Crop Progress and Condition for the Week Ending August 24, 2014.
High temperatures returned to the state last week. The summer heat continued to deplete topsoil and subsoil moisture in areas still behind normal rainfall for the growing season. Seedbed preparations for small grains were underway. Minimal rainfall was received which allowed for hay harvest to make significant progress with good yields and quality reported. Producers in the Southwest District continued to irrigate summer crops; however, more rainfall is needed for irrigation wells. Crop progress in some portions of the Southwest District was slowed due to the excessive heat.
Temperatures for the week ranged from 58 degrees at Kenton on Sunday, August 24th to 105 degrees at Freedom on Sunday, August 24th. Precipitation ranged from little to none in the West Central District to 0.42 of an inch in the North Central District. Topsoil and subsoil moisture conditions were rated mostly adequate to short. There were 6.4 days suitable for field work.
Small Grains: Seedbed preparation was underway for all small grains, ahead of last year. Twenty-seven percent of wheat seedbed preparation was complete as of Sunday, well ahead of normal and this time last year.
Canola seedbed preparation was 8 percent complete by week’s end.
Row Crops: Corn condition was rated 73 percent good to fair. Seventy-nine percent of corn had reached the dough stage, 12 point behind the previous year and 17 points behind the five-year average. Corn dented reached 53 percent complete compared with 59 percent the previous year. Sorghum condition was rated 78 percent good to fair. Sorghum headed reached 79 percent complete and 56 percent was coloring by the end of the week.
Soybean condition was rated 86 percent good to fair. Soybeans blooming reached 90 percent complete by week’s end, 13 points ahead of last year and 5 points ahead of normal. Soybeans setting pods reached 61 percent complete 12 points ahead the previous year. Peanut condition was rated 94 percent good to fair. Peanuts mature reached 11 percent complete by Sunday, on track with the previous year. Cotton condition was rated 91 percent good to fair. Eighty-nine percent of cotton was setting bolls and 10 percent of bolls were opening.
Hay: Conditions of alfalfa hay and other hay continued to be rated mostly good to fair. A third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 88 percent complete, while a fourth cutting was 28 percent complete. A first cutting of other hay was 94 percent complete, while a second cutting was 52 percent complete.
Watermelons harvested reached 80 percent complete.
Pasture and Livestock: Conditions of pasture and range continued to be rated mostly good to fair. Stock ponds still need more runoff rainfall and grasshoppers continued to be an issue in some parts of the state. Livestock was rated 60 percent in good condition, with 25 percent rated as fair. Livestock markets continued to hold strong.
Weather: Temperatures ranged from 58 degrees at Kenton on Sunday, August 24th to 105 degrees at Freedom on Sunday, August 24th. Precipitation ranged from 0.00 inches in the West Central District to 0.42 of an inch in the North Central District. Soil temperature averages ranged from 79 degrees at Westville on Monday, August 18th to 93 degrees at Chickasha on Friday, August 22nd.
