in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date April 19, 2009 IN-CW042009 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY Another cool, wet week kept field work to a minimum around the state, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. A limited amount of light tillage work, fertilizer applications and pre-plant chemical burndown applications were accomplished late in the week before weekend rain showers again halted field work. Most of the oat acreage has been planted at this time. Some new alfalfa fields have also been seeded. FIELD CROPS REPORT There was 1.0 day suitable for field work during the week. Only a few scattered fields of corn have been reported to be planted at this time. Last year there were only a few fields planted at this time and the 5-year average is 9 percent. Twenty-five percent of the winter wheat acreage is jointed compared with 25 percent last year and 41 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. Some wheat fields continue to be topdressed with nitrogen. Major activities during the week included: hauling grain to market, preparing planting and tillage equipment, taking care of livestock, cleaning fence rows and completing paperwork at local FSA offices. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Livestock are in mostly good condition. Calving continues on many livestock operations with a low death rate being reported. Hay supplies are reported to be mostly adequate at this time. Feeding of hay has slowed due to improving pasture conditions. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Winter Wheat Jointed 25 11 25 41 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent Pasture 4 11 31 44 10 Winter Wheat 1 2 21 56 20 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 1 0 Short 0 1 0 Adequate 37 41 50 Surplus 63 57 50 Subsoil Very Short 0 2 0 Short 2 3 0 Adequate 57 63 49 Surplus 41 32 51 Days Suitable 1.0 1.2 2.4 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 CORN PLANTING ON THE HORIZON It's hard to believe, but the season is here. Some corn has already been planted. Planting will accelerate in the next week or so with warm temperatures forecast later in the week. The ideal planting date in Pennsylvania varies depending on location from about the 20th of April until the 15th of May, so it's difficult to generalize. In any event, now is the time to complete our final preparations. Timely planting is essential to obtain good yields and avoid some of the maturity and drydown issues we encountered last year in some areas of the state. Here are a few thoughts as we begin another season. * Early in the planting season look for soil temperatures at 8 am in the 50 degree range with a decent 5 day forecast. Once we enter into the planting season, let soil conditions be the main factor dictating the decision to plant. * Try to avoid planting prior to cold wet spells if possible. Corn planted prior to these cold wet spells is often most at risk for stand problems due to chilling injury during the imbibition stage. Choose tilled or low residue fields to start with if possible. * Shoot for a planting depth of 1.5 inches and avoid planting deeper than that early in the season. Monitor planting depth as field conditions change. * Keep records of where you plant different varieties to help sort out stand differences later. Note where refuge corn has been planted. Take time later this year to compare insect pressure and performance between your refuge and traited corns. * As you're planting some of your high fertility soils you might want to consider turning off your starter fertilizer to see if you're getting at least a visual response. You might want to come back and do a yield check as well. * Consider adjusting your plant population based on soil productivity. On highly productive soils, plant populations of over 30,000 are often necessary to maximize grain yields. On droughty soils, populations of 24,000 to 26,000 will likely be adequate. * Finally, plan to follow up on your planting about 2 3 weeks following planting to assess stands. This will allow you to make a timely replanting decision if necessary. Greg Roth, Dept. of Agronomy, Penn State Univ., Field Crop News, 116 ASI Bldg, University Park, PA 16802-3504. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LOWER-COST HERBICIDE PROGRAM CONSIDERATIONS In a quest for less expensive weed control programs during the declining farm economy, here are a few options and points to consider when planning herbicide programs. In most cases, the newer herbicide options can be somewhat more costly than the old standbys that may get lost in the shuffle. Many of these older products and combinations are still useful however they may not always be the cheapest alternative. Some of these programs can stand alone, however many could be used in combination in Roundup Ready or Liberty Link systems. There are many other herbicides and combinations that could be used, below are a few corn and soybean herbicide combinations to consider based on average cost per program. CONSIDERATIONS IN CORN: Atrazine + 2,4-D ($6-$8/A) * Effective post for many annual broadleaves * For areas with low grass pressure; weak on yellow nutsedge Atrazine + Prowl ($14-$18/A) * Effective pre program for control of several annual grasses and broadleaves * Watch out for yellow nutsedge escapes * EC and