Rainfall varied throughout Florida for the month of August. Some parts of the state were saturated, while fields in portions of the Panhandle experienced drought.

High heat indices were reached during the early part of August with daytime temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for several consecutive days. Cotton, peanuts, and forage crops suffered due to extreme heat and low soil moisture.

Peanut harvest was under way for early-planted peanuts. In northern areas that received abundant rains, white mold was problematic for peanut producers. Peanut pegging was virtually complete at the end of the month.

As of Sept. 1, peanut condition was reported as 1 percent poor, 13 percent fair, 70 percent good, and 16 percent excellent.

Grasshoppers and armyworms were pests for hay producers. Deer, armyworms, and grasshoppers were becoming an issue in some soybean fields.

In the southern growing region, heavy rainfall slowed fieldwork but allowed for rapid cane growth. In addition, warm temperatures promoted rapid development in many cane fields, leaving much of the crop in excellent condition. Although producers were treating some fields for orange rust, the impact was not expected to jeopardize the crop.