Al6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 17,1981
World-wide ag experiences few harvest delays
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
Northern Hemisphere harvest
continued into October with only a
few isolated delays, according to a
report issued by the Joint
Agricultural Weather Facility of
the U.S. Departments of Com
merce and Agriculture. In the
Southern Hemisphere, needed rain
fell on many crop areas.
Highlights of the report followed.
USSR. Most of the European
USSR was warmer and drier than
normal for the second consecutive
week, advancing the harvest of
Fall harvest
HARRISBURG Showers early
in the week ending October 12
allowed only four days suitable
across the Commonwealth for
farm field activities, according to
the Pennsylvania Crop Reporting
Service.
Field activities during the week
included plowing; planting wheat
and barley; and harvesting
potatoes, ensilage com, com for
grain, soybeans, tomatoes, cab
bage, apples, pumpkins, and hay
crops.
Topsoil moisture in the state was
rated 65 percent adequate, 24
percent surplus and 11 percent
short. In the north 50 percent of our
reporters rated soil moisture
surplus, 39 percent adequate and
11 percent short. In the central
region reporters rated soil
moisture 91 percent adequate and
nine percent short, while in the
southern region 88 percent rated it
adequate and 12 percent rated it
short.
The Commonwealth’s potato
crop is 82 percent harvested
compared with 88 percent last
year. In the north, 73 percent was
harvested; in the central region 90
percent was harvested; and in the
southern region the potato harvest
is virtually complete.
The soybean crop in Penn
sylvania is six percent harvested
compared with 17 percent last
year. In the north the crop is 11
percent harvested; in the central
region less than five percent is
harvested; and m the southern
row crops. Moisture is adequate
for newly-sown winter grains.
Warm daytime conditions in
northern and eastern winter grain
areas allowed rapid growth. Wet
weather persisted in many New
Lands crop areas, disrupting the
late spring grains harvest. The
added moisture will help replenish
next spring’s soil condition.
Europe. Precipitation slackened
in Western Europe, but above
normal rainfall continued in
England. Favorable conditions for
in full swing
region six percent of the crop is
harvested.
Com to be harvested for grain in
the state is 71 percent mature and
13 percent harvested. This com
pares with 63 percent mature and
25 percent harvested last year. In
the north 69 percent was mature
and nine percent was harvested. In
the central 76 percent was mature
and 15 percent harvested, while in
the southern region 71 percent was
mature and 20 percent was har
vested. Ensilage corn harvest is 80
percent complete statewide
compared with 87 percent last
year.
Barley planting m the state was
reported as 93 percent complete,
about the same as last year, while
wheat planting was reported as 83
percent complete compared with
74 percent last year.
The fourth cutting of alfalfa was
rated as 48 percent complete
statewide compared with 57
percent last year. The northern
region reported 46 percent of the
fourth cut harvested; the central
region reported 49 percent har
vested; and the southern region
reported 50 percent of the fourth
cut harvested.
Statewide the quality of hay
made during the week was rated
fair to poor. In the north hay
quality was rated 50 percent poor,
33 percent fair and 17 percent good.
In the central and southern regions
it was rated 57 percent fair, 29
percent good, and 14 percent poor.
The amount of feed obtained from
winter grain growth prevailed in
nearly all areas. Moderate rain in
southern portions of Eastern
Europe disrupted the harvest of
spring-sown crops.
United States. Beneficial rains
fell from the Southern Plains to
Minnesota and east to New
England. Locally heavy amounts
caused some flooding in southern
Michigan. Temperatures ranged
from 6 to 12 degrees below normal
in the Great Lakes, Ohio River
Valley, eastern coastal states and
pastures in Pennsylvania was
mostly average.
Subnormal temperatures
gripped the major row crop
regions of the nation, bringing
frost to many areas of the Corn
Belt. However, most crops, except
for late-planted fields, were far
enough along to escape damage.
Dry weather in the southeastern
third of the nation further depleted
soil moisture andstressed crops.
Pacific Northwest to 3 to 6 degrees
above normal over the central and
southern Great Plains.
Canada. Scattered showers-
final harvest work
somewhat in grain areas of
Manitoba and southeastern
Saskatchewan. The grain harvest
neared completion in western
grain areas of Saskatchewan and
southern Alberta.
South America. Wet -weather
continued in most coffee areas of
Minas Gerais and Parana, while
modest rain fell on the coffee crop
in Sao Paulo. Further south, Santa
Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul
were dry. Improved soil moisture
in most areas will allow the
planting of com and soybeans. In
Argentina, needed rain fell on
wheat in southeast and extreme
north Buenos Aires, but con
ditions remain dry elsewhere.
Australia. Widespread rain fell
on southeastern South Australia,
southern New South Wales and all
of Victoria benefiting both wheat
and barley. Continued dryness in
northern-'New South Wales and
southern Queensland dimmed
prospects for the wheat crop.
Scattered showers benefited grain
areas in West Australia while dry
weather continued in the sugar
cane region along the northeastern
coast of Queensland.
Eastern Asia.' Beneficial rain
over much of China’s winter grain
belt disrupted harvesting, rs
spring-sown crops, but improveJ
soil conditions for sowing winter
grains. Sub-freezing temperatures
in much of the Manchurian Valley
-curtailed late, crop growth.
Eastern double-crop rice areas
dried out while western areas
became wetter. In South Korea,
below-normal rainfall allowed
renewed rice harvesting in most
areas.
South Asia. Rains over much of
India’s winter grain belt
dramatically improved winter
grain sowing prospects. Only
southwestern parts of the belt
remain too dry. Early withdrawal
of the monsoon from Bangladesh
and northeastern India probably
will not cause significant problems
for summer crops.
Southeast Asia. Needed rain fell
on eastern Thailand, Laos and
Burma, improving growing con
ditions for all crops, especially
rice. The added moisture will help
reservoirs used for irrigation
during the dry season which begii f
in late October and ends in early
June. Below normal rainfall
continued over Thailand’s Central
Plains, while heavy rains con
tinued along the western Thailand
border.
Mexico. Rains helped replenish
reservoirs in the northwest,' but
slowed harvesting of field crops in
several major agricultural areas.