in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date April 12, 2009 IN-CW041209 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY THIS REPORT IS THE FIRST CROP AND WEATHER REPORT FOR THE 2009 GROWING SEASON. A SERIES OF WEEKLY CROP PROGRESS REPORTS WILL BE PUBLISHED EACH MONDAY AT 4:00 P.M. EDT THROUGHOUT THE CROP SEASON. These reports will cover planting and harvesting activities, crop development, weather data, and timely crop management information provided by farmers, FSA, and Purdue University experts. For the earliest possible access, look for these reports on the internet shortly after the 4:00 P.M. release time. Our home page address is located at the bottom of this publication. Follow the links to view the text and Pdf files. FIELD CROPS REPORT There were 1.2 days suitable for field work. Field work has been difficult to accomplish this spring due to cold wet soil conditions. Many areas of the state encountered snow Monday the 6th with some northern areas receiving up to 3 inches. Rain later in the week further slowed progress. Eleven percent of the winter wheat acreage is jointed compared with 22 percent for the 5-year average. Winter wheat condition is rated 76 percent good to excellent compared with 62 percent last year at this time. Major activities during the week included: preparing planting and tillage equipment, hauling grain to market, taking care of livestock, cleaning fence rows and gathering information about the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program at their local FSA offices. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Livestock are reported to be in mostly good condition. Pastures have experienced minimal re-growth due to the cool temperatures. Hay supplies are rated 6 percent very short, 15 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Winter Wheat Jointed 11 NA 10 22 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent Pasture 4 10 40 33 13 Winter Wheat 0 1 23 58 18 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 1 0 0 Short 1 2 0 Adequate 41 51 25 Surplus 57 47 75 Subsoil Very Short 2 2 0 Short 3 6 0 Adequate 63 73 37 Surplus 32 19 63 Days Suitable 1.2 1.4 0.6 Contact Information --Greg Preston, Director --Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other Agricultural Comments And News WEED MANAGEMENT IN WHEAT The most common broadleaf or perennial weed problems we run into at this time of year in Indiana wheat include chickweed, deadnettle, henbit, dandelion, mustards, field pennycress, shepherdspurse, Canada thistle, and wild garlic. The most common grass problems are annual bluegrass, annual ryegrass, cheat, and downy brome. Some of the commonly used herbicides, rates, their application timings, and weeds controlled are listed in the table below. It is important to be aware that restrictions exist concerning application timing of these herbicides to avoid crop injury. Phenoxy herbicides, such as 2,4-D and MCPA, control a number of annual broadleaf weeds and are the least expensive of these herbicides to use. However, proper application timing of the growth-regulating herbicides 2,4-D, MCPA and Banvel is critical to avoid crop injury and possible yield losses. These herbicides can cause substantial crop injury and yield loss in small grains if applied before tillering begins or after development of the grain heads have been initiated. The exact time at which grain heads have been initiated is not easy to determine, but this event always just precedes stem elongation. The occurrence of stem elongation can be easily detected by the appearance of the first node or "joint" above the soil surface, commonly referred to as the "jointing stage." Pinch a wheat plant stem at the base between the thumb and forefinger and slide your fingers up the stem. The presence of a node or joint will be felt as a hard bump about an inch above the soil surface. Slicing the stem lengthwise with a sharp knife will reveal a cross section of the hollow stem and solid node. If jointing has occurred, applications of 2,4-D, MCPA and Banvel should be avoided because crop injury and yield loss are likely. Research from the University of Missouri Weed Science program has shown a 3- to 6-bushel per acre yield loss from 2,4-D and Banvel applications to wheat after the jointing stage. MCPA alone at labeled rates should be applied before jointing. However, the amount of MCPA applied in Bronate, a combination of bromoxynil and MCPA, is low enough to permit later applications. Many wheat fields in Indiana contain wild garlic and wild onion. Although not considered as strong competitors with a wheat crop, wild garlic (Allium vineale) and wild onion (Allium canadense) are both responsible for imparting a strong odor to beef and dairy products. Wheat producers and grain elevator operators are very familiar with dockages that occur with the presence of wild garlic or onion bulbs in their harvested grain. Found throughout Indiana, wild garlic is a native of Europe, while wild onion is native. Despite the fact that these perennials both occur in similar habitats, wild garlic occupies the majority of small grain settings, including wheat. Control measures for wild onion and wild garlic will differ. Producers, consultants and industry personnel will want to make certain that they are able to distinguish between these