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Cool, wet weather delays crop progressSouth Dakota Continued cool and wet weather during the week ending Sept. 14 has further delayed crop progress, but has had little effect on the completion of fall planting and silage harvest activities, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, South Dakota Field Office, Sept. 15. There were 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork in the past week. Farm activities focused on the general care of livestock, the seeding of fall planted crops, the silage harvest, and preparing machinery for the row crop harvest. All locations in the state remained 2 to 7 degrees below average this past week, according to the State Climate Office of South Dakota. Custer saw freezing temperatures with 31 F Sept. 13. Overnight low temperatures remained in the 30s for most locations. Porcupine was 7 degrees below average for the week. The cooler week did not help GDDs that continue to remain below average for the state. A few locations in the state are 300 or more GDDs behind. Almost all locations in the state received precipitation this last week. Northeast and portions of central South Dakota received an inch of precipitation or more, and a majority of the locations received anywhere between a tenth of an inch and an inch of precipitation. While precipitation in most parts of the state was above average, some areas around Brookings, Mitchell, north central and northeast remained below average since April 1. Precipitation in a few locations West River remains 4 inches or more above average. Topsoil moisture ratings improved slightly, to 62 percent in the adequate to surplus categories. Subsoil moisture ratings saw similar improvements, now estimated at 64 percent in the adequate to surplus categories. Soil temperatures were in the upper 50s to lower 60s with the cooler-than-normal temperatures last week. The highest four-inch depth soil temperature was recorded in Pierre, at 67 F, and the lowest was recorded in Oacoma and South Shore, at 57 F. Corn is currently estimated at 7 percent mature, 21 percentage points behind the five-year average. Soybeans are 16 percentage points behind the five-year average in the dropping leaves stage, this week estimated at 43 percent. Sunflowers are currently 54 percent in the bracts yellow stage, up 20 percentage points from last week. Sorghum is only 5 percent in the mature stage, 19 percentage points lower than the five-year average. The silage harvest saw a significant jump from last week, with 33 percent of the corn silage harvest complete and 39 percent of the sorghum silage harvest complete. Winter wheat is 18 percent seeded, with reports of some areas of the state being too wet for planting over the last week and some areas being too dry for planting. Range and pasture conditions remained stable over the past week, currently estimated at 65 percent in the good to excellent categories, 2 percentage points higher than last week, and 32 percentage points higher than the five-year average. Feed supplies and stock water supplies also saw little change and remained at a strong 94 and 84 percent adequate to surplus, respectively. Livestock conditions have remained stable, with cattle rated 90 percent good to excellent and sheep rated 92 percent good to excellent. Except for isolated reports of low stock water supplies and drier pastures, producer reports of livestock conditions have been positive. 9/22/08 Date: 9/17/08 Advertisement
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