As reported by NASS on July 29, 2013
COTTON CROP DEVELOPMENT OVER TWO WEEKS BEHIND NORMAL
The cotton crop, at week’s end, remained rated in mostly good-to-excellent condition, despite development being over two weeks behind schedule. Cotton’s slow development this season can be mostly attributed to cool, wet, weather conditions. All other major crops remained in mostly good-to-excellent condition. Pastures are in good-to-excellent condition, with rapid growth reported. There were also some crop acres flooded in low-lying areas. Other activities this past week included scouting for insects and diseases, hay harvest, and topping tobacco.
There were 4.5 days suitable for field work this past week. Topsoil moisture levels were rated 6 percent short, 84 percent adequate and 10 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were rated 5 percent short, 88 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus. Temperatures averaged 2 to 5 degrees below normal across the state last week. Precipitation averaged 0.38 to 1 inch below normal across middle and east Tennessee and the Plateau and 1.6 inches above normal across west Tennessee.
|
Crop Condition % July 28, 2013 |
||||||
|
|
Very Poor |
Poor |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
|
| Corn |
TN |
0% |
2% |
12% |
56% |
30% |
|
US |
3% |
8% |
26% |
46% |
17% |
|
| Cotton |
TN |
1% |
4% |
20% |
55% |
20% |
|
US |
8% |
14% |
33% |
35% |
10% |
|
| Soybeans |
TN |
1% |
3% |
14% |
56% |
26% |
|
US |
2% |
7% |
28% |
50% |
13% |
|
| Pasture |
TN |
0% |
2% |
15% |
66% |
17% |
|
US |
11% |
17% |
28% |
36% |
8% |
|
|
Crop Progress |
|||||
| July 28, 2013 | July 21, 2013 | July 28, 2012 | 5 Year Average | ||
| Soybeans-Blooming |
TN |
41% |
27% |
83% |
74% |
|
US |
65% |
46% |
87% |
74% |
|
| Soybeans – Setting Pods |
TN |
19% |
9% |
57% |
46% |
|
US |
20% |
8% |
52% |
34% |
|
| Corn – Silking or Beyond |
TN |
92% |
85% |
99% |
97% |
|
US |
71% |
43% |
93% |
75% |
|
| Corn-Dough or Beyond |
TN |
56% |
43% |
86% |
67% |
|
US |
8% |
N/A |
35% |
17% |
|
| Corn-Dent or Beyond |
TN |
13% |
6% |
51% |
27% |
|
US |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
| Cotton Squaring |
TN |
77% |
68% |
96% |
97% |
|
US |
89% |
77% |
93% |
90% |
|
| Cotton-Setting Bolls |
TN |
20% |
14% |
68% |
67% |
|
US |
39% |
27% |
57% |
56% |
|
County Agent Comments
The farmers received more rain early in the week and this weekend. Conditions were too wet most of the week for farming activities. Rain moved back in by the weekend. Temperatures cooled down this week as well. Jeffery Via, Fayette County
Crops and pastures really benefited from the 2 inches of rain received this week. The only negative concerning the weekly rain events are the pigweed flushes that follow. Walter Battle, Haywood County
The county received another half inch of rain this week. Some fungicides are being applied to corn. Pastures are in good shape for this time of year. Kevin Rose, Giles County
Spotty rains have led to some parts of the county starting to need some additional moisture. For the large part of the county, there continues to be adequate moisture, but even these parts may start showing some problems without rain in the coming week. Cooler temperatures have caused peaches to slow their ripening. Ricky Skillington, Marshall County
Showers are making it hard to get hay up. They have been good on most crops except when the ground gets saturated. This has hurt corn and soybeans in some places and probably has hurt yields. Farmers are not complaining about the rain because we remember the dry years when nothing would grow. Larry Moorehead, Moore County
Once again, the week starts off wet with weather monitors collecting between 0.5 to 1.6 inches of rain between Sunday and Wednesday, with 1.0 to 1.5 inches being the most common total reported. Farmers were busy applying herbicides to double crop beans and a few started applying fungicides to early maturing single crop beans. With drier conditions prevailing for the second half of the week, a number of hay producers took advantage to harvest a second cutting. Ed Burns, Franklin County
We’re running about 15-20% damage in corn and soybeans due to excessive water, and more like 25% at present in tobacco. Most burly producers predict a very light yield in their crop due to water damage. What was not killed is going to be short and light. Scott Chadwell, Putnam County
With a few more rain-free days, producers were busy planting and re-planting soybeans. Water is still standing in a few low-lying fields of corn and soybeans. Second-cutting hay is underway. Kudzu bugs have been confirmed in a few soybean fields, and producers are monitoring populations. John Wilson, Blount County
We still have first cutting hay still standing in the fields. We have not had enough dry days in a row for harvest of all our first cutting of hay. Mike Heiskell, Claiborne County
