July 26, 2010

Virginia's crops in dismal condition

About 70% of Virginia's corn crops are in very poor or poor condition due to dry weather conditions, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Officials with the Virginia Cooperative Extension said the same will be true of soy, peanut and cotton crops if more rain does not arrive soon.

According to the NASS report, the majority of cotton and peanut crops are in fair to good condition, and soy is in poor to fair condition.

"Some second-crop soy is failing to germinate, and peanuts and cotton are starting to show early signs of moisture stress," the service reported.

Janet Spencer, Virginia Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Isle of Wight county agreed with the assessment. "It depends on when the soy was planted," she said. "The ones planted earlier are doing better, but those that were planted later are still very small. They need the water for development. The concern now is the toll that three days of 100-degree heat will have on the small soy."

"It's a very critical time," Spencer said. "We've had some thunderstorms come through, but it's only a few tenths of an inch. It's a start, but with the heat we need that every day."