Crop Report....What does it tell you?

UGUIDE

Active member
Everyone is sooooo good at speculating how things will be in South Dakota this fall with really limited or no actual factual data.

Well here is a pretty good piece of data and report on the status of Crops in the state.

Analyze it and gives us your synopsis of your findings so we can all benefit from it and use it to our advantage for planning our fall hunting strategy.

Link is a little easier to read

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics..._Progress_&_Condition/2013/13cwrelease_39.pdf

SOUTH DAKOTA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION
SIOUX FALLS, SD September 23, 2013 ? For the week ending September 22, 2013, near normal temperatures
were recorded across most of the state last week, according to the USDA?s National Agricultural Statistics
Service. Row crops continued to advance in maturity. Activities included seeding winter wheat, finishing up the
hay season, scouting fields for row crop harvest, and moving livestock to fall pastures. Statewide, there were
6.3 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 20 percent very short, 42 short, 37 adequate,
and 1 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 21 percent very short, 44 short, 34 adequate, and 1 surplus.
Field Crops Report: Winter wheat seeding was 43 percent complete, ahead of 34 last year but near 44 average.
Emerged was 6 percent complete, ahead of 1 last year but behind 10 average.
Corn at the dent stage was 90 percent, behind 99 last year but near 92 average. Mature was 40 percent, well
behind 86 last year, and behind 45 average. Harvested was 4 percent complete, also well behind 34 last year and
near 7 average. Condition rated 3 percent very poor, 11 poor, 26 fair, 47 good, and 13 excellent.
Soybeans dropping leaves were 72 percent, well behind 97 last year and 80 average. Harvested was 3 percent
complete, also well behind 42 last year and 10 average. Condition rated 6 percent very poor, 13 poor, 32 fair,
42 good, and 7 excellent.
Sorghum coloring was 93 percent, behind 100 last year but near 94 average. Mature was 33 percent, well
behind 83 last year and 38 average. Harvested was 3 percent complete, also well behind 44 last year and
10 average. Condition rated 0 percent very poor, 3 poor, 16 fair, 67 good, and 14 excellent.
Sunflowers with ray flowers dry were 91 percent, behind last year at 100 and 95 average. Bracts yellow were
62 percent, well behind last year at 88 and 77 average. Bracts brown were 15 percent, well behind last year at
54 and 20 average. Condition rated 2 percent very poor, 18 poor, 31 fair, 45 good, and 4 excellent.
The third cutting of alfalfa was 90 percent complete, ahead of 83 last year and 82 average. Alfalfa hay condition
rated 2 percent very poor, 8 poor, 38 fair, 46 good, and 6 excellent.
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report: Pasture and range conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 16 poor,
40 fair, 35 good, and 7 excellent. Stock water supplies were 5 percent very short, 26 short, 66 adequate, and
3 surplus.
 
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111 views and the speculators are silent? I put the link to the doc in first post as it is much easier to read the report.

I also notice that they cut way back on details and organization of the report due to federal cutbacks I assume.
 
Ok, I'll bite.

Looks to me the Sorghum crops looks pretty good, half the corn crop is good and half is not so good, same with the soy beans. Half the pasture is good, and half is bad, and last but not least.......pheasant populations look really good at all the Uguide pheasant camps.:thumbsup:
 
My expert opinion.... Crops are very close to 10 year average. 70% will be out by opener. Opening weekend hunters will have poor results due to low bird numbers but will claim "birds" were in remaining standing corn and tough to get too.
All crops out by 11/8 so hunters hunting this week will see slight bump in birds.
11/15-end of season public land hunters will see few birds as most will have been shot and those that haven't will have found private ground with little pressure to stay the winter.
Hunters who are truthful will say this year was one of the worst years in terms of number of birds harvested.

Bob
 
My expert opinion.... Crops are very close to 10 year average. 70% will be out by opener. Opening weekend hunters will have poor results due to low bird numbers but will claim "birds" were in remaining standing corn and tough to get too.
All crops out by 11/8 so hunters hunting this week will see slight bump in birds.
11/15-end of season public land hunters will see few birds as most will have been shot and those that haven't will have found private ground with little pressure to stay the winter.
Hunters who are truthful will say this year was one of the worst years in terms of number of birds harvested.

Bob

Excellent analysis HockeyBob! Others?
 
111 views and the speculators are silent? I put the link to the doc in first post as it is much easier to read the report.

I also notice that they cut way back on details and organization of the report due to federal cutbacks I assume.

I liked the way the report looked last year.......much easier to see the difference from year to year.....They also separated the corn harvest and showed silage cut...this report lumps everything into just "Corn"....as long as the weather holds out the the harvest should catch up to last year in a few weeks......
 
