AgAlerts 2002 From Griggs County
By John Swenson, Griggs County Extension Agent

Issue # 2, May 1, 2002

Farm Program Web Site

    Details of the agreement of the House and Senate agriculture farm bill conference committee is available at the following website.  http://agriculture.house.gov/fbconfsum.pdf  You will have to have Acrobat Reader to access this information.

Soybeans Become # 2 Crop Raised in Griggs County in 2001

    Soybean acreage has grown steadily over the past five years to becoming the second ranked crop in Griggs County.  The following table is data collected by the ND Agricultural Statistics Service for six crops.

Griggs County Acreage
HRSW Durum Barley
Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield
85,000 82,000 37.7 8000 7800 28.5 28,000 27,700 58.7
Sunflower Canola Soybean
Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield
28,900 27,600 1,504 5000 5000 1,388 30,000 28,900 34.9
State Wide Acreage
HRSW Durum Barley
Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield
7,100,000 6,9000,000 34 2,200,000 2.100.000 26.0 1,500,000 1,450,000 55
Sunflower Canola Soybean
Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield Planted  Harvested Yield
1,090,000 1,075,000 1,428 1,300,000 1,285,000 1,400 2,150,000 2,110,000 34.0

Hard Red Spring Wheat is still North Dakota's main crop by about 5 million acres over durum and soybeans.  Present planting intentions show that soybean acreage will increase in 2002.  The acres of barley and durum in eastern North Dakota reduce as a result.  Many factors have led to soybean acreage increases.  New varieties, Roundup Ready technology, good growing conditions and farm program policy.

NDAWN Weather Stations

    Each year I want to remind producers of what is available on the NDAWN (North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network).  NDAWN currently consists of 59 automatic weather stations distributed across North Dakota, 7 in northwestern Minnesota and 2 in eastern Montana.  Access by clicking on either of these two links.  NDAWN or  North Dakota State Climotologist Web Site.  NDAWN stations monitor weather conditions continuously and provide hourly and daily summaries. Data are retrieved daily via telephone modem by personnel from the High Plains Climate Center (HPCC), Lincoln, NE. Following quality control procedures, data are archived and transferred to the NDSU Extension Network (ExtNet) computer system. Through ExtNet, past and current (yesterday's data today) weather data are available in a variety of formats. Data are also available through the Regional Weather Information Center, University of North Dakota.

Measured and calculated variables include: 

Air Pressure 
Air Temperature 
Dew Point Temperature 
Degree Days (Growing, Heating, Cooling, Insect) 
Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) and Crop Water Use 
Rainfall 
Relative Humidity 
Soil Temperature 
Solar Radiation  
Wind Speed and Direction 

Seed Production of Individual Weeds

    Information compiled from a report of North Dakota weed seeds in the American Journal of Botany for November, 1932 - Stevens, O. A..  Actual yield of an average, well developed plant.

Weed No. per plant Weed No. per plant
Barnyardgrass 7160 Wild Buckwheat 11,900
Common Burdock 31,600 Prairie Coneflower 7000
Dandelion 15,000 Flixweed 75,650
Green Foxtail 34,000 Yellow Foxtail 6420
Common Lambsquarter 72,450 Marshelder 82,150
Kochia 14,600 Wild Mustard 2700
Wild Oats 250 Field Pennycress 7040
Redroot Pigweed 117,400 Common Ragweed 3380
Giant Ragweed 1650 Perennial Sowthistle 9750 (one stem)
Leafy Spurge 140 (one stem) Canada Thistle 680 (one stem)
Russian Thistle 24,700 Biennial Wormwood 1,075,000

Please Contact Our Office For Additional Information
E-mail: griggs@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Go to the 2002 AgAlert Index Page