Source: USDA'S NASS NC FIELD OFFICE, 8/31/15

DAYS SUITABLE FOR FIELD WORK

This Week Last Week Last Year 5-Year Avg. 

6.3 6.0 6.3 5.7 

SOIL MOISTURE PERCENT
VS ST A SS 
Topsoil Moisture 19 39 38 4 
Subsoil Moisture 17 36 43 4
VS= Very Short ST = Short A = Adequate SS = Surplus

CROP CONDITION PERCENT

VP P F G EX

Apples 0 2 34 61 3

Corn 10 16 28 35 11

Cotton 2 8 23 56 11

Hay 13 18 33 31 5

Pasture 18 26 29 23 4

Peanuts 1 5 23 60 11
Soybeans 7 12 28 43 10

Sweet Potatoes 1 6 38 51 4

Tobacco: Flue Cured 3 13 32 44 8

Tobacco: Burley 0 1 42 54 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 Dented 93 89 90 95
Corn Mature 78 66 75 82
Cotton Bolls Opening 28 13 16 23  
Soybean Blooming 95 91 88 91
Soybean Setting Pods 80 69 78 79  

HARVESTED:
Apples 35 30 46 32  
Corn for Grain 29 14 20 25  
Corn Silage 53 44 48 70
Hay 2nd cutting 73 70 89 88
Hay 3rd cutting 28 20 52 31
Peaches 89 81 85 91
Tobacco Flue Cured 47 40 47 51
Tobacco Burley 20 15 28 43

COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT REPORTS

Rain is needed. Grass is in need of rain for fall pastures. Burley tobacco harvest has begun and the crop is looking good.
Julia Houck – Ashe - Alleghany County FSA 

We have experienced scattered showers throughout the county but overall we are experiencing severe drought. All crops are suffering and livestock producers are using their valuable hay reserves now due to poor pasture conditions.
Janice Nicholson – Rutherford County FSA 

Another dry week with only a few very light, highly scattered rain showers. Hay producers made good progress harvesting second cutting hay; however, most producers are reporting hay harvest off by over 50% due to the dry weather. Several producers are concerned if they will have enough hay to get them through the winter. Night time temps are cooling resulting in heavy morning fogs and tomato late blight is showing up in home gardens.
Stanley Holloway – Yancey County Extension 

Caswell County crops continue to show signs of drought stress. Tobacco growers are going strong in the fields harvesting. Most of these tobacco farms are about half way up the stalk. Black shank diseases on these farms are still a problem. Pasture are brown and need rainfall for fall growth. Home gardeners are planting turnip salad and other cool season crops. Late planted soybeans need rain in order to get adequate growth and yields before frost in late October.
Joey Knight – Caswell County Extension 

Light spotty showers. Drought continues to affect crops tobacco is being irrigated. Soybeans are dropping flowers and pods. Corn continues to move into the dent stage. Seeing earworm in corn fields. Grass hay in some areas is having a second cutting. Silage harvest continues.
Gary Cross – Person County Extension

Only a trace of rain fell on some areas of the county this week. Stream flow is very low at best and many are dry. Forage crops and pastures have stopped growing after recent showers. Soybeans and milo are in need of rain to fill pods and fill the heads. Livestock farmers will need to resume feeding hay later this week.
Carl Pless – Cabarrus County Extension 

Rain is needed for cotton, and soybean that are in the reproductive stage. Rain is also needed by cabbage to get the crop off to a good start. Pest issues continue to be addressed in the soybean crop.
Al Wood – Pasquotank County Extension 

Dry weather continues to be of concern to cotton and soybean crops.
Cathy Herring – Central Crops Research Station 

Corn harvest is finishing, beans are looking very good. Recent rains have left parts of the county dry and others very wet.
Daniel Simpson – Pamlico County Extension 

Much needed rain fell across the region during the end of this week. Soybeans have improved and cotton continues to open rapidly. Insecticide and fungicide applications have been made to the soybean crop and tobacco harvest continues. Tobacco disease issues are severe in some fields and are greatly impacting quality. Corn harvest is more than halfway completed in the region and yields are better than expected for some dryland areas.
Georgia Love – Agronomist Region 5 

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