FLORIDA WEEKLY WEATHER-CROP NEWS

Week ending November 9, 1997
                             Released 4:00 P.M.
                                                          November 10, 1997

WEATHER SUMMARY: Cooler, drier weather arrived during the week of November
2 through 8. Temperatures for the week averaged three to six degrees below
normal. Low temperatures were mostly in the 40s and 50s at the official
stations with Miami recording at least one low at 59 degrees. The average
low for the week was set at 70 in Key West, 65 in Miami, and 61 at West
Palm Beach with all other official stations averaging lows in the 40s and
50s. Highs averaged mostly in the 60s and 70s although some daytime highs
reached into the 80s at Orlando, Key West, Miami, and West Palm Beach.
Rainfall totaled from traces to a third of an inch. A third earthquake of
3.0 magnitude and centered 117 miles northwest of Panama City and 52 miles
northeast of Mobile, Alabama, occurred on October 28 about 4:00 am Eastern
Standard Time which may have been felt in some nearby western Panhandle
localities. For the month of October, the official stations recorded from
about three-fourths inch of rain at West Palm Beach to about five and a
half inches at Daytona Beach. Temperatures averaged within a degree of
normal.

FIELD CROPS: Topsoil moisture is mostly adequate in the Panhandle and
northern central Peninsula with scattered areas of surplus moisture.
Southern Peninsula moisture is short to adequate. Peanut harvest is
complete in Florida. Wet weather slowed cotton harvest. Soybean harvest is
winding down. Sugarcane planting and harvesting is active. Farmers are
planting winter wheat for grain.

    Moisture               Topsoil                      Subsoil
     Rating       Last week      This week     Last week      This week

                                         Percent
 Very short                 0             0              0              0
 Short                     14            12             16             13
 Adequate                  71            72             68             74
 Surplus                   15            16             16             13

LIVESTOCK AND PASTURES: Earlier seeded winter pasture in the north and
central areas was beginning to emerge. Ranchers in many areas were seeding
more winter pasture now that some rain fell, but excessive rain and poor
field conditions kept others from planting. More cattlemen in the north
were starting to feed hay as the quality of the pasture declined
seasonally. Cattle and calves throughout the State were in generally good
condition.

                           Range                        Cattle
   Condition
                 Last week      This week     Last week       This week
                                         Percent
 Very poor                 0              0             0               0
 Poor                      5              5             0               0
 Fair                     55             30            25              25
 Good                     40             55            75              65
 Excellent                 0             10             0              10

CITRUS: There were rain showers in most of Florida's citrus belt this week.
Several growers and caretakers have been running their low volume
irrigation in groves where fruit is destined for the fresh markets. A lot
of early fruit continues to show advanced on-tree color break. Cool
nighttime temperatures have slowed new growth in all areas. Movement of all
types of early fruit is ahead of last year at the same time which reflects
the advanced maturity this season. Early oranges are now being picked for
processing as most of this State's juice plants are now open and taking
grove-run fruit. Virtually all of the fresh fruit packing houses are
shipping oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, and K-Earlys.
    Caretakers are mowing, chopping and discing cover crops prior to
harvest and for fire protection. A few growers are applying fertilizers and
soil amendments. Dead tree removal and pushing of unproductive groves
continues in all areas.

                    Estimated boxes harvested week ended

             Crop                 Oct 26        Nov 2          Nov 9

 Navel oranges                     198,000        224,000         217,000
 Early & Mid oranges               844,000      1,670,000       2,860,000
 All grapefruit                    622,000        733,000         669,000
 Tangerines                        145,000        204,000         219,000
 K-Early Citrus Fruit                4,000          5,000           3,000
 Tangelos                           29,000         68,000          71,000

VEGETABLES: The cooler, drier weather aided plants in recovering from the
recent abundant rain and strong winds; and boosted the setting of fruit for
many crops. Windy conditions are increasing the need for irrigation of
fields as topsoil becomes dry. Vegetables marketed during the week include
snap beans, cabbage, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole,
lettuce, okra, peppers, radishes, squash, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, and
watermelons.

SNAP BEANS: Dade--The crop is in excellent condition. Harvesting is gaining
momentum. Quality and yield are very good. Planting continues. North, East
Coast--Condition is mostly good. Harvesting is active. Supply is light.
Southwest--Crop condition is good. Planting remains steady. Harvesting is
starting with good quality and yield. Everglades, Zellwood--Picking
continues. West Central--Condition is fair. Picking began with fair quality
and color available. Growers halted some harvesting due to poor quality
from the effects of recent adverse weather. Sizes are variable.

CABBAGE: Dade--Planting on schedule. Young fields look good with cool
weather this week helping heads. West Central--Planting steady. Crop
condition is fair to good. Growth and development normal. Central,
Hastings--Planting active. Crop condition good. Growth and development
normal. First harvest of early plantings in central area starting.

CARROTS: Zellwood--Planting continues. Harvesting is expected to start in
about six weeks.

