California Ag Network

Tag: Crop Weather Report

  • USDA California Crop Weather Report (For Week Ending: June 9, 2019)

    Weather

    Temperature highs ranged from the low 60s to high 80s in the mountains, low 60s to low 100s along the coast, mid 70s to mid 100s in the valley, and mid 70s to low 110s in the desert. Temperature lows ranged from the low 30s to low 60s in the mountains, mid 40s to low 80s in the desert, low 40s to high 50s along the coast, and high 40s to high 70s in the valley.

    Field Crops

    In the Sacramento Valley, winter wheat progressed well, and rice continued to be planted. Corn and safflower progressed well in Kings. Cutting of alfalfa continued. In Tulare, corn, cotton, and safflower progressed well. Wheat and oats continued to be harvested. Silage crops were being cut.

    Fruit Crops

    Pomegranates started to bloom. Stone fruit orchards were irrigated. Nutrient sprays and pesticides, herbicides and fungicides were applied to orchards and vineyards. Mechanical vineyard maintenance continued. Shoot thinning and positioning were also underway in grape vineyards. Late Navel orange quality declined, and harvest was wrapping up for the season. Star Ruby grapefruit were harvested. Seedless tangerines remained netted for the bloom. Valencia orange and lemon harvesting continued. Citrus groves were thinned, topped and skirted. Olive bloom was progressing well. Some olive trees were pruned.

    Nut Crops

    Almonds were sizing well. Walnut and pistachio bloom continued. Young nut orchard floors were mowed, and irrigations systems repaired.

    Vegetable Crops

    Blackeye peas were planted in Kings. In Tulare, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplant continued to be harvested and asparagus harvest concluded. Broccoli, asparagus, and carrot harvest concluded in Fresno. In San Mateo, artichokes and peas were harvested.

    Livestock

    Foothill rangeland and non-irrigated pasture remained in good condition. Late season precipitation benefitted grass growth. Sheep grazed in fallow fields. Some bees were moved out of state, while others were moved to kiwi vineyards and melon fields for pollination.

    crop weather report chart

  • USDA California Crop Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (January 3, 2018) – As the end of the year approached, much of the State was subjected to warmer than average afternoon temperatures, while evening temperatures were seasonal. Along the northern coast, occasional light rain appeared towards the start of the week before giving way to high pressure aloft. High pressure dominated the central interior region throughout the week. Hazy conditions still existed most nights. Towards the south, the beginning of the week brought high clouds and mist/haze over the region. Conditions then began to dry out as high pressure strengthened aloft, followed by a warming trend over the region. As the end of the week arrived, this high broke down and moved northward, allowing the regional temperatures to cool off.

    Temperature highs ranged in the 40s to 50s in the mountains, 50s to 60s in the valley, 50s to 80s along the coast, and 60s to 70s in the desert. Temperature lows were in the 10s and 30s in the mountains, 20s to 30s in the desert, 20s to 40s along the coast, and 30s to 40s in the valley.

    Fields that were planted earlier in the season had signs of good growth. Most fields were irrigated due to the lack of rain to maintain growth. Planting was ongoing for wheat, other cereal grains, and forage. Black-eyed beans were being exported to Malaysia.

    Pruning continued in stone fruit orchards and vineyards.  Persimmon harvest continued.  Table grapes from cold storage continued to be exported.  Some older, poorly producing orchards and vineyards were removed and prepared for replanting.  Some growers prepared to apply winter dormant sprays.  The Navel orange harvest continued.  Pomelos were harvested.  Cold overnight temperatures continued to be a concern for citrus growers. Olive growers continued to prune groves.  Strawberry fields continued to thrive.

    Pruning continued in nut orchards.  Pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and pecans continued to be packed and shipped primarily to foreign markets.  Some older orchards were pushed out and the ground was prepped for planting.

    Fields were being prepared and planted with winter vegetable crops. Lettuce continued to grow well. In the already planted winter vegetable fields, the crops continued to develop.  Work continued preparing tomato beds and planting onions. Carrot harvest was two weeks away. Brussel sprouts were harvested in San Mateo County.

    In Tulare County, the lack of rainfall has left rangeland forage conditions poor.  More rain was needed for germination and growth of rangeland forage.  Supplemental feeding has been ongoing. Coral cleaning in dairies continued.  Sheep were grazing on idle cropland, stubble fields, and dormant alfalfa fields. Bees were moved into almond orchards in preparation for bloom.

  • USDA California Crop Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (August 15, 2017) – The weather last week was hot and dry week across the state. The monsoon was not as active across the deserts. Rainfall was confined to the Sierras and northern mountains, with light showers dotting these areas every day Monday through Thursday. Most areas remained dry or received less than a quarter inch of rain, but a stray thunderstorm on Thursday near I-5 at the Oregon border dropped over an inch of rain. Snow cover was confined to the peak of Mount Shasta as well as sheltered, high-elevation locations around Lassen National Park. Packs were broken in these areas but may still exceed 4 feet in spots.

