Weekly Crop Weather Reporter Handbook

Weekly Crop-Weather
Reporter Handbook
2011
United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Minnesota State Statistical Office
P.O. Box 7068
St. Paul, MN 55107
Phone: 651-201-6030 or 800-453-7502
Fax: 651-201-6479 or 800-839-2186
E-mail: [email protected]

Table of Contents
Crop-Weather Survey Overview......................................................................................................1
Survey Guidelines and Definitions ..................................................................................................1
Crop-Weather Data Collection ........................................................................................................5
Collection Website (UserID and Password) ........................................................................5
Main Menu ...............................................................................................................6
Questionnaire Error Messages .................................................................................7
Questionnaire Validation .........................................................................................7

Examples
Minnesota Crop-Weather Questionnaire .............................................................................8
Minnesota Crop-Weather Release .......................................................................................9

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Survey Overview
The purpose of the Weekly Crop Weather survey is to provide current information on the general
agricultural situation. It is a non-scientific survey designed to track the week-to-week changes in
crop conditions and stages of development and the impact of weather events on those crop
changes. The Crop Weather Report is the most requested report that the National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) publishes.
The crop weather survey is conducted by NASS and its 45 states offices every week from early
April until the end of November in all States. Some NASS states offices; Arizona, California,
Hawaii, Florida, and Texas also release weekly reports during the winter months. Data for the
crop progress and condition section are collected from various sources, including State
University Cooperative Extension Service’s county officials, USDA county officials, National
Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) enumerators, and other
knowledgeable individuals within the agriculture industry. These reports use mail, fax, or the
Internet to relay their crop information to NASS offices. The weather information is provided by
the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(NOAA).
State and National estimates are released at 3:00 p.m. Central time, on the first business day of
the week. NASS state offices publish a report that includes crop progress and condition tables
for their state and a narrative summary of reporter comments and the impact of weather events.
Beginning in 2011, the weekly national publication (The Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin)
normally issued on the second business day of the week will no longer be published. All of the
information that was included in this publication can still be found in the WAOB's report titled
Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin that is issued on the third business day of the week.

Survey Guidelines and Definitions
Guidelines and definitions for each question or group of questions are given below. Reporters
should answer all questions which refer to any crops that are grown in their county(ies) or
locality.
NOTE: All references to “corn” refer to field corn only. Sweet corn is always referred to as such
in the questionnaire. Any developments in the sweet corn crop can be discussed in the
comments section of the questionnaire.
Number of days suitable for fieldwork
A suitable day is defined as “one where weather and field conditions allow producers to work in
fields a major portion of that day.” A number from 0-7 should be entered for the number of days
suitable for field work for the past week (Monday through Sunday).
Top and Subsoil Moisture (with topsoil defined as the top 6 inches):
The county’s total cropland should be assigned a percentage by category, with the total of the
categories equal to 100 percent. Categories are defined as follows:
Very Short – Soil moisture supplies are significantly less than what is required for normal plant
development. Growth has been stopped or nearly so and plants are showing visible signs of
moisture stress. Under these conditions, plants will quickly suffer irreparable damage.
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Short – Dry soil. Seed germination and/or normal crop growth and development would be
curtailed.
Adequate – Moist soil. Seed germination and/or crop growth and development would be normal
or unhindered.
Surplus – Wet soil. Field may be muddy and will generally be unable to absorb additional
moisture. Young developing crops may be yellowing from excess moisture.

Range and Pasture Condition
The country’s non-irrigated pasture and rangeland should be assigned a percentage by category,
with the total of the categories equal to 100 percent. Categories are defined as follows:
Very Poor – Pastures provide very little or no feed compared to what is normally expected for
the current time of the year. Supplemental feeding is required to maintain livestock condition.
Poor – Pastures are only providing marginal feed compared to what is normally expected for the
current time of year. Some supplemental feeding is required to maintain livestock condition.
Fair – Pastures are generally providing adequate feed, but is still less than normal for the current
time of the year.
Good – Pastures are providing adequate feed supplies compared with what is normally expected
for the current time of the year.
Excellent – Pastures are supplying feed in excess of what is normally expected for current time
of the year.

