Crop Progress and Condition for the Week Ending June 14, 2015.
County Agent Comments
Tim Campbell, Dyer County
Much progress has been made this week with soybean planting. Producers have been able to catch up on some spraying and finishing up some scattered grain sorghum planting. Wheat harvest has officially begun in Dyer County this week. Reports are that grain moisture is 11 to 13% with good test weight and quality. Have not heard much about yields at this point. Visited with one producer harvesting his wheat and according to his yield monitor yields in the good spots in the field were running in the 60’s and in the bad spots in the 20’s. Hope to hear more about yield results this upcoming week. All other crops progressing better now that we are having some sunshine and warmer weather.
J.C. Dupree, Lauderdale County
Producers got back in the fields last week to continue planting beans and side dress corn. Wheat harvest is underway, as well. Cattle and pastures are in good condition. Tomato crops are growing normally for this time of year.
Richard Buntin, Crockett County
Replanting of cotton should now be completed. Soybean replanting is continuing. A few fields have been replanted for the second time. Producers are busy planting, replanting, fertilizing, spraying and harvesting.
Jeff Via, Fayette County
The farmers in Fayette County were going full steam ahead until Monday night. Monday night, we received from 0-4 inches of rain in part of the county. One day this week I received two calls, one wondering how deep to plant due to dryness and the other had water standing in the field. Many were back at it Tuesday and as they dried out. Hay is being baled, pests are being treated, and wheat is being harvested. Very busy in Fayette County.
Walter Battle, Haywood County
Wheat harvest has begun. Yields are somewhat disappointing (<50 bushels). Cotton planting is finished and soybean planting is ongoing. Producers worked fields that didn’t receive rain as scattered showers moved across the county. Crops that have received these showers are doing quite well. Pastures are looking good therefore the cattle are looking good.
Jeff Lannom, Weakley County
Summer time heat and humidity have arrived and crops are beginning to grow as they should! Producers have been dodging thunderstorms in making post-emerge herbicide applications to corn and soybeans. The full season soybean crop is almost planted or re-planted. Some producers started harvesting wheat with good yields and test weights being reported.
Kevin Rose, Giles County
Many acres of hay harvested this week along with soybeans planted.
Chris Hicks, Smith County
Wheat harvest started this week and most of the tobacco crop is in the ground. Hay harvest has been a risk/reward situation in between showers but most of the first cutting is done.
A. Ruth Correll, Wilson County
Varying amounts of rain across the county. Hay harvest is progressing. Row crops are good at this point.
Ed Burns, Franklin County
Producers were busy this week applying herbicides to soybeans, finishing up planting single crop beans, as well as harvesting second cuttings of hay, canola, and wheat. A storm front Tuesday produced the week’s only general rain of .30 to .40 inch. Very isolated showers gave a few areas an inch or more. Temperatures were above normal ranging around low 90’s. A few acres of wheat were harvested; however, grain moisture above 15% kept most combines parked. Canola harvest was in full swing by week’s end with yield reports around 70 bushel.
Matthew Deist, Marion County
There’s been some harvesting of wheat and hay as well as planting of late beans in the past week. Earlier beans are easily seen in fields, and corn is looking more like corn every day. Some pastures are showing results of over grazing. Pastures at the correct stocking rate are still looking good. We expect some hot Tennessee summer weather coming our way despite rain in the forecast. That all being said, y’all have a good week.
John Wilson, Blount County
A few scattered thundershowers brought marginal relief to the eastern most areas of the county (in and near the mountains). We’re still dry and temperatures are in the 90’s . . . crops need rain. Some producers indicated pastures are getting very short and they are on the verge of feeding hay. That said, first-cutting hay curing and quality was good but on average yields were down 30%.
John Goddard, Loudon County
We received 2″ rain in a couple hours this week. This really helped struggling crops. Weather forecasts have slowed hay harvesting. Cool season grass is now overripe.
Chris Ramsey, Sullivan County
Rain showers have been very spotty. Some areas very dry.
General Comments
A week of sunshine and warmer weather gave producers the opportunity to plant and/or replant soybeans and cotton while giving a boost to crops already in the field. Wheat harvest continued. Both wheat yields and moisture levels were widely variable. Producers took advantage of the good weather to cut hay. There were 5.6 days suitable for field work last week. Topsoil moisture was 1 percent very short, 14 percent short and 72 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were 10 percent short, 77 percent adequate, and 13 percent surplus.
