attala

"We have had rain showers occurring at the proper time to help out the
crops. Cattle look good with plenty of grass to graze. Both cotton and
peanut planting are continuing. Many gardens are overrun with grass."

                                     -- Lee Taylor, Forrest

"Three inches of rain fell Sunday in addition to scattered rains earlier
in the week. Everything is very wet starting out this week and the
forecast is calling for 3 more days of rain. Some fieldwork was being
carried out by Friday and Saturday. Pastures are growing well. Rains are
hampering timely hay harvest."

                                  -- Ed Williams, Oktibbeha

"Wheat has been harvested and soybeans planted behind wheat have turned out to 
be a good crop. There are no major problems in other crops. Most cotton is 
getting sprayed for insects."

	                                      -- Don Respess, Bolivar

"Wheat has been harvested and soybeans have been planted. Hail damaged some 
cotton during the last storm we had."

	                                        -- Melvin Oatis, Benton

"Things are looking good. We could use a rain to help flush some weeds and to
keep the soil moisture needs met. Insects are quiet but we are seeing some 
disease around due to the humid weather."

	                                  -- Stephen R. Winters, Grenada

"The rainfall continues to delay post emergence herbicide applications. All 
crops are growing well with the warm temperatures and adequate moisture."

	                                     -- Jay Phelps, Pontotoc

"Crops are looking very good at this point. Corn irrigation is starting again 
due to weekly moisture demands and warmer weather."

                                                 -- Tommy Baird, Sunflower

"Moderate amounts of hay were baled this past week with the little dry spell 
that we had. Showers are still randomized throughout the region and have
prevented some farmers from baling at the proper time."

	                                    -- Houston Therrell, Rankin

"Field conditions have improved significantly. Sweetpotato fields are still
heavy but planting is again underway. Soybeans and corn are starting to green
up following the saturated soil conditions. Insect pests have been low, 
generally; however some flare-ups have occurred locally."

	                                      -- Bill Burdine, Chickasaw

"Crops and pastures are performing extremely well in response to favorable 
soil moisture conditions."

                     	                   -- Lamar Adams, Walthall

"High humidity and high temps are increasing mortality on most poultry farms
with 5 week-old plus birds. Summer pastures and hay crops look good following
recent rains. Spotted wilt is approaching 20 percent in some commercial tomato
fields. The watermelon crop looks good and we should begin harvest in less than
two weeks."

	                                      -- Tommy Bishop, Jasper

"Blueberries are ripening and we have an excellent crop. Cattle are continuing
to do well and so are pastures. We need a few days of good weather to get a 
cutting of hay cured. Tomato spotted wilt virus has hit the tomato crop hard."

	                                        -- Chuck Grantham, Jones

"Timely rains, along with warm nights, are making production easy for forage 
producers. Lauderdale County livestock are looking great. The grass available 
is ample and of a fair quality. It is looking like a profitable summer."

	                                   -- Lance Bruce, Lauderdale

"Dry weather this past week allowed producers to get into the fields to control
weeds and insects. The outlook for this year's watermelon crop is good, with 
the first harvest to begin next week if the weather holds and allows producers 
to get into the fields."

	                                    -- Florieda K. Mason, Perry

"The blueberry harvest is going well. In some cases, isolated showers have sent
pickers from the field to the processing shed. Corn is in excellent condition, 
pasture forages are in excellent condition, cattle are in excellent condition 
and watermelons are in good condition. Disease is a problem in home gardening."