General Crop Conditions
Each crop grown in the county should be assigned a percentage by category, with the total of the
categories equal to 100 percent. Categories are defined as follows:
Very Poor – Heavy loss of yield potential; complete or near complete crop failure.
Poor – Moderate loss of yield potential due to excessive soil moisture, drought, disease, etc.
Fair – Less than normal crop conditions. Yield loss is a possibility, but is not severe.
Good – Yield prospects are normal or better. Moisture levels are adequate with minimal disease
and insect damage.
Excellent – Yield prospects are above normal and crops are experiencing little, if any, stress.

The data reported is summarized in the weekly publication as follows:

Pasture
Field Corn
Soybeans
Spring Wheat
Potatoes

Crop Condition as of July 27, 2008 in %
Very Poor
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
11
17
32
34
6
2
6
21
44
27
2
6
22
44
26
8
12
45
31
4
1
5
20
63
11

= 100%
= 100%
= 100%
= 100%
= 100%

General Crop Progress
You will be asked to report the progress of the crops as they reach various stages of
development. For example, after the corn crop is planted and is emerging, you will be asked to
report what percentage of the corn crop has reached the “EMERGED” stage of development. If
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you estimate the 20% of the acres for corn has emerged or reached a more advanced stage of
development, then write 20% for “EMERGED & Beyond” on the questionnaire.
As the season progresses, the questionnaire will ask for “TASSELING & Beyond” and “MILK &
Beyond”. “Beyond” refers to the percentage of the crop acres that have reached or passed the
stage in question. For example, if you observe that 95% of the acres for corn have tasselled and
10% of the acres are now in the milk stage, you would report 95% for “TASSELING & Beyond”
and 10% for “MILK & Beyond”.
The following is an example of how you would report the corn progress later in the season after
the corn is planted, emerged and silked. Notice that nearly all of the corn has reached the dough
stage or beyond, but only 95% of the acres have reached the dent stage and 35% of the crop acres
have reached the mature stage and beyond. You would record the following on the
questionnaire:
Corn (Progress) Of the
total Acres for corn, what
percentage of the acres
are:

Corn Crop Progession
100

Dent & beyond . . . . .
Mature& beyond. . . . .
Harvested . . . . . . .

99%
95%
35%
.5%

90
80
70
% of Acres

Dough & beyond. . . . .

60
50
40
30

Note: These items DO NOT add to
100%. Each question for stage
development is reported separately from
all other questions.

20
10
0
Dough

Dent

Mature

Harvested

Stages
Definitions:
Land Prepared: All preparatory work
has been done to land prior to planting.
Planted: If half of the total current year acreage expected is planted, a value of 50 percent should
be used. If weather conditions alter plans such that intended plantings are prevented, a 100
percent should be used when planting stops.
Harvested: Crop harvesting progress covers the actual acres for harvest which may differ from
the total planted acres. If, for example, half of the total current year soybean acreage has been
harvested to date, a value of 50 percent should be used. If weather conditions alter plans such
that the remaining acreage is abandoned, a 100 percent should be used when harvesting stops.

