The latest California Crop Weather report from the Sacramento, Calif., Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, released Sept. 19.

Weather

The early part of the week of Sept. 12 was quite active as a low pressure area dropped south over Southern California. This slow moving system pumped moisture north from the Gulf of California with rather spotty, but significant rains noted over the mountain and desert areas.

Locally heavy rains associated with mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorm activity affected the Northeast Plateau region, the Sierra Nevada, plus some mountain and desert areas of Southern California.

Temperatures for the week started out near or above normal and then trended cooler as the cloud cover and local rains trimmed back the daytime highs.

The end of the week saw the Southern California low pressure area exit to the northeast as dry Pacific high pressure built across the Golden State and temperatures began to warm statewide.

Field crops

Cotton progressed well this past week helped along by warm weather. Nearly half of cotton bolls were open. Producers started to prepare fields for defoliation.

Corn for silage harvest continued. Seed alfalfa harvest continued.

Nearly all rice fields were headed. Black-eye beans made good developmental progress and some producers began harvest. Sunflower bracts turned yellow while some have progressed to the brown stage and were awaiting harvest.

Safflower and sorghum harvests continued. Wheat ground preparation continued and fall planting began.

Fruit crops

The table grape harvest continued in the San Joaquin Valley for Red Globe, Summer Royal, Thompson Seedless, and Flame Seedless varieties. Harvest of wine grapes began to pick up. Raisin grape harvest continued.

Pomegranates showed color. The apple and pear harvests continued. The olive crop progressed. Prune harvest was concluding. Kiwi developed well. The fig harvest was underway. The Valencia orange harvest was winding down.

Nut crops

The Nonpareil almond harvest was in full swing across California. Growers began harvesting other varieties.

Weed, husk fly, and mite control continued in walnut orchards; orchards in the southern part of the state began shaking.

The pistachio harvest began to pick up.

Vegetable crops

Kern County reported organic carrots harvest. In Tulare County, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplants, and honeydew were picked and packed.

Fresno County reported onions, garlic, squash, eggplant, daikon, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet corn, peppers, and carrots harvested. The watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe harvests continued in full swing while processing tomato harvest was wrapping up. Broccoli fields were planted.

Field work and ground preparation continued while tomatoes were treated for mold and stinkbug in Sutter County.