Nearly one-third of barley planted

Wyoming

No winter wheat damage was damaged during the month of March, and livestock is in good condition, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Wyoming Field Office, March 31. Soil moisture remains above normal.

The state received mostly below normal temperatures during the month of March. Precipitation is below normal across most areas of the state. Jackson, Dillinger, Newcastle, and Saratoga are the only areas whose cumulative precipitation is slightly above normal. Temperatures for the last week of March averaged from 8 degrees below normal in Powell to 0.6 degrees below normal in Douglas. High temperatures were mostly in the low 60s. Low temperatures were reported in the teens. Average depth of snow cover is 2.20 inches. Natural Resource Conservations snowpack report for March 1 showed that generally, the snow water equivalent across Wyoming is slightly below average for this time of the year at 99 percent of average for early March.

Precipitation for last month in the basins varied from 92 percent of average to 162 percent of average for the state. Year-to-date precipitation is above average for the year and varies from 82 to 124 percent of average in the basins. Forecasted runoff varies from 65 to 178 percent of average across Wyoming for an overall average of 98 percent. Basin reservoir levels for Wyoming vary from 30 to 208 percent of average for an overall average of 80 percent. Topsoil moisture levels were rated 58 percent adequate or better, 12 points below last year and 6 points above the five year average. Subsoil moisture levels were reported as 44 percent adequate or better, 10 points better than last year and 13 points above the five year average.

Only 34 percent of the barley has been planted, 13 points ahead of last year and 1 point above normal. Seeding of oats, spring wheat and sugarbeets have not gotten underway. Producers were preparing the ground for planting. Winter wheat conditions still continue to hold mostly steady with 17 percent in fair condition and 83 percent in good condition. Winter wheat damage due to wind was reported as 64 percent none, 33 percent light and 3 percent moderate. Damage to winter wheat due to freeze was 86 percent none, 12 percent light and 2 percent moderate.

Livestock conditions traded a few points between categories since last month. Seventy-two percent of the cattle and 88 percent of the calves were rated good or better. Spring calving was slightly behind normal with 50 percent on the ground. Calf losses were light to mostly normal. Seventy-six percent of sheep and 82 percent of the lambs were in good or better condition. Fifty-two percent of the farm flock and 3 percent of the range flock had lambed, slightly behind average. Forty percent of the farm flock sheep and 7 percent of the range flock sheep had been shorn. Lamb losses were mostly normal with 15 percent light and 85 percent normal. Hay and roughage supplies were reported as 70 percent adequate. Pasture and range were rated 44 percent in good or better condition and only 25 percent of the ranges and pastures were rated in poor or very poor condition.

4/7/08
3 Star CO\6-B

Date: 4/2/08

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