Oakes Irrigation Research Site
Carrington Research Extension Center * North Dakota State University
P.O. Box 531, Oakes, ND 58474-0531, Phone: (701) 742-2744, FAX: (701) 742-2700, E-mail:					Walter.Albus@ndsu.edu

WEATHER AND IRRIGATION 2012
Table 1. Precipitation and temperature
Table 2. Growing degree units
Table 3. Dates of last and first frosts
Table 4. Irrigation water applied
	The winter of 2011 - 2012 was warmer than average with below average snowfall. Spring planting began with barley and wheat
	March 17. The last frost in the spring was on April 22. Summer temperatures were above average for most of the growing season.
	The maximum temperature equaled or exceeded 90°F thirty times; once in May, four times in June, sixteen times in July, five times
	in August and four times in September. The highest temperature was 99°F on August 29. Precipitation was above average in April
	and below average in the remainder of the growing season. Annual precipitation was more than 6 inches below the long term average.
	The mean daily temperatures were above average in April, May, June and July; near average in August and September and below
	average in October. The first frost was September 22 with the first hard frost (≤ 28°F) September 23. All crops reached maturity
	before frost. Growing degree units in 2012 were above average.



Table 1. Precipitation and temperature at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site.
	Precipitation			Average daily temperatures
Month	2012	15-year average	25-year average	2012	15-year average	25-year average
	-------------------------- inches ------------------------			--------------------------°F --------------------------

April	3.57	1.65	1.61	47	45	44
May	2.2	3.30	2.94	59	57	57
June	1.64	4.59	3.89	69	66	67
July	2.33	3.07	3.25	76	72	71
August	1.06	2.38	2.20	68	69	69
September	0.22	2.79	2.83	59	60	60
October	1.57	2.10	1.95	43	46	46


Table 2. Growing degree units¹ at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site.
Month	2012	10-year average	15-year average	25-year average

May	346	295	302	315
June	572	494	492	503
July	755	660	663	635
August	559	577	586	584
September	395	371	372	367

	2625	2397	2414	2403
¹Growing degree units = (Temp_max + Temp_min)/2 - 50. If Temp_max is greater than 86, then
Temp_max = 86. If Temp_min is less than 50, then Temp_min = 50. Temperature is in degrees F.


Table 3. Dates of last and first frosts.
		2012	10-year average	15-year average	25-year average
Last frost in spring
	32 °F or less	22-Apr	3-May	30-Apr	4-May
	28 °F or less	11-Apr	23-Apr	24-Apr	27-Apr
First frost in fall
	32 °F or less	22-Sep	3-Oct	2-Oct	30-Sep
	28 °F or less	23-Sep	10-Oct	7-Oct	6-Oct
Frost free period (days)		153	154	155	150


Table 4. Irrigation water applied, 2012.
Study	Irrigation water applied
	inches
Barley variety trial	8.0
Dry edible bean trials
Misc and navy bean	14.4
Pinto bean	11.5
Energy sugarbeet variety trial (Syngenta)	19.1
Field corn hybrid performance trial	17.8
Field corn variety and row width study	16.4
Hard red spring wheat variety trial	8.5
Hard red spring wheat nitrogen study	7.5
Onion hybrid performance trial	16.9
Onion weed control study	15.1
Optimum corn stover removal for bio-fuel
corn on corn	14.5
corn on soybean	14.5
soybean on corn	14.5
Potato trials	17.8
Soybean nursery
experimental lines	16.0
advanced breeding lines	15.4
Soybean variety performance trials
conventional	14.7
roundup ready	14.7
Strip-till
corn on soybean	15.0
soybean on corn	15.5
corn on corn	16.7
Sugarbeet variety trial (Crystal)	19.8
Sunflower head rot study*	6.8
*Received additional irrigation via the misting system

Oakes Irrigation Research Site
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