Source: USDA'S NASS NC FIELD OFFICE, 8/3/15

DAYS SUITABLE FOR FIELD WORK

This Week Last Week Last Year 5-Year Avg.

6.6             5.9             4.5          5.4 

SOIL MOISTURE PERCENT

VS ST A SS  
Topsoil Moisture 15 39 42 4
Subsoil Moisture 13 35 48 4

VS= Very Short ST = Short A = Adequate SS = Surplus

CROP CONDITION PERCENT

VP P F G EX

Apples 0 2 38 57 3

Corn 9 15 29 36 11

Cotton 1 6 22 56 15

Hay 8 16 39 31 6

Pasture 15 26 33 22 4

Peanuts 0 4 20 62 14

Soybeans 6 11 29 45 9

Sweet Potatoes 0 3 44 48 5

Tobacco: Flue Cured 3 10 30 48 9

Tobacco: Burley 0 1 43 53 3
 VP = Very Poor P = Poor F = Fair G = Good EX = Excellent
 

CROP PROGRESS PERCENT – WITH COMPARISONS
This Week Last Week Last Year 5 Yr. Avg.

PHENOLOGICAL:  
Corn Dough 84 73 78 86
Corn Dented 56 37 53 57
Cotton Squaring 96 94 96 96
Cotton Setting Bolls 74 62 85 80
Peanut Pegging 90 80 95 97
Soybean Blooming 60 47 62 56  
Soybean Setting Pods 34 22 35 28

HARVESTED:
Apples 15 N/A 23 12
Corn Silage 11 N/A N/A 16
Hay 2nd cutting 54 48 74 69
Peaches 65 55 70 71
Tobacco Flue Cured 17 10 23 20

COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT REPORTS

Some pockets in the county continue to be dry. Producers are starting to make second cutting hay. If more rain is not received, I don't think we will have much second cutting hay. Produce crops are looking good at this time. 
Julia Houck – Ashe/Alleghany County FSA 

Rutherford County’s crops and pastures are suffering due to the extremely hot and dry conditions. 
Janice Nicholson – Rutherford County FSA 

Hot and dry, stressed conditions in most of NCDA Agronomic Region 6, with a few areas receiving adequate rainfall from scattered heavy showers.
Mike Wilder – Agronomist Region 6 

All crops are pretty dry, and pastures are not growing much. Hay is being cut, but quality is not very good due to the maturity of the forage. Pastures are growing much due to low moisture and temperatures. Tobacco harvest continued with average to good yields reported from most farms. Soybeans are in good shape, but corn is again suffering from higher temperatures and low moisture. Some corn silage was harvested during the week.
Paul Westfall – Granville County Extension 

Most tobacco producers are getting through first cut. Soybeans are progressing well but the heat may cause flowers to abort affecting yield. Corn is progressing well there are a few fields under stress that were planted late. Hay fields look very good due to rains.
Gary Cross – Person County Extension

A large portion of region 7 is very dry, leading to a general worsening of crop conditions. The tobacco crop is deteriorating rapidly in areas that have not received adequate rainfall in several weeks. Lower stalk quality is suffering.
Don Nicholson – Agronomist Region 7 

Extremely hot, dry conditions have adversely impacted most crops. Lugs on tobacco are scalded, particularly in late topped fields. Corn was in grain fill in most plantings, and hot dry weather has impacted that. Much of the soybean and sorghum crops will be lost without rain soon.
Taylor Williams – Moore County Extension 

Crop conditions overall are good. Disease pressure in soybeans and peanuts is very light. Insect feeding in all crops is very light at this point, though we are monitoring stink bugs and corn earworm. Everybody could use some rain as it's starting to get dry again. Most tobacco will have been primed by the end of the week. Tobacco is shaping up to be a late crop this season. 
Roy Thagard – Greene County Extension 

Dry conditions continue to persist throughout the county. Some areas received scattered amounts of rainfall across the county on Thursday. Reports of Sugar cane aphids are coming in on a widespread basis in sorghum. Growers are scrambling to make treatments for this new pest and corn earworm. Light trap data indicated moth flight peaked last week
Mac Malloy –Robeson County Extension 

For the full report, click here.