Source: USDA'S NASS NC FIELD OFFICE, 1/5/15

GENERAL: Days suitable for field work 3.3. Topsoil moisture 2% short, 57% adequate and 41% surplus. Subsoil moisture 4% short, 68% adequate and 28% surplus. The state received widespread rainfall this month with some areas receiving over 4.0 inches. Average temperatures were above normal for this time of the year. Reported crop progress data for the week showed soybeans harvest at 96% and sorghum at 97%.

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COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT REPORTS
The month of December was fairly. Temperatures were on the mild side. Christmas tree growers reported having a pretty good sales year with demand for real trees improving. The burley tobacco crop was good for most producers; however, marketing has been an issue for area producers as prices are quite low, especially for non-contract tobacco. Main farm activities for the month included harvesting/marketing Christmas trees, stripping and baling burley tobacco, tending livestock, winterizing equipment, and planning for next production season. Stanley Holloway – Yancey County Extension  

Fields are very wet, and very little field work is being done. Soybean and grain sorghum harvest finished during December. Livestock farmers are feeding hay and supplements. Winter meetings arebeing planned. Tobacco farmers are negotiating contracts for 2015. Paul Westfall – Granville County Extension  

Wet conditions toward the end of December has kept the soybean harvest from being completed. There are still many acres of soybeans left to be harvested, but until a significant cold, dry stretch of weather comes, it will not be harvested. Small grains are looking good in most areas, and tillering has been good. Colby Lambert -  Agronomist Region 9  

Extremely wet conditions have harvesting of remaining acres of soybeans at a standstill. Don Nicholson – Agronomist Region 7  
Wet and unseasonably warm and humid weather has some grain sorghum left in the field waiting to be harvested. Richard Rhodes – Bertie County Extension  

Harvest of all crops complete. Farmers working field edges and drainage ditches, and working on equipment in their shops. Tommy R Grandy – Currituck County Extension  

With the periods of rain we've had lately, fields are wet. Most farmers have finished with crop harvests and ditch clean up, so not a lot going on in the field. Winter wheat looks overall fair. Fertilizer amendments will be needed by the end of the month on some of the crop due to the amount of rain we've seen. Roy Thagard – Greene County Extension  

Excessive rain during December prevented the completion of soybean and grain sorghum  harvest.  Cathy Herring – Central Crops   

CROP PROGRESS PERCENT – WITH COMPARISONS   
This Week  Last Week  Last Year  5-Year Avg  
HARVESTED:      
Sorghum 97 n/a n/a n/a  
Soybeans 96 n/a 99 98              

CROP CONDITION PERCENT  
VP P F G EX  
Barley 0 0 19 74 7  
Oats 0 0 15 77 8  
Pasture  2 15 44 36 3  
Wheat 0 1 22 70 7        
VP = Very Poor  P = Poor  F = Fair  G = Good   EX = Excellent    

SOIL MOISTURE PERCENT  
VS ST A SS
Topsoil Moisture 0 2 57 41  
Subsoil Moisture 0 4 68 28        
VS= Very Short   ST = Short   A = Adequate   SS = Surplus