CROP PROGRESS PERCENT – WITH COMPARISONS	
	This
week	Last
Week	Last
Year	5-Year
Avg.	
					
*There is no crop progress to report this week.	

					
SOIL MOISTURE PERCENT	
	VS	ST	A	SS	
State	0	3	49	48	
Mountain Region	0	1	59	40	
Piedmont Region	0	1	55	43	
Coastal Plain Region	1	7	39	54	
					
VS= Very Short   ST = Short   A = Adequate   SS = Surplus	
CROP CONDITION PERCENT	
	VP	P	F	G	EX	
Barley	1	2	38	52	7	
Oats	0	1	20	70	9	
Wheat	0	5	29	59	7	
Pasture	4	25	35	35	1	
						
VP = Very Poor  P = Poor  F = Fair  G = Good   EX = Excellent	

Fields are wet with moisture coming every week. Tobacco growers are seeding greenhouses. Some vegetable gardening gearing up with planting of onions and cold crops such as cabbage, collards, lettuces, etc. Grain farmers are trying to hit the fields in topdressing fertilizers when it gets dry enough. Livestock owners are feeding hay and beginning to topdress pastures with fertilizers.
Joey Knight – Caswell County Extension 

Frequent rainfall has kept soil too wet for field work. Some fertilizer and lime applications are being made. Soil tests are being submitted, but results are coming back very slowly, though it seems to be getting better as the rush is slowing down at the lab.
Paul Westfall - Granville County Extension

With recent rains farm ponds have begun to recover, however many are still not at design pool. Wheat looks good. Tobacco greenhouses have been seeded.
Tommy Brooks – Lee County SWCD

Subsoil moisture is very low. Stream flow is very low for this time of year as it only increases during rainfall events and for a few days afterward.
Carl Pless – Cabarrus County Extension 

Frequent rain is having the most impact on winter crops such as small grains and rapeseed. Wheat crop looks better than I would expect for the amount of precipitation received. If this weather pattern continues, it will affect the timely application of topdress nitrogen and herbicides on wheat as well as preparation of corn land for planting. Also, planting of Irish potatoes is being delayed as well.
Al Wood – Pasquotank County Extension

It's been abundantly wet and cloudy the last 3-4 weeks. This affected timing of herbicide and N sprays to small grains, and the cloudy weather has slowed germination for tobacco seedlings. Growers could use some dry weather to begin breaking land and spraying wheat.
Roy Thaggard – Greene County Extension

Wheat crop looks good considering a wide range of planting dates. About 3 weeks away from the start of corn planting. Herbicide burndown applications have begun.
Mac Malloy – Robeson County Extension

TOPSOIL MOISTURE PERCENT

WHEAT CONDITION

CROP SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 25, 2013

GENERAL:  There were 2.5 days suitable for field work for week ending February 24th, compared to 3.1 days for week ending January 28th. Statewide soil moisture levels were rated at 3% short, 49% adequate and 48% surplus. Much of the state received over 2 inches of rain during the week with several areas receiving over 3 inches.  Many areas of the state are slowly recovering from dry conditions due to the rainfall. Average temperatures for this past week were slightly below normal with low temperatures ranging from 8 to 24 degrees. Tobacco growers are beginning to seed greenhouses in preparation for this year’s crop. Vegetable planting is gearing up as well. Other main farm duties were tending to livestock, general farm maintenance and marketing grain.  

Issue #7-B13-03
Released: February 25, 2013

PO Box 27767
Raleigh, NC 27611
Phone (919) 856-4394 
www.ncagr.gov/stats

USDA, NASS
North Carolina
Field Office

North Carolina
Weather & Crops Report

WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 25, 2013	
Location	Precipitation (Inches)1	Temperature (Degrees F.)
This Week	
	This Week	Year To Date		
	Total	Departure        from Normal	Total	Departure        from Normal				Departure from Normal	Degree Days
(Year to Date)	
					High	Low	Avg.			
Asheville	2.03	-1.22	10.61	3.30	60	18	40	2	0	
Aurora	4.38	1.71	6.49	-0.44	65	20	44	0	0	
Burlington	2.34	-0.50	6.43	-0.29	61	15	40	-2	0	
Cape Hatteras	6.56	3.20	8.73	-0.47	65	30	48	3	0	
Charlotte	2.33	-0.67	6.62	-0.38	66	20	43	-3	0	
Clayton	3.25	0.23	6.46	-0.76	64	17	40	-2	0	
Elizabeth City	2.65	0.05	4.05	-3.13	66	21	46	3	0	
Erwin          	3.26	0.17	4.73	-2.49	65	18	43	1	0	
Fayetteville	2.69	-0.22	4.48	-2.59	67	19	45	2	0	
Goldsboro	3.88	0.80	6.39	-1.23	65	18	45	-2	0	
Greensboro	2.38	-0.26	7.85	1.67	60	20	40	0	0	
Greenville	3.32	0.37	5.24	-2.14	64	18	43	-1	0	
Hayesville     	3.79	-1.42	15.53	3.15	63	19	40	1	0	
Hickory        	1.91	-1.36	8.05	0.55	62	21	42	-1	0	
Jefferson	1.57	-1.60	14.15	6.96	59	8	34	0	0	
Kinston	3.75	0.83	6.04	-1.32	65	17	42	-2	0	
Maxton         	2.96	-0.08	4.84	-2.51	67	19	44	-1	0	
Monroe 	1.85	-1.38	3.71	-4.23	66	22	44	-2	0	
Mount Airy     	1.38	-1.47	11.31	4.46	61	14	37	-1	0	
Mount Olive	3.04	0.45	5.29	-1.21	64	19	42	-4	0	
New Bern       	3.44	0.20	5.26	-2.75	67	20	47	2	0	
North Wilkesboro	1.61	-1.75	11.15	3.37	61	17	38	0	0	
Old Fort	2.81	-0.87	11.26	3.40	62	17	38	-3	0	
Oxford	3.04	0.16	6.50	-0.46	64	13	39	-2	0	
Raleigh-Durham	3.22	0.27	6.32	-0.65	63	18	42	-1	0	
Randleman	2.56	-0.62	7.08	-0.53	61	17	39	-4	0	
Roanoke Rapids	3.14	0.33	7.30	0.35	63	18	39	-1	0	
Rocky Mount	3.18	0.10	5.55	-1.58	63	16	42	0	0	
Roxboro	2.78	-0.11	7.67	0.49	62	14	38	-2	0	
Whiteville	3.14	0.25	4.27	-2.99	67	21	44	-3	0	
Williamston	2.91	0.08	5.32	-1.87	64	21	42	-2	0	
Wilmington	3.50	0.36	5.63	-2.03	69	24	48	-1	0	
Winston Salem	2.06	-0.58	8.33	2.15	60	18	40	0	0	
1 Precipitation data considered preliminary	

PRECIPITATION SUMMARY
http://www.awis.com/

Map depicts accumulations through dates listed.  This product is made possible by AWIS Weather Services, Inc.

US DROUGHT MONITOR OF
NORTH CAROLINA
http://www.ncdrought.org/

The US drought monitor focuses on broad scale conditions. Information provided for North Carolina is relative to information provided from all other states and the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council.  Local conditions may vary. 

Drought Impact types: A=Agriculture, H=Hydrological, S=short term, L=long term