Corn Phenological Stages:
Emerged – As soon as the plants are visible. Normally occurs about a week after planting.
Silked – The emergence of silk-like strands from the end of ears. Occurs approximately 10 days
after the tassel first begins to emerge from the sheath or 2-4 days after tassel is emerged.
Milk – Occurs approximately three weeks after pollination. The kernels are filled with a milky
fluid.
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Dough – Normally half of the kernels are showing dent with some thick or dough-like substance
in all kernels.
Dent – Occurs when all kernels are fully dented and the ear is firm and solid. There is no milk
present in most kernels.
Mature – Plant is considered safe from frost. Corn is about ready to harvest with shucks
opening and there is no green foliage present.
Other Corn Definitions:
Height in Inches – The height of the corn plant from the base to the top of the plant with the
leaves unextended.
Moisture – Moisture content of the corn kernels.
Silage – Percent of the total corn acreage harvested for silage.
Soybean Phenological Stages:
Emerged – As soon as the plants are visible. Normally occurs about a week after planting.
Blooming – A plant should be considered as blooming as soon as one bloom appears.
Setting Pods – Pods are developing on the lower nodes with some blooming still occurring on
the upper nodes.
Turning Yellow – Leaves are turning yellow.
Dropping Leaves – Leaves near the bottom of the plant have turned color and are dropping,
while leaves at the very top may still be green. Leaves are 30-50 percent yellow.
Mature – Plant is considered safe from frost. Soybeans are about ready to harvest with most of
the leaves dropped.
Other Soybean Definitions:
Height in Inches – The height of the soybean plant from the base to the top of the plant.
Moisture – Moisture content of the beans.
Barley, Oats, and Spring Wheat Phenological Stages:
Emerged – As soon as the plants are visible.
Jointed – The emerged plant has produced several leaves shooting off from the main stem.
Headed – The head is present, visible, and fully emerged.
Turning Ripe – The plant has lost its green color and has turned yellow or light brown. The
grain is hard and breaks into fragments when crushed.

Comments
Each reporter should include comments with each week’s report regarding any situations of
agricultural importance. All comments should be entered in the comments section of the
questionnaire. Since comments refer to the developments of the past week, they should be
written in the past tense. These comments will be reprinted in the Weekly Crop Weather Report.
NASS may edit comments for length and/or clarity.
Comments should include any progress or condition situations that need further clarification, or
any crops important to a county not included on the questionnaire. These should state that cause
for abnormal or unusual progress or changes in conditions. Hot, cold, mild, sunny, wet, dry are
good adjectives to explain weather related changes. Other factors may be weed, insect, or
disease pressures. Also, unusual situations should be explained in such a way as to define the
extent of the abnormal condition. If a particular activity or crop progress item is on a normal
schedule, this should also be noted.
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Data Collection
Reporters will receive a Weekly Crop Weather questionnaire in the mail. For those reporters
with Internet access, Internet reporting should be used. Internet reporting is the preferred
response method. Rather than filling out a paper questionnaire and faxing it back to us, we ask
that report be submitted over the Internet. The Internet Collection Site will be available each
week beginning at 10:00 am on Thursday until 10:00 am on Monday.
Questionnaires are mailed each week for the following Sunday reference date. Any conditions
or developments that are reported should be “as of” Sunday.

Collection Website
1.

To login to the Crop Weather Collection Site, go to you Internet Browser and type in
the following address http://cpsweb.nass.usda.gov/ Once the screen below appears,
add a bookmark. Now during the following weeks you can simply click on the
bookmark and typing in the address won’t be necessary.

2.

Select the state [MN] as shown in the image below.

3.

Enter SURVEY CODE as listed on the mailing label of your questionnaire.

SURVEY CODE=(MN) (User ID) (Passwrd)

Note: Select [MN] for state #27. The UserID and
Password are case sensitive.
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123 CTY RD 1
03 987654320 (ST)
(User ID)
(Passwrd)
ANYTOWN, MN 12345-6789
SURVEY CODE = 27-987654321 – RY7QKH
JOP FARMS
JOHN Q PUBLIC
4.
5.

Make sure the Survey box shows [CropWeather].
Click the Continue button.

An error message will be displayed stating that your UserID and Password are INCORRECT, if
the CapsLock button on your keyboard is not set to ON, or that you have incorrectly selected the
state [MN]. Please use the browser Back button to return and try again. Of you have further
problems, call the office at 1-800-453-7502.

Main Menu
6.
Click on the Survey button to complete the Crop Weather Survey.
Note: The Help button will give you a Crop Weather Survey Overview and Definitions
(See pages 1-4 in this booklet for a detailed list of Survey Definitions specific to Minnesota)
7.
8.