linear, smooth, round and hollow. The flowering stems are solid. A major difference with wild onion is that its leaves are flat in cross section and not hollow. Another varying feature are the underground bulbs. Wild garlic's bulbs have a thin membranous outer coating while wild onion's bulbs have a fibrous, net-veined coating. Harmony Extra (thifensulfuron + tribenuron) is the herbicide most commonly used for control of garlic in wheat, plus it controls a relatively wide spectrum of other broadleaf weeds and possesses a fairly wide application window. Harmony GT (thifensulfuron) also has activity on wild garlic, but is considered to be slightly weaker than Harmony Extra. Peak is also labeled and effective on wild garlic in wheat, but it is fairly persistent in soil. The Peak label does not allow one to plant double crop soybean following wheat harvest in Indiana. Wild onion is controlled with 2,4- D. Keep in mind that both of these weeds are perennials and the full labeled rate is needed for adequate control. Over the last couple of years, dandelion infestations in wheat have increased dramatically, particularly in the eastern part of Indiana. The best dandelion control is usually obtained with fall applications of lyphosate before wheat is planted. So keep this in mind for fields that will be planted to wheat in coming fall. For this spring, the best approach to dandelion management in wheat will be the higher rates of 2,4-D, Stinger, or Curtail. Stinger will have the widest application window and can be applied up until the boot stage. Finally, we now have a couple of grass herbicides labeled for use in Indiana wheat, Axial and Osprey. Osprey controls annual bluegrass and annual ryegrass; while Axial controls ryegrass, foxtails, and barnyardgrass. Bill Johnson and Glenn Nice, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. In order to view Table 1-Herbicides to control broadleaf weeds in winter wheat, go to http: //extension.entm.purdue.edu/pestcrop/2009/issue2/index.html, page 6. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The INDIANA CROP & WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. For information on subscribing, send request to above address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday April 12, 2009 ----------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN| Total|Days |Temp ----------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 60 27 40 -10 1.34 3 Francesville 58 26 39 -9 1.36 2 Valparaiso_AP_I 59 28 40 -7 1.71 1 Wanatah 59 23 39 -8 1.65 1 45 Winamac 58 27 40 -8 1.30 4 41 North Central(2) Plymouth 58 28 40 -9 1.28 3 South_Bend 57 26 40 -7 0.84 1 Young_America 58 29 41 -7 0.30 2 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 59 29 41 -6 2.14 2 Kendallville 62 29 41 -6 0.93 4 West Central(4) Greencastle 60 30 43 -8 2.27 3 Perrysville 61 27 41 -9 1.71 2 46 Spencer_Ag 61 28 43 -8 3.04 4 Terre_Haute_AFB 60 28 44 -7 1.49 2 W_Lafayette_6NW 60 27 40 -8 1.66 3 41 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 59 32 44 -7 2.26 4 Greenfield 62 30 42 -7 2.11 4 Indianapolis_AP 60 29 45 -6 2.45 3 Indianapolis_SE 61 30 42 -8 3.02 4 Tipton_Ag 60 29 41 -6 2.35 4 52 East Central(6) Farmland 60 26 41 -6 1.73 4 44 New_Castle 63 28 41 -6 1.60 3 Southwest (7) Evansville 72 31 48 -7 1.15 4 Freelandville 62 32 44 -8 2.63 4 Shoals_8S 71 27 45 -8 1.86 4 Stendal 72 35 49 -5 1.98 4 Vincennes_5NE 66 30 46 -6 2.45 3 48 South Central(8) Leavenworth 74 32 47 -5 1.32 4 Oolitic 70 29 44 -7 2.09 4 47 Tell_City 73 35 49 -5 0.87 3 Southeast (9) Brookville 70 30 45 -4 1.05 4 Greensburg 67 31 44 -6 1.93 4 Seymour 70 31 45 -7 1.38 4 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday April 12, 2009 ------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2009 thru Station | April 12, 2009 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W | 2.49 +1.11 5 4 -24 Francesville | 2.39 +0.97 4 2 -15 Valparaiso_AP_I | 2.40 +0.87 3 2 -14 Wanatah | 2.39 +0.90 4 0 -12 Winamac | 2.48 +1.06 6 4 -13 North Central(2)| Plymouth | 2.17 +0.66 5 5 -14 South_Bend | 1.94 +0.39 3 3 -10 Young_America | 1.13 -0.19 4 10 -6 Northeast (3) | Fort_Wayne | 2.83 +1.51 4 8 -6 Kendallville | 1.63 +0.40 6 9 -6 West Central(4) | Greencastle | 3.28 +1.84 5 6 -25 Perrysville | 2.74 +1.21 4 4 -20 Spencer_Ag | 3.96 +2.39 6 4 -23 Terre_Haute_AFB | 2.34 +0.85 4 18 -15 W_Lafayette_6NW | 2.85 +1.45 5 5 -12 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP | 3.11 +1.64 6 11 -18 Greenfield | 2.94 +1.39 6 6 -14 Indianapolis_AP | 3.37 +1.90 5 15 -14 Indianapolis_SE | 3.96 +2.53 6 7 -19 Tipton_Ag | 3.58 +2.05 6 4 -8 East Central(6) | Farmland | 2.37 +0.96 6 6 -6 New_Castle | 2.41 +0.86 5 5 -7 Southwest (7) | Evansville | 2.65 +1.04 6 28 -32 Freelandville | 3.92 +2.43 6 8 -32 Shoals_8S | 3.92 +2.29 6 9 -30 Stendal | 3.90 +2.12 6 29 -19 Vincennes_5NE | 3.58 +2.09 4 10 -30 South Central(8)| Leavenworth | 2.58 +0.70 6 22 -19 Oolitic | 3.52 +1.93 6 10 -21 Tell_City | 2.65 +0.72 5 29 -24 Southeast (9) | Brookville | 2.65 +1.15 7 16 -4 Greensburg | 2.87 +1.29 6 13 -14 Seymour | 2.52 +0.97 6 8 -23 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2009: Agricultural Weather Information Service, Inc. All rights reserved. DFN = Departure From Normal GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. For more weather inrformation, visit www.awis.com or call 1-888-798-9955.