Looks to me like things are close to or just a bit below average for Crops.
The late, cool Spring is showing up on crop maturity. The small amount of corn harvested at this point would be going in the silo.
The late planted corn is hard to dry compared to the early planted/early maturing corn. Corn should be ripe, mature by now, dries nicely in the warm Sept days.
So look for a lot of standing corn in the Dakotas pheasant opener.
I agree that by mid Nov most corn will be harvested.
 
Looks to me like things are close to or just a bit below average for Crops.
The late, cool Spring is showing up on crop maturity. The small amount of corn harvested at this point would be going in the silo.
The late planted corn is hard to dry compared to the early planted/early maturing corn. Corn should be ripe, mature by now, dries nicely in the warm Sept days.
So look for a lot of standing corn in the Dakotas pheasant opener.
I agree that by mid Nov most corn will be harvested.

I agree but things are changing quickly. Our Miller camps are combining beans 7 days a week and will start on corn when finished. Assume that is case from there north and east according to the way the drought monitor looks.
 
Hey Chris, are you throwing in a free Uguide Hat for the person closest to the right answer? If so, here is my input. There will be plenty of pheasants for everyone so come and visit South Dakota :)
 
Beans and corn are starting to go now. Extended forecast looks warm and dry. A hard freeze would be a good thing, but that does not look likley. The hot dry august really hurried the crops, I hope it didn't do too much damage to the late chicks.
 
Don't think it hurt the late chicks. Still seeing different size chicks. This morning saw some about the size of huns, and not 100 yards up the road saw 8-10 almost grown, a couple just starting to color. Was a good morning up till then, when dog ran into old metal culvert in grass ditch and severed artery in his leg. Lucky was close to truck, and vet said my pressure dressing/tourniquet probably saved him. Only had him 2 weeks so next two weeks till stiches come out will be more bonding time. Maybe get our bad luck out of the way before season starts I hope.
 
Don't think it hurt the late chicks. Still seeing different size chicks. This morning saw some about the size of huns, and not 100 yards up the road saw 8-10 almost grown, a couple just starting to color. Was a good morning up till then, when dog ran into old metal culvert in grass ditch and severed artery in his leg. Lucky was close to truck, and vet said my pressure dressing/tourniquet probably saved him. Only had him 2 weeks so next two weeks till stiches come out will be more bonding time. Maybe get our bad luck out of the way before season starts I hope.

Wow that's a bummer. Mine laid himself open bad this time last year on some barb wire. Glad he is ok.
 
Beans in full harvest around Platte and some corn also--know one field of corn had 17% moisture and that's a little high. Quarter across the hi-way that is ours(leased out and in beans)was done Monday and was about 50 bushels/ac, today the quarter next of us to the west was harvested (corn).

I talked to the local conservation officer today and he said "with the harvest I'm stating to see more pheasants"--I liked that--it's still going to be down around here--two bad nesting seasons will do that.

Pheasants Forever and I are planning a youth hunt on my place during the SD youth season (weekend of the 5th of Oct) -- and I will have a much better idea of the bird numbers---I'll report the results.

It's just another year of pheasant hunting in SD and even though it's likely to be a down year I'll bet the harvest will still be near a million birds.:D
 
SDJIM,

On behalf of the entire hunting community, THANK YOU for providing a place for the youth hunt to take place:thumbsup::10sign:
 
SDJIM,

On behalf of the entire hunting community, THANK YOU for providing a place for the youth hunt to take place:thumbsup::10sign:

I agree! That's a pretty awesome act to let them hunt it first, pretty cool. I was talking to my son Last night when he came back from KU ( to pick up his check and new hunting boots to break in :)) and he let me know that he is the only one he knows that hunts. My wife also said she really knows of nobody at work, or otherwise, that hunts. So if we don't do what we can to promote hunting it will become a thing of the past.
 
when dog ran into old metal culvert in grass ditch and severed artery in his leg. Lucky was close to truck, and vet said my pressure dressing/tourniquet probably saved him. Only had him 2 weeks so next two weeks till stiches come out will be more bonding time. Maybe get our bad luck out of the way before season starts I hope.

Ouch:(. Best of luck with your pooch Pcola.

Nick
 
Thanks guys. He's home now and just gonna be a job keeping him quiet till he heals up (75lb Choc Lab). Already trying to play in the house with my shorthair.
Also, thanks SDJIM for hosting the youth hunt. That is our sports future. We always hosted youth quail hunts and 4H shooting events at our plantation in Georgia, and as a guide, these were my favorite events. Have a great safe event. Look forward to your report.
 
What I gleamed from report was that crops were close to 5 year average which means a completion around Turkey day or week 7.

Based on what I am hearing the harvest is well ahead of report and seems to be on track for what happened last rear which was close to record early. Will definitely help early season hunters.

Longer I do this more I don't know what is out there but can begin to tell when all crops are out and you have had 2-3 weeks worth of hunters tell you.

That's the real bird report.

17% corn is DRY!!!
 
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