Monday, May 12, 2008

USDA Crop Progress Report, May 12, 2008

From the USDA:

CORN-For the 18 states that planted 91% of last year's crop, 2008 51% vs. '03-'07 average 77%.
RICE- For the 6 states that planted 100% of last year's crop, 2008 74% emerged vs. '03-07 average 80%.
SOYBEANS- For the 18 states that planted 95% of last years crop, 2008 11% vs '03-07 average 29%.
Winter WHEAT: 36% had headed vs. 53% trailing average.

Here's the 7 page PDF

Agricultural Weather Highlights – Monday - May 12, 2008

In the West, a critical fire danger exists in New Mexico and neighboring areas, due to warm, dry, windy weather in advance of a developing storm system. Farther north, below-normal temperatures continue to limit crop growth in California and the Northwest.

• On the Plains, a brief surge of warmth is promoting crop development in western areas as far north as eastern Colorado and western Kansas. Meanwhile, beneficial showers are falling in parts of Montana and North Dakota, although low air and soil temperatures continue to hamper the development of winter wheat and the emergence of spring-sown crops.

• In the Corn Belt, dry weather prevails, although below-normal temperatures are slowing evaporation rates and limiting a resumption of corn and soybean planting. In addition, low soil temperatures remain a concern, especially in the upper Midwest.

• In the South, cool, dry weather favors a gradual return to fieldwork, following powerful weekend thunderstorms that caused local wind and hail damage—primarily in a strip from southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma into the Carolinas and Georgia.

Outlook: A powerful storm system near the Atlantic Coast will move offshore on Monday, bringing a gradual end to the rainy, windy conditions in the Mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, a developing storm over the northcentral U.S. will produce early-week showers on the northern and central Plains and snow in the central Rockies. By Tuesday, unwelcome rain will return to the Midwest and the Mid-South, although amounts will be generally less than 1 inch. During the mid- to late-week period, heavy showers and locally severe thunderstorms will shift into the South, where rainfall may reach 2 to 4 inches.

Cool weather will persist across the eastern half of the U.S. through week’s end, but warmer-than-normal conditions will develop across the West and eventually spread as far east as the Plains. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for May 17-21 calls for below-normal temperatures across much of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., while warmer-than-normal weather will be confined to southern Florida and the West. Meanwhile, wetter-than-normal conditions in the Northeast and lower Southeast will contrast with near- to below-normal rainfall elsewhere.