    Temperature highs were in the 60s to 80s along the coast, 70s to 90s in the mountains, 90s to 100s in the valley, and 90s to 110s in the desert. Temperature lows were in the 40s to 50s in the mountains, 50s to 60s along the coast, 60s to 70s in the valley, and 60s to 80s in the desert.

    Alfalfa fields were being irrigated, cut, and baled. Black-eyed beans continued to be irrigated and cultivated. Corn was being harvested for silage. Cotton was blooming and forming bolls, and continued to be irrigated. Sorghum for silage continued to be cultivated and irrigated.

    The mid-season peach, nectarine, and plum harvests continued. Harvested stone fruit orchards were pruned and toped.  Asian pears were harvested.  Wine grape harvest began, and table grape harvest was in full swing. Olives were developing well. The Valencia orange harvest continued. Regreening continued to be a problem due to high temperatures. Finger limeswere being harvested.

    Almond shaking began in some early varieties. As hull split was under way, almond orchard ground preparation continued for the upcoming harvest.  Walnuts continued to be irrigated and were sizing well. Pistachios continued to be irrigated. Mechanical and chemical weed control continued in many orchards.

    In San Mateo County, acres of beans and peas were in full bloom ready to set pods.  In Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties, there were reports of 45 to 55 tons of processing tomatoes per acre being harvested.  In Tulare County, certified producers were picking tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers for sale at local Farmers Markets.  Yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, Bell peppers, green chili peppers, and cucumbers continued to be harvested, packed, and shipped domestically.  Sweet corn harvest continued and was available for sale at roadside stands and local Farmers Markets.

    Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland quality continued to decline. Supplemental feeding increased as the nutritional quality of grasses diminished. Some cattle were moved to high elevation pasture. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees worked melon and sunflower fields.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (June 26, 2017) – Another hot and dry week occurred across the State. Rainfall was limited to Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, which brought very light isolated showers to parts of the Sierras, dropping less than a tenth of an inch of rain; and again on Sunday, which had some light showers across the far northern part of the State as a Pacific moisture surge entered southern Oregon. These areas along the northern tier received about a tenth of an inch of rain, with an isolated quarter of an inch in places.

    Temperatures accelerated snowmelt in the mountains, with the snowline retreating to over 9,000 feet in elevation. Above this altitude, extensive snowfields in a band about 30 to 40 miles wide still existed between Tahoe and Sequoia National Forest. Snowdepths in these areas were two to four feet, approaching five feet in areas. Mt. Whitney and Mt. Shasta remained snow-covered at their peaks.

    Temperature highs were in the 60s to 70s along the coast, 70s to 90s in the mountains, 100s to 110s in the valley, and 100s to 120s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 40s to 60s in the mountains, 50s to 60s along the coast, 60s to 70s in the valley, and 70s to 90s in the desert.

    Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress. Corn and sorghum for silage continued being planted, cultivated, and irrigated. The corn silage crop was in various stages, from newly planted to already producing tassels. Cotton continued to be irrigated, cultivated, and was growing well.

    Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums continued to be harvested. Grapevines continued to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches to improve color. Late Navel orange harvest was completed. Valencia orange harvest continued. Regreening has become more common due to the higher temperatures. Ruby Red grapefruit were harvested.

    Walnut, almond, and pistachio orchards were irrigated. Mechanical and chemical weed control continued in nut orchards. In Sutter and Yuba Counties, walnut growers applied sunburn preventive materials.

    In Tulare County certified producers were picking tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers for sale at the local Farmers’ Markets. Italian squash, eggplant, and cucumbers continued to be harvested. Blueberry and strawberry harvests slowed down and were expected to come to a close with this week’s hot weather. Sweet corn harvest began with a few roadside stands opening and sales at the local Farmers’ markets. Carrot harvest had slowed down. Extreme hot weather had sunburned some tomatoes. In Fresno County, carrots continued to be irrigated. Weeding of lettuce seed fields continued. Roughly one-third of the onion harvest had been completed. Onion seed was drying out. In Monterey County, celery harvest began and was picking up. In Imperial County, spring melons and sweet corn were harvested. Many farmers were finished with melon harvest and were plowing fields.   In Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties, tomato crops were progressing, even though the recent heat wave slowed crop development.

    Hot temperatures contributed to the drying out of non-irrigated grasses and forbs. Non-irrigated rangeland was reported to be in good to very poor condition depending on elevation, aspect and soil moisture. The extended period of extreme temperatures and dry winds prompted Red Flag fire warnings across much of the state. Early fire season rangeland fires were impacting the western states, including Idaho and Oregon. California has had more acres burned this year since January 1st than the comparable period last year. Cattle continued to be moved to higher elevation range. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in melon and vegetable fields.