Enter your name. Some offices may have different people responding to the survey
each week, so it is helpful to know who completed the survey.
Enter comments on crop conditions, activities, livestock, and any unusual situations.
Also, please enter comments to describe any problems you encountered when
submitting your data.

9.
Click on the Submit Survey button.
Note: The Reset button can be used if you want to clear the entire questionnaire and start over.

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Questionnaire Error Messages
The system edits the data to see if there are any errors. If there are any errors, you will see a
screen similar to the following. The items that need to be corrected will be listed. To correct
those items, click the back button on your Internet browser and it will take you back to your
completed questionnaire. You can then make the necessary corrections and submit the
questionnaire again.

Questionnaire Validation
Once the corrections are made, you will get this screen indicating you are done and may exit.
You may go back into the questionnaire later if you need to make changes, such as if the
questionnaire was completed on Thursday and there was a storm on Friday. The data you
entered are available in the questionnaire until 10:00 am on Monday. At that time the
questionnaire is no longer available for changes.

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Project 135 QID 0298944

OMB No. 0535-0002: Approval Expires 12/31/2009

NATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL
STATISTICS
SERVICE

WEEKLY CROP-WEATHER REPORT

Minnesota Field Office
P.O. Box 7068
St. Paul, MN 55107
Phone 1-800-453-7502, Fax 1-800-839-2186
[email protected]
Under Title 7 of the U.S. Code and CIPSEA
(Public Law 107-347), data you report are kept
confidential and used only for statistical
purposes in combination with similar reports from
other respondents. Response is voluntary. We
appreciate your assistance.

April 7, 2010

Please Report as of Sunday, April 12th

Dear Reporter:
USDA-NASS will publish the Weekly
Crop-Weather report on Monday, April
th
12 , at 3pm CST.
Please supply your best appraisal of
current farm activities and field conditions
th
in your locality as of Sunday, April 11
and submit your response before 10am
th
Monday, April 12 .
HOW TO SUBMIT
Web: http://cpcsweb.nass.usda.gov
Fax:
800-839-2186

1. NUMBER OF DAYS SUITABLE FOR FIELDWORK:

(010) ______ Days

2. SOIL MOISTURE SUPPLIES: Enter a percent for each condition. (Sum = 100%)
Very Short

Short

Adequate

Surplus

TOPSOIL

(011) _____%

(012) _____%

(013) _____%

(014) _____%

SUBSOIL

(021) _____%

(022) _____%

(023) _____%

(024) _____%

NOTE: If fieldwork has not started for the crop named, enter “0”%. If the crop is not
grown in your area, enter “NG”.
Tips: Days suitable Fieldwork?
How many of the past seven days were
suitable for fieldwork? (Enter a number 0-7.)
A suitable day is defined as "one where
weather and field conditions allow producers to
work in fields a major portion of that day”.
Tips: Soil Moisture?
Topsoil moisture is the water supply in the
upper 6 inches of the soil. Subsoil moisture, is
the water supply available to plant roots at
depths below 6 inches from the surface.

3. SMALL GRAINS
Percent Planted
Spring Wheat

(285) ____________%

Oats

(365) ____________%

Barley

(335) ____________%

4. MAJOR ROW CROPS

Tips: Percent Planted?
Of the acres intended for the specified crop,
enter the percent planted based on your best
judgment.

For assistance contact Emily Jerve
at 1-800-453-7502.

Ground Prepared
Field Corn

(112) ____________%

Soybeans

(141) ____________%

Thank you for your participation!
Sincerely,

5. APPROXIMATE DATE ON WHICH YOU EXPECT FULL-SCALE
FIELDWORK TO BEGIN IN YOUR AREA.
DATE: (550) _________________________

Douglas Hartwig, Director
COMMENTS (Include observations on moisture supplies, depth of thaw, fieldwork activities, or items of special interest):

Reported by:

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