Oklahoma crop weather, 03/04/2013, v.36 no.3

              United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Oklahoma Crop Weather
Oklahoma Field Office
Cooperating with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
P.O. Box 528804 · Oklahoma City, OK 73152-8804
(405) 522-6190 · FAX (405) 528-2296 · www.nass.usda.gov/ok
A combined contribution with Cooperative Extension Service, USDA Farm Service Agency and Oklahoma Mesonet
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Volume 36, Number 3
Weekly Summary for Feb 25 - Mar 3, 2013
Issued March 4, 2013
Blizzard Brought Needed Moisture
A much anticipated storm system rolled through Oklahoma February 24-26. It brought blizzard conditions and snow totals from 12-18 inches in northwestern Oklahoma. Thousands of people were without power and highways were closed due to blowing snow. Most of the state received some snow, but southern and eastern Oklahoma received mostly rainfall, without the hazardous conditions and freezing temperatures. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed significant improvements from the snow cover and rain received the last two weeks. The entire state is still in a severe to exceptional drought, but the portion of the state rated with exceptional drought fell from 41.6 percent the week prior, down to 11.8 percent as of February 26th. The drought actually worsened in Cimarron County, however, which missed the moisture from the last storm. Precipitation totals from the week ending Sunday averaged just under an inch for the state and as high as 1.41 inches in the North Central district. The cooler temperatures in northwestern Oklahoma have allowed the snow to melt slowly, so all moisture has not yet been recorded. Small grain and canola conditions showed improvements from the recent moisture. However, these improvements may be short-lived without reinforcing precipitation. This February ended as the 13th wettest February on record according to the Oklahoma Mesonet. However, precipitation since September 1st was still below normal in all districts. Topsoil moisture conditions continued to improve and were rated 60 percent adequate, up from 43 percent adequate the previous week. Subsoil moisture conditions also improved, but were still rated mostly short to very short with just 12 percent of the state rated as adequate. There were only 3.5 days suitable for fieldwork on average across the state, due to the heavy snow.
Small Grains: Conditions for all small grains and canola improved from the previous week. Wheat, canola and oats were rated mostly fair to poor, while rye was rated mostly good to fair. The wheat crop has begun jointing, with 11 percent complete by Sunday, compared to 22 percent complete this time last year. Oat planting continued with spring oats and was 70 percent complete by the end of the week.
Row Crops: Seedbed preparation has begun for row crops in some areas, though progress has been limited by multiple snow storms over several weeks. Corn seedbed preparation was complete on one quarter of the acres and sorghum seedbed preparation was 15 percent complete by Sunday. Soybean seedbed preparation was only five percent complete by week’s end, six points below the previous year. Seedbed preparation of cotton was 24 percent complete by the end of the week.
Pasture and Livestock: Conditions of pasture and range improved only slightly and continued to be rated mostly poor to very poor. Though topsoil moisture had improved, low temperatures for most of the week did not allow for much growth. Livestock conditions were still rated mostly good to fair as operators continued to supplement and feed hay to herds. Stock pond and creek levels benefitted from the storms, but run-off was limited in some areas and remains a concern for livestock operators.
Soil Moisture Conditions by Percent Week Ending Sunday, March 3, 2013 Moisture Rating Current Week Previous Week One Year Ago
Topsoil
Very Short 15 24 11
Short
20
31
42 Adequate 60 43 44
Surplus
5
2
3 Subsoil
Very Short
49
66
32 Short 39 25 35
Adequate
12
9
31 Surplus 0 0 2 Conditions by Percent For Week Ending Sunday, March 3, 2013 Commodity Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent
Wheat
18
29
37
15
1 Canola 27 29 32 12 0
Rye
21
21
34
22
2 Oats 23 24 35 16 2
Livestock
5
18
45
28
4 Pasture and Range 45 32 19 4 0