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Spring wheat and corn planting beginWyoming It was a cool and windy during the week ending April 20, but irrigation water supplies remain mostly adequate, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Wyoming Field Office, April 21. Mostly dry windy conditions dominated the state last week. Most stations are still reporting below normal temperatures and precipitation was scarce across most of the state. High temperatures were mostly in the low 60s to low 80s. Low temperatures were mostly in the teens to low 20s. Only a few stations received moisture while others recorded only wind. Accumulative precipitation continues to lag well behind normal levels except Saratoga. Topsoil moisture levels slipped to 62 percent adequate or better, 4 points below last week, but still 14 points better than the five year average. Irrigation water supplies were rated 74 percent adequate or better, 19 points above last year when only 55 percent was adequate. An average of 5.7 days were suitable for fieldwork during the past week. Winter wheat crop condition improved 1 point with 79 percent now rated good. One percent of the winter wheat crop had jointed by weeks end on average pace. Barley seeding was complete on 62 percent of the expected acreage, 4 points behind last year and 7 points behind the five-year average. Seven percent of the barley had emerged, 20 points behind both last year and average. About 22 percent of the intended oat acreage was in the ground, 8 points behind last year and 12 points behind average. Sugarbeet planting moved forward with 28 percent seeded by week's end, 10 points behind last year. One percent of the sugarbeets has emerged same as the five-year average. Producers were busy preparing the ground for spring wheat and began planting with 1 percent complete, down from 22 percent this time last year and 32 percent normally. Corn planting commenced with one percent of the intended acreage in the ground, just one point behind last year and the five-year average. Range and pasture conditions continued to be better than the last few years with 32 percent rated good and 4 percent excellent, compared with 17 percent good and zero excellent last year. Spring calving is running close to average pace with 79 percent on the ground. Calf losses were light to mostly normal with only 2 percent reported as heavy. Seventy-four percent of the Farm flock and 21 percent of the range flock had lambed, 10 points behind last year. Seventy percent of the farm flock sheep and 42 percent of the range flock sheep had been shorn. Lamb losses were mostly light to normal with only 5 percent reported as heavy.
Date: 4/24/08
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