SWEET CORN: Everglades--Harvesting continues. Zellwood, North--Harvesting
is active. Supplies are decreasing seasonally. Southwest--The crop is in
good condition. Planting is steady. Picking is expected to start within the
next two weeks. East Coast- -Condition remains good. Planting continues.
Dade--Condition is good. Planting remains active.

CUCUMBERS: Southwest--Condition is good. Planting is winding down. Picking
remains steady with good quality and yield available. East Coast,
North--Crop condition is good. Supplies are increasing seasonally. Quality
is mostly good. West Central--Crop condition is rated fair to good.
Harvesting of waxed types is gaining momentum. Quality and color are fair
to good with super select and select grades available. Pickle harvesting is
steady with fair to good quality available. Sumter County--Harvesting is
active. Zellwood--Pickle picking remains active. Dade--Pickle picking
continues to increase seasonally. Quality and yield remain good. Planting
is active.

EGGPLANT: East Coast--Crop condition is good. Harvesting and planting
continue. West Central--The crop is in fair to good condition. The cooler
weather is slowing some growth and development. Cutting remains active with
fancy and some choice grades of good quality and color being harvested.
Southwest-- Condition is good. Planting is decreasing seasonally.
Harvesting is steady with a light volume of good quality available.
Dade--The crop is in good condition with oldest plants starting to set
fruit. Planting continues.

ESCAROLE/ENDIVE: Zellwood, Everglades--Harvesting is active with seasonally
increasing supplies available.

LETTUCE: Zellwood, Everglades--Harvesting is increasing seasonally.

OKRA: Dade--Production prospects for young fields are below usual. The
harvesting of oldest acreage is nearing the end with light supplies
available.

PEPPERS: Southwest--Condition is good. Planting and picking are steady.
Quality and yield are good. West Central--The crop is in fair to good
condition. Harvesting of both red and green Bells is increasing seasonally
with mostly large and some extra large sizes of fair to good quality
available. Color is good. East Coast, North--Harvesting is active with good
quality available.

POTATOES: Southwest--Crop condition good. Planting steady. Growth and
development good. Southeast--Potato season underway with planting active.
West Central--Planting is starting.

RADISHES: Zellwood, Everglades--Harvesting is increasing seasonally.

SQUASH: West Central--Condition is rated fair to good. Planting continues
at a steady pace. Picking remains steady with fair to good quality of good
color available. Sizes are variable. Southwest--Condition is good. Planting
remains steady. Picking is steady with good quality available. Yield is
good. East Coast-- Condition is mostly good. Picking continues with
supplies increasing seasonally. Quality is mostly good. Dade--Young fields
are in very good condition. Planting continues. Harvesting is gaining
momentum. Quality and yield are good. Sumter County-- Picking is active.

STRAWBERRIES: Plant City, Palmetto-Ruskin--The crop is in fair to good
condition with the cooler, drier weather aiding recovery from the recent
adverse weather damages. Transplanting is slowing. Dade--U-Pic planting is
nearly finished. Oldest plants are setting berries of good quality.

TOMATOES: Southwest--The crop is in good condition. Fruit set is very good
due to the cooler temperatures. Some older plants show some fruit with
scarring caused by the recent adverse weather. Younger plants show no
damage. Planting continues. Some growers began to harvest the second
planting. Quality and yield are good with a good supply of extra large and
large sizes available. Palmetto-Ruskin--Crop condition is fair to good.
Plants have set virtually all fruit. Fruit sizing is fair. Picking
continues at a steady pace with mostly large and some extra large and
medium sizes available. Quality is fair. Volume is below normal. East
Coast--Condition is mostly good. Planting and harvesting are active.
Supplies are increasing seasonally. Quality is mostly good. Dade--Condition
is rated good. Fruit on oldest plants is beginning to gain size. Planting
is active. Picking for commercial markets is expected to begin in four to
five weeks. Some pinks are starting to show on U-Pic acreage.
Quincy--Harvesting is nearing the end with growers currently making the
third or more pick. The recent cooler weather caused fruit not to gain size
well. Picking is expected to continue over the next one to two weeks.

CHERRY TOMATOES: Palmetto-Ruskin--Condition is fair to good. Harvesting
remains steady. Quality is fair to good with normal sizes available. Volume
is increasing seasonally. Southwest--Condition is good. Planting of a
limited acreage is active. Picking is expected to begin over the next two
weeks.

PLUM TOMATOES: Southwest--Crop condition is rated good. Planting is steady.
Picking is gaining momentum. Quality is good. Palmetto-Ruskin--The crop is
in fair condition with some rain spots appearing on a limited amount of
fruit. Harvesting is increasing seasonally. Quality is fair to good with
normal sizes available.

WATERMELONS: Palmetto-Ruskin--Condition remains fair to good. Harvesting is
steady. Color and quality are fair to good with variable sizes available.
Southwest--Condition is good. Picking of a small acreage is steady with
activity to increase when more fields reach maturity. Quality is good.
Sumter County--Growers are preparing land for spring crop planting.