Crop Progress and Condition for the Week Ending October 5, 2014.
GENERAL: Days suitable for field work 5.8. Topsoil moisture 1% very short, 11% short, 78% adequate and 10% surplus. Subsoil moisture 2% very short, 10% short, 78% adequate and 10% surplus. Most of the eastern part of the state stayed dry this week which allowed farmers to get back in the fields. Overall temperatures were around normal.
Reported crop progress data for the week showed soybeans leaf drop at 46% with some areas beginning harvest. Cotton bolls opening recorded at 86%. Reports for corn harvested for grain at 79% and harvested for silage at 89%. Flue-cured tobacco harvest was reported at 85% while Burley harvested is at 75% both remain behind the previous year and the 5 year averages.
Sweet potato harvest is at 50%, peanut harvest has begun in earnest and is reported at 21%. Apple harvest is at 77% and the third cutting of hay is reported at 76%. Small grain planting has begun with barley reported at 11%.
Comments
All of a sudden, with the cooler nights, stinkbug populations have exploded with a flood of calls about congregating on houses, etc. Also absolutely covering the soybean crop.
–Donna Teasley – Burke County Extension
We received our first fall frost/freeze over the weekend as temperatures dipped into the lower 30’s wrapping up most of summer vegetable crops, especially peppers and tomatoes. Silage harvest has been completed and all but a limited amount of late set burley tobacco has been harvested.
–Stanley Holloway – Yancey County Extension
The pace of tobacco picked up with good weather conditions. Growers are reporting good yields and quality. More soybeans are turning color, with a few fields dropping leaves. Hay is still being cut, and a couple of soybean fields were cut for hay. Pastures are in pretty good shape. The fall hay crop is making up for a short spring crop.
–Paul Westfall – Granville County Extension
Harvest continues for tobacco, peanuts, cotton and corn. Yields and quality for tobacco in some areas look to be very good, while areas that had an abundance of rain are not as good.
–Don Nicholson – Agronomist Wake County Area
Pastures, hay and soybeans are in need or rain. Frost was observed in some areas on Sunday morning, though little damage is yet apparent.
–Carl Pless – Cabarrus County Extension
Cotton harvest just getting underway, with good yields reported. With drier soil condition returning peanut harvest moving at a steady pace with generally excellent yields. Tobacco producers working to get crop in the barn before further crop deterioration.
–Richard Rhodes- Bertie County Extension
Dry conditions this week will allow growers to do some necessary field work to finish tobacco and corn harvesting. The warm weather will be a blessing as many cotton growers will be applying defoliants this week. Growers reporting late season stink bugs on soybeans at threshold.
–Roy Thagard – Greene County Extension
Harvest continues for some tobacco and corn growers. Sorghum harvest is picking up. Cotton harvest should begin this week for some. Rapeseed planting intentions have almost doubled with planting occurring now. Hay producers are trying to get their last cutting in as well.
–Mac Malloy – Robeson County Extension
