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Production
Estimates and Crop Assessment Division |
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Production
Estimates and Crop Assessment Division |
August 5, 2002
Showers eased dryness and benefited in many parts of the upper Midwest and the South/Southeast. Corn is entering the dough stage. Indiana and Ohio are experiencing some delays in silking. Soybeans have now entered podsetting, with some flowering delays in Indiana, Ohio and Louisiana. Current subsurface soil moisture reserves are generally adequate to sustain crop growth. Both corn and soybean crop conditions have deteriorated slightly from last week due to the excess heat and moisture stress in the Midwest. Farmers in parts of the Midwest are reporting occurrences of the Western corn rootworm and Japanese beetles in several fields. Drought conditions continue to prevail in parts of Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Rice and peanut crops are progressing very well. Cotton crop is setting boll. Some minor problems associated with the earlier wetness are evident in Missouri, and dryness in parts of Virginia.
Crop Condition
Timely showers during the period of July 21-31, 2002, benefited Midwestern crops in their critical flowering/reproductive stage. Showers also benefited summer crops in parts of the South and Southeast. Precipitation was deficient in northeastern Georgia, and western South Carolina. Showers brought relief to drought-affected crop over much of North Carolina. The Northeast is beginning to experience some dryness. Warmer, drier conditions taxed surface soil moisture reserves; however, adequate subsurface moisture reserves eased the stress. Drought conditions continue to prevail in parts of central Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia, where subsurface moisture conditions remain deficient. Average temperature departures ranged from near normal conditions in the south to above normal conditions across much of the central and eastern Corn Belt, and extending to the northeast.
Seasonal precipitation analysis (May 1-July 28, 2002) for the eastern United States shows dryness developing in parts of western Iowa, northern Ohio, and Michigan. Much of southern Missouri, parts of south-central Illinois, and western Indiana continue to be wet. In the northern Corn Belt, warmer and drier conditions are helping drain water-logged fields in Minnesota. The Delta states (Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana), southern Alabama, and Florida are excessively wet. Dryness continues in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. However, the coastal regions of the Carolinas are experiencing favorably wet conditions.
Soil moisture (July 26, 2002) analysis for the region shows a deficit developing in parts of western and southwestern Iowa. Soil moisture is also deficient in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, most of North Carolina with the exception of the Delmarva Peninsula, and Virginia. Moisture surpluses prevail in southern Missouri, eastern Illinois and western Indiana, southeastern Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.
Satellite derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the period July 16-31 shows that vegetation conditions in eastern Indiana and Ohio during 2002 are somewhat inferior to those during both 2000 and 2001. The vegetation conditions in northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida are significantly better in 2002 than during both 2000 and 2001. Conditions in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina are showing signs of improvement from two-weeks ago.
According to NASS, as of July 29, 2002, about 77 percent of the corn crop is at or beyond the silking stage, with the rest in the dough stage. Delays in silking, due to late planting, are evident in Indiana, and Ohio. About 20-30 percent of the corn crop is reportedly in the very poor - poor condition in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin; with more extreme conditions in Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina. About 76 percent of the soybean crop is now in the bloom stage, with the remainder in pod set. Some significant delays in soybean blooming are evident in parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Louisiana. About 20-30 percent of the soybean crop is in very poor - poor condition, with more extreme conditions in Missouri and Ohio. Farmers in parts of northern Illinois and Indiana are reporting damage from the western corn rootworm, Japanese beetles, leafhoppers and grasshoppers. The cotton crop is setting bolls (73 percent), with some minor delays in parts of Missouri due to the earlier wetness. Bulk of the rice crop is in excellent condition with about 48 percent now in the heading stage. The peanut crop is progressing well, with some 89 percent of the crop in the pegging stage; about 76 percent of the peanut crop is now reported to be in good - excellent condition. Most of the winter wheat has already been harvested. Nearly all of the spring wheat crop in Minnesota has reached the heading stage, with about 17 percent of the crop reported to be in very poor - poor condition.
