Farm Futures
   Search Site:  Search Site Saturday, May 25, 2013 | Bookmark This Site   
Skip Navigation Links
Home
Markets
News
Weather
Farm Futures NOW!
Magazine Online
RSS News
Mobile
Subscribe
Reprints
Register
Login
About Us
Advertise
 
  • Post to Your Wall.
 

Poor Crop Health Observed by Satellites

Satellites provide a birds-eye view of the impact on this year's crop development.
Compiled by staff 
Published: Aug 9, 2012
Farm Futures has partnered with the Ecology and Agriculture Spatial Analysis Laboratory (EASAL) at Kansas State University to bring these maps to you. Each map is composed from satellite data taken over a two-week period. The EASAL maps show current vegetative health for the past two weeks and compare vegetative health with the previous two-week period, with the previous year and with the long-term average. Green reflects healthy vegetative development, while brown reflects a lack of healthy vegetative biomass production.
 Poor Crop Health Observed by Satellites

Continental U.S. Vegetation Condition

Satellite imagery shows summer vegetative growth occurring across most non-mountainous areas of the country, but the drought is really taking its toll in the Plains, with damage becoming more evident in the southern and eastern Midwest and across much of the South as well. Green shows areas of active photosynthetic activity, while brown shows areas of very little plant activity.

Poor Crop Health Observed by Satellites 

Late July/Early August 2012 Compared to 23-Year Average

The drought is very intense in the middle of the country, where heat and dryness have brought photosynthetic activity to a near stand-still, relative to the long-tern average for this time of year. Photosynthetic activity is a bit better than normal in scattered areas of the Southeast, the Northeast and the Great Lakes, but crop health is suffering relative to normal in most other areas of the country.

Poor Crop Health Observed by Satellites 

Late July/Early August 2012 Compared to Late July 2012

Crop health deteriorated over the past couple of weeks across scattered areas of the eastern Plains, as well as portions of the South. Increased photosynthetic activity suggests that recent showers improved crop health a bit in southern Wisconsin, much of Illinois, eastern Indiana and western Ohio. Much of the deterioration showing up in the southern Canadian Prairies is likely related to the early maturing of the wheat crop in that region during the period.

Poor Crop Health Observed by Satellites 

Late July/Early August 2012 Compared to Late July/Early August 2011

Satellite data suggests that crop conditions across much of the South are a mixture of better and worse conditions relative to the previous year, depending on whether a particular area received timely showers or not. Conditions in the Mid-Atlantic stand out in particular as having improved growing conditions over the previous year. However, much of the Midwest and the central and northern Plains are experiencing lower crop vegetative health than the previous year at this time in the growing season.

Poor Crop Health Observed by Satellites 

Early July 1989 - 2011

This graphic shows the long-term average vegetative health for this time of year.



Permalink: Click here

Tagged: Drought

Comments
Read comments from others and share your own thoughts.
Please provide the answer to the following question:

 = 
 
Search this site:   

Read More Stories
7 Things You Might Have Missed this Week
Read this storyImpressive planting progress, country of origin labeling and a moveable 'rain' shed
Read this story

Weekly Corn Review
Read this storyRisk management remains name of the game.
Read this story

Weekly Wheat Review
Read this storyWheat futures dodge bullet.
Read this story

   
Afternoon Recap by Paul Burgener
Morning Market Review by Bryce Knorr
Weekly Corn Review
Weekly Soybean Review
7 Things You Might Have Missed this Week
Weekly Wheat Review
CRP Decisions Made Simple
Economic Nitrogen Fertilizer for Corn
Sharing the Farm Equipment Load
Super Farm Planning Tool
Top 50 Tags
2008 farm bill 4-H American Farm Bureau Federation American Soybean Association animal health biofuel biofuels BSE checkoff Corn Belt crop insurance department of agriculture Drought dryland Environmental Protection Agency EPA extension service farm bill Farm Bureau farm programs farm progress farm progress show Farm Service Agency farm show farmprogress farmprogress.com farmprogressshow farmprogressshow.com FFA Food and Drug Administration free trade agreement hay expo House Agriculture Committee husker harvest Husker Harvest Days huskerharvestdays.com livestock livestock producers National Cattlemen's Beef Association National Corn Growers Association NCBA NCGA New York Farm Show Progress show Senate Agriculture Committee soybean association the farm bill usda winter wheat www.farmprogress.com
Untitled Document
Case IH - Farm Progress Sweeps
Terms & Conditions