Source: USDA'S NASS NC FIELD OFFICE, 5/7/18

DAYS SUITABLE FOR FIELD WORK
This Week  Last Week  Last Year  5-Year Avg.
6.3  3.5  4.0  4.6

SOIL MOISTURE PERCENT
VS  ST  A  SS
Topsoil Moisture 1  12  75  12
Subsoil Moisture 1  8  79  12
VS= Very Short ST = Short A = Adequate SS = Surplus

CROP PROGRESS PERCENT – WITH COMPARISONS
This  Week  Last Week  Last Year  5 Yr. Avg.
PLANTED:
Corn 81  63  87  84
Cotton  14 n/a  13  12
Peanuts  16  n/a  n/a  n/a
Soybeans 13  n/a  n/a  n/a
Tobacco: Flue-cured 49  24  55  54
PHENOLOGICAL:
Barley Headed  69  50  n/a  n/a
Corn Emerged  58  36  75  65
Wheat Headed  74  50  95  78
HARVESTED:
Hay: First Cutting 17  n/a  18  12

CROP CONDITION PERCENT
VP  P  F  G  EX
Barley 1  3  23  68  5
Corn 0  2  21  67  10
Oats  1  2  20  69  8
Pasture 1  3  28  62  6
Wheat 0  1  24  65  10
VP = Very Poor P = Poor F = Fair G = Good EX = Excellent

COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT REPORTS
It's been rather wet; therefore, tobacco transplanting just got started this past week. Pastures are greening up and livestock producers have just started cutting hay this past week. Strawberry growers are two weeks behind and just started picking this past week. Home gardeners have just started planting. Spring cold vegetable crops are just beginning to harvest this week.
Joey Knight - Caswell County Extension

A lot of tobacco set last week and will continue this week. After a slow start to strawberry season, warm weather is driving customers to the farms. Growers reporting that sales were good this week.
Zachary Taylor – Lee County Extension

Fruit crop injury from late frosts is still a concern, though it appears mainly to have affected quality (split pits in peaches, misshapen fruit in blueberries) and less so in yield. Strawberries were substantially delayed by March cold weather. This will probably be a short (5-6 week) harvest season.
Taylor Williams - Moore County Extension

With nice weather last week our planting of this year's tobacco crop in Franklin County was almost completed. We needed a dry week to finish planting corn, tobacco, and time to get ready to plant beans.
Charles Mitchell - Franklin County Extension

Cool temperature and frequent rainfall continue to delay planting. Rainfall from this weekend will add further delays. Coastal areas received 2-3 inches of rainfall while most of the inland areas received 1-1.5 inches.
Mike Carroll – Carteret County Extension

Fair weather all week allow many to complete or catch up on corn planting. Soybean planting has begun. Temperatures have finally risen enough to allow solid growth of most crops.
Daniel Simpson – Pamlico County Extension

Some locations received 1/2-2 inches of rain on Sunday while other areas stayed dry. We still have good moisture in soil across most of the county. Planting conditions remain good.
Tim Britton – Johnston County Extension

Great progress in planting of corn and transplanting tobacco possible due to favorable weather. Most growers evaluating whether or not to replant early planted corn due to poor plant emergence or poor plant survival resulting from frequent rainfall combined with cold temperatures. Expect some delay in field work early this week due to rainfall this weekend ranging from 1-1.5 inches.
Mike Carroll – Craven County Extension

Numerous field activities going on as cotton, soybean, and peanut planting ramp up. Tobacco transplanting should finish this week. Good stands on corn so far. Wheat crop looks good. Could use some rain as topsoil is beginning to dry out
Mac Malloy – Robeson County Extension

Frost early in the week caused some damage to early set cold crops. The extent of damage is difficult to assess at this point but some bolting is expected. The previous weeks rains hindered field activity early in the week; however, soil conditions dried to allow field preparations to continue and some crop planting.
Stanly Holloway – Yancey County Extension

Tobacco transplanting swung into high gear during the week. Farmers were preparing fields, transplanting tobacco, planting corn and soybeans, and in general trying to get all the jobs done that would normally have been done over the last 3 weeks. The first hay cuttings were made, and a lot more fields will be cut next week, weather allowing. Farmers reported that drying took longer than normal, mainly due to soil moisture and cool temperatures. Pastures are growing fast with cool season grasses heading out. Paul Westfall – Granville County Extension

For the full report, click here.