Spring weather and crop progress
Washington Ag Today May 18, 2011 Some of those recent warmer days have promoted the growth of crops in Washington that have been slow in development due to the wet and cold spring. However, spring planting is still running behind the five year average for now for several crops. The weekly crop weather bulletin from the Agricultural Statistics Service says seeding of spring wheat, barley, corn, dry edible beans and dry peas are all behind normal, running even behind last year’s pace. Potato planting is 90 percent complete, right on the five year average, however potato emergence at 25 percent is well behind the 46 percent usually up by now. Hay growers are concerned about the delayed first cutting. Stripe rust remains a concern for wheat growers, though it has not affected the ratings for the winter wheat crop. Some growers have now made a second fungicide application to control the disease. It may not be long before USDA issues a proposed rule on a new animal traceability framework. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently provided a congressional committee with this update. Vilsack; “We are in the final phases of working with our cooperators in the state level, state veterinarian groups, with the tribes, with a number of commissioners and secretary of agriculture, so we anticipate sometime in late spring or early summer that that rule will be available for review.” Then there is the update and the reform of the rules governing the Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Act, which Vilsack says has received 66-thousand comments which are being studied. Vilsack: “Our hope is we get this done sometime in fall.” I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
