June 26, 2009

For the week ending June 21, warmer weather and rain helped advance cropgrowth across much of the state. Almost half of the wheat fields were turning color with harvest expected to begin next week in the southeast and by mid July in the Panhandle. Rainslowed haying and herbicide applications across the state. Inisolated areas, hail, tornados, and damaging winds occurred,overturning pivots and causing some green snap.

Temperatures averaged threedegrees below normal in the Panhandle, North Central, andSouthwestern Districts, while the rest of the state was ator slightly above normal. Temperatures ranged from highs inthe lower 90s to lows in the upper 40s. Precipitation waswidespread with all districts, except the Panhandle, receiving over an inch ofprecipitation.

Field Crops Report

• Corn conditions rated 1% very poor, 2% poor, 14% fair, 62% good, and 21% excellent, well above last year's 70% good or excellent rating. Dryland fields rated 85% good or excellent and irrigated fields rated 82% good or excellent.

   

• Soybean conditions rated 1% very poor, 2% poor, 13% fair,66% good, and 18% excellent, well above last year's 68%good or excellent condition.

   

• Wheat conditions rated 2% very poor, 5% poor, 19% fair,54% good, and 20% excellent, well above last year's 63%good or excellent condition. Wheat turning color was at45%, ahead of last year's 38% but six days behind the69% average.

   

• Alfalfa conditions rated 4% very poor, 7% poor, 21% fair,54% good, and 14% excellent, near last year's 69% good orexcellent condition. First cutting was 74% complete,ahead of last year's 70% but behind the 87% average. Secondcutting is 2% complete, near last year but behind the7% average.

   

• Oat conditions rated 0% very poor, 9% poor, 8% fair,67% good, and 16% excellent, below last year's 90% goodor excellent condition. Eighty percent of the oats had headed, ahead oflast year's 58% and near the 79% average.

   

• Sorghum conditions rated 0% very poor, 3% poor, 20% fair,64% good, and 13% excellent, above last year's 66% goodor excellent condition. Ninety-one percent of the sorghum had emerged, ahead of last year's 75% and 86% average.

   

• Dry bean planting was 90% complete, behind last year's 93% and the average of 94%. Seventy-seven percent of the dry beans had emerged,ahead of last year's 56% and four days ahead of the 67% average.
• Proso millet planting was 42% complete, behind last year's 67% anda week behind the 64% average.

   

• Pasture andrange conditions rated 0% very poor, 2% poor, 16% fair,67% good, and 15% excellent.

Nebraska Field Office
USDA's National Agricultural Statistic Service