05/23/06 Weather Problems for Ag

Weather Problems for Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. As usual Mother Nature is playing her early spring games with farmers across the nation. One year ago she dealt the industry a major blow when two massive hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast. Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist , saying the hurricane season officially starts June first, but, generally , the most dangerous time is late summer and early fall. RIPPEY: Sometimes we see the tropical storm development in June or in rare occasions before that but the heart of the hurricane season is really getting into late August on in through September and the early part of October with the true peak of the season around September 10th and then a secondary peak in early October. So it's really as you get into the Labor Day realm, as you move into September and October that's when the big ones have traditionally hit. Katrina was on the early side for a major hurricane to hit the United States coming in very late August but a lot of times we get into late September or October before the big ones move ashore. Rippey also says a large amount of the country's agriculture can be affected by hurricanes. RIPPEY: We have the Delta region. That is one area that could be hit. Historically if cotton boles are open and the hurricanes hit late in the season that can be very detrimental there for not just cotton but other crops as well. You've got a lot of agriculture along the Texas Gulf coast region. There's a considerable amount of rice and cotton there and of course in the lower valley down around Brownsville in south Texas very heavy on agriculture including oranges, sugar cane and other crops there as well. And then in the southeast all the way up and down the east coast areas can be vulnerable. We saw what Floyd did in 1999, not just row crops but pigs as well with the drownings we saw. So that can be a big factor form agriculture in this late summer or fall. So how is the weather affecting the other major crops? RIPPEY: Looking at the corn crop, the first look this week a very good start. 66% good to excellent, 5% very poor to poor. That's better than a year ago slightly, 63 and 7 percent respectively. For the spring wheat crop also a very good start. 76% good to excellent. A year ago 74%. Also looking very good for rice, 64% good to excellent and year ago that number was 58%. Rippy adds that the nation's pastures are not quite up to last years conditions. RIPPEY: Pasture and ranch statewide level, the biggest problems in the southwestern and southern plains states. Leading the way Arizona and New Mexico, 76 and 75% of the range respectively very poor to poor. Nationally, a little bit better, we're at 21% very poor to poor and 51% good to excellent on range and pasture. Not as good as this time last year when it was 12% very poor to poor and 56% good to excellent. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.