generic formulations of pendimethalin are cheaper than the encapsulated formulation; some examples include Prowl 3.3EC, Acumen, Pendant, Stealth * Useful in a Roundup Ready corn program, follow post with glyphosate (add $8-$12/A) Pre-grass herbicide +/- atrazine + Prowl ($25-$34/A) * Older pre-grass +/- atrazine products (e.g., Bullet, Micro-Tech) are usually cheaper than products such as Keystone, Harness Xtra, Guardsman Max, Bicep II Magnum, FulTime, and others * Potential alternative program to products like Lumax, Lexar, Degree Xtra + Balance Pro, Keystone + Hornet * There are several generic pre-grass + atrazine herbicides now available (e.g., Confidence Xtra, Volley ATZ, Parallel Plus, Stalwart Xtra, Brawl II ATZ, etc.) * Good all around pre herbicide combinations for annual weeds * Controls triazine resistant-lambsquarters and pigweed * May be weak on ragweed if atrazine rate is too low * To help reduce cost, reduced rates (1/2 - 3/4X rates) can be used when followed by glyphosate post in Roundup Ready corn Other older products to consider include Marksman; Steadfast + Clarity/Banvel; Lorox; NorthStar; Python/Hornet; Option, Basis, Resolve, Sencor CONSIDERATIONS IN SOYBEAN: Synchrony + Assure II/Targa ($12-$15/A) * Other post-grass herbicide could be used instead (e.g., Poast Plus, Select, Fusilade, Fusion, etc.) * Effective post for many annual broadleaves and grasses in normal or STS soybeans * Weak on nightshade and annual morningglory Prowl + Pursuit ($20-$28/A) * Good pre annual grass and broadleaf residual program; weak on ragweed Pre-grass herbicide + Sencor or Lorox ($23-$28/A) * Some examples of pre-grass herbicides include: Dual Magnum, Micro-Tech, Intrro, Outlook, Me-Too-Lachlor, Stalwart, Parallel, Brawl * This was the "standard" pre program from the past * Sencor is weak on triazine resistant weeds, ragweed, and nightshade * Lorox is weak on ragweed Python + Pre-grass herbicide ($27-$30/A) * Good pre combo for common weeds in PA * Tends to be weak on cocklebur and annual morningglory Canopy + Pre-grass herbicide ($30-$33/A) * Good all-around total pre program; weak on nightshade * Common program before Roundup Ready soybeans * Or consider a two-pass program in Roundup Ready or Liberty Link soybeans: reduce the rate and use as a foundation treatment ($15-$23/A) then follow with glyphosate post ($8-$12/A) or Ignite ($11-$17/A) Dwight Lingenfelter, Penn State Weed Science, Program Dev. Spec., 425 Agric. Sc. & Industries Bldg., University Park, PA 16802. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 19, 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 74 28 46 -6 0.92 3 | Francesville 72 25 46 -4 0.76 4 | Valparaiso_AP_I 73 34 49 -1 0.42 2 | Wanatah 72 28 45 -4 0.47 3 49| Winamac 74 31 47 -3 0.73 3 45| North Central(2) | Plymouth 73 30 47 -5 0.69 3 | South_Bend 72 32 49 +1 0.24 3 | Young_America 73 33 49 -2 2.02 4 | Northeast (3) | Fort_Wayne 73 34 48 -2 1.28 3 | Kendallville 73 34 49 -1 0.64 3 | West Central(4) | Greencastle 76 35 50 -4 1.09 4 | Perrysville 76 34 49 -3 1.39 3 46| Spencer_Ag 76 36 51 -2 1.04 4 | Terre_Haute_AFB 77 37 53 +0 0.54 3 | W_Lafayette_6NW 76 30 47 -4 1.31 4 47| Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP 75 37 52 -2 1.00 4 | Greenfield 75 35 48 -4 1.22 3 | Indianapolis_AP 77 39 53 +0 1.05 3 | Indianapolis_SE 75 37 49 -4 0.97 3 | Tipton_Ag 75 31 47 -3 1.26 2 52| East Central(6) | Farmland 75 32 48 -2 1.17 4 46| New_Castle 74 32 47 -3 0.90 2 | Southwest (7) | Evansville 76 42 55 -2 0.60 3 | Freelandville 75 37 53 -2 1.32 3 | Shoals_8S 77 32 51 -4 0.97 3 | Stendal 76 43 55 +1 0.73 3 | Vincennes_5NE 79 42 54 +0 1.37 3 54| South Central(8) | Leavenworth 76 40 54 -1 0.70 4 | Oolitic 75 33 51 -2 0.71 4 51| Tell_City 77 42 55 -2 0.25 2 | Southeast (9) | Brookville 77 31 50 -1 0.55 2 | Greensburg 77 36 51 -2 0.56 3 | Seymour 77 35 50 -3 0.89 2 | ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday April 19, 2009 ------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2009 thru Station | April 19, 2009 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W | 3.41 +1.19 8 15 -38 Francesville | 3.15 +0.82 8 16 -19 Valparaiso_AP_I | 2.82 +0.33 5 22 -12 Wanatah | 2.86 +0.46 7 8 -16 Winamac | 3.12 +0.79 8 18 -17 North Central(2)| Plymouth | 2.86 +0.43 8 18 -22 South_Bend | 2.18 -0.28 6 23 -5 Young_America | 3.15 +1.00 8 24 -10 Northeast (3) | Fort_Wayne | 4.11 +1.98 7 26 -5 Kendallville | 2.27 +0.27 9 24 -7 West Central(4) | Greencastle | 4.37 +2.09 9 24 -37 Perrysville | 4.13 +1.69 7 25 -23 Spencer_Ag | 5.00 +2.52 10 21 -31 Terre_Haute_AFB | 2.88 +0.48 7 49 -14 W_Lafayette_6NW | 4.16 +1.88 9 19 -17 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP | 4.11 +1.80 10 36 -20 Greenfield | 4.16 +1.68 9 20 -22 Indianapolis_AP | 4.42 +2.11 8 45 -11 Indianapolis_SE | 4.93 +2.65 9 24 -26 Tipton_Ag | 4.84 +2.40 8 14 -13 East Central(6) | Farmland | 3.54 +1.29 10 21 -3 New_Castle | 3.31 +0.78 7 15 -12 Southwest (7) | Evansville | 3.25 +0.73 9 74 -33 Freelandville | 5.24 +2.88 9 39 -34 Shoals_8S | 4.89 +2.35 9 30 -42 Stendal | 4.63 +1.86 9 74 -13 Vincennes_5NE | 4.75 +2.39 7 44 -29 South Central(8)| Leavenworth | 3.28 +0.35 10 57 -19 Oolitic | 4.23 +1.73 10 32 -28 Tell_City | 2.90 -0.15 7 66 -29 Southeast (9) | Brookville | 3.20 +0.84 9 35 -6 Greensburg | 3.43 +0.93 9 35 -17 Seymour | 3.41 +0.96 8 26 -35 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.