	                                          -- Allen McReynolds, Wayne
                                   
Weather Information Table
          
Weather Summary from June 7, 2004 to June 13, 2004 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
Charleston                   76      0.81 -0.38  1  9.28                   
Cleveland                    78      0.02 -1.17  1  1.95                   
Tunica                       77      0.88 -0.38  2  3.05               0.26
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average              78      0.57 -0.62  1  4.76               0.26

2. North-Central
Hickory Flat     92  60  78  74  +4  0.41 -0.71  1  5.00                   
Calhoun City     89  61  77  75  +2  0.02 -1.04  1  4.45                   
Independence     90  65  79  75  +4  0.35 -0.81  1  2.37                   
Oxford           92  67  80  75  +5  0.07 -1.04  1  2.58                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  92  60  78  76  +2  0.21 -0.94  1  3.60                   

3. Northeast
Booneville       97  64  80  75  +5  0.33 -0.75  1  3.36                   
Iuka             91  52  74  72  +2  0.30 -0.64  1  2.30                   
Ripley           91  61  77  74  +3  0.42 -0.68  2  4.81                   
Tupelo           93  68  80          0.39        2  3.54                   
Verona                       76      0.85 -0.27  2  4.80               0.29
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  97  52  77  76  +1  0.36 -0.72  2  3.50                   

4. Lower Delta
Moorhead         91  67  81  78  +3  0.00 -0.98  0  2.77                   
Rolling Fork     95  66  82  78  +4  0.00 -1.02  0  5.00  103      76      
Stoneville                   79      0.00 -0.95  0  2.03               0.31
Yazoo City       92  66  80  79  +1  0.00 -0.95  0  4.75                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  95  66  81  79  +2  0.00 -1.01  0  4.17  103      76      

5. Central
Canton           92  62  78  78   0  0.64 -0.16  2  4.36                   
Carthage         91  64  79  77  +2  0.32 -0.46  1  4.34                   
Lexington        91  65  78  76  +2  0.11 -0.93  1  3.56                   
Eupora           92  65  78  76  +2  0.38 -0.60  2  4.97                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  92  62  78  77  +1  0.36 -0.55  2  4.31                   

6. East-Central
Aberdeen         93  63  79  76  +3  0.89 -0.14  2  5.59               0.21
Houston          90  65  78  75  +3  0.46 -0.80  2  3.47                   
Louisville       94  65  79  75  +4  0.62 -0.22  1  3.70                   
State University 93  65  80  77  +3  1.46 +0.54  2  5.63   85  75  80  0.24
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  63  79  77  +2  0.86 -0.14  2  4.60   85  75  80  0.21

7. Southwest
Crystal Springs  92  63  79  78  +1  2.03 +0.75  2  7.74   96  73  84      
Natchez          90  67  80  78  +2  0.23 -0.89  2  4.22                   
Oakley           93  63  80  77  +3  1.78 +0.66  2 11.55   92  71  84      
Vicksburg        90  67  80          0.89        1  8.36                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  93  63  80  78  +2  1.23 +0.11  2  7.97   96  71  84      

8. South-Central
Collins          96  64  79  77  +2  0.91 -0.02  1  5.14                   
Columbia         92  64  81  79  +2  0.74 -0.38  3  5.08                   
Tylertown        93  63  80  78  +2  0.56 -0.56  2  4.55                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  96  63  80  78  +2  0.74 -0.31  2  4.92                   

9. Southeast
Beaumont         94  65  80          0.64        3  8.75                   
Hattiesburg      91  63  79  78  +1  1.24 +0.26  2  7.72                   
Laurel           92  64  80  78  +2  0.84 -0.04  2  5.19                   
Newton           93  61  79  76  +3  0.54 -0.30  1  3.73   88  72  80  0.24
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  94  61  79  78  +1  0.82 -0.09  2  6.35   88  72  80  0.24

10. Coastal
Bay St Louis     93  64  80  79  +1  0.74 -0.24  2  1.68                   
Gulfport         89  66  81  80  +1  0.62 -0.50  1  3.80                   
Pascagoula                   78      1.22E+0.03  2  3.70E                  
Poplarville      92  64  80  79  +1  1.67 +0.66  2  7.54   99  72  83  0.31
Waveland         89  67  80  79  +1  1.11 -0.05  1  6.10                   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme/Average  93  64  80  79  +1  1.07 -0.01  2  4.56   99  72  83  0.31

State Averages   97  52  79  77  +2  0.64 -0.39  2  5.05  103  75  81  0.26

DFN = Departure from Normal.