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Weather again impacting crops
Nebraska
For the week ending Aug. 22, below normal temperatures and limited precipitation continued to impact the progress and condition of dryland crops, according to the Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service, Aug. 23.
Dryland corn, soybean and sorghum conditions moved lower as crops waited yet another week for rainfall. Producer activities included scouting fields for insects, spraying for soybean aphids, and preparing for fall Wheat seeding.
Corn condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 17 percent fair, 47 percent good, and 31 percent excellent, above last year and average. Irrigated fields rated 83 percent good and excellent while dryland fields moved lower to 68 percent. This compares to 71 percent and 14 percent, respectively, a year ago. Eighty-three percent of the acreage had reached the dough stage, same as last year but behind average at 86 percent. Thirty-one percent had dented, behind 35 percent last year and average at 43 percent. A few fields in south central Nebraska were considered mature.
Soybeans condition declined and rated 1 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 23 percent fair, 46 percent good, and 21 percent excellent, still well above last year and average. Ninety-five percent had set pods, ahead of last year at 92 percent and average at 94 percent. Four percent of the acreage was turning color, behind 6 percent last year and 10 percent average. Soybean aphids continued to be found at levels that warranted spraying for control.
Sorghum condition declined and rated 1 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 38 percent fair, 40 percent good, and 12 percent excellent, still well above last year and average. Ninety percent had headed, ahead of last year at 79 percent and average at 88 percent. Fields were showing color on 15 percent of the acreage, behind last year at 20 percent and average at 24 percent.
Oat harvest was virtually complete with only a few fields remaining in the Panhandle.
Dry bean conditions improved and rated 2 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 48 percent good, and 15 percent excellent. Ninety percent of the acreage had bloomed, behind last year at 98 percent and average at 99 percent. Sixty-eight percent had set pods, well behind last year at 88 percent and average at 92 percent.
Proso millet harvest had yet to get underway in most western counties, behind 16 percent last year and 5 percent average.
Alfalfa conditions rated 9 percent very poor, 16 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 38 percent good, and 11 percent excellent, above last year and average. Third cutting activities progressed to 75 percent complete, ahead of last year at 70 percent and average at 71 percent. Wild hay condition rated 10 percent very poor, 16 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 37 percent good, and 8 percent excellent.
Pasture and range condition rated 13 percent very poor, 22 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 30 percent good, and 3 percent excellent, but remained above a year ago and average.
Date: 8/25/04
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