in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date May 31, 2009 IN-CW060109 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY Scattered rain showers across the state allowed for varying amounts of field work to be accomplished, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Planting of corn is nearly complete in some northwestern and north central areas while many other portions of the state lag behind due to saturated soils. Planting of corn is running about 6 days later than last year and 17 days behind the average pace while planting of soybeans is about 3 days later than last year and 14 days behind the 5-year average. A great deal of hay was cut and baled during the week. The winter wheat crop is reported to be in mostly good condition with very few disease problems being reported. FIELD CROPS REPORT There were 4.0 days suitable for field work during the week. Seventy-eight percent of the intended corn acreage has been planted compared with 86 percent last year and 95 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 91 percent has been planted in the north, 80 percent in the central region, and 51 percent in the south. Fifty-two percent of the corn crop has emerged compared with 67 percent last year and 85 percent for the 5-year average. Fifty percent of the intended soybean acreage has been planted compared with 58 percent last year and 78 percent for the 5-year average. Twenty-one percent of the soybean acreage has emerged compared with 25 percent last year and 56 percent for the 5-year average. Ninety percent of the winter wheat is headed compared with 86 percent last year and 92 percent for the 5-year average. Winter wheat condition is rated 76 percent good to excellent compared with 74 percent last year at this time. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Pasture condition is rated 77 percent good to excellent. Livestock remain in mostly good condition with no stress related problems being reported. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Planted 78 55 86 95 Corn Emerged 52 21 67 85 Soybeans Planted 50 25 58 78 Soybeans Emerged 21 4 25 56 Winter Wheat Headed 90 73 86 92 Alfalfa - 1st Cutting 42 NA 28 39 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 2 4 29 55 10 Pasture 1 3 19 53 24 Winter Wheat 1 3 20 56 20 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 0 0 Short 3 2 2 Adequate 60 66 68 Surplus 37 32 30 Subsoil Very Short 0 0 0 Short 1 1 2 Adequate 69 68 68 Surplus 30 31 30 Days Suitable 4.0 4.9 4.5 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 WHEN SHOULD WEEDS BE TREATED WITH POSTEMERGENCE HERBICIDES? Timing of postemergence herbicides for maximum effi cacy is critical. While all fi elds cannot be sprayed at the ideal weed height according to the label due to rain, high winds, or not being able to get to a field on a timely basis, it is still critical to treat weeds as close to ideal times as possible. When the critical time period is missed, knowing how weeds respond to herbicides will allow you to predict the performance of that application. This can help in determining what additional management practices may be needed to achieve acceptable weed control. Starting with a weed-free field at planting time; from a good burndown, early preplant herbicide, or tillage; provides the best chance of giving the crop a head start on weeds. When weeds emerge before or at the same time as the crop, maximum competition between the weeds and the crop comes in the second to forth week after crop emergence. This time span will depend on the soil moisture and temperature available to the plants. Weed Scientists use a phrase "Critical Period for Weed Control" to describe the time when weeds should be controlled to keep them from competing with crops. When a preplant or preemergence herbicide provides weed control at planting, the critical period is the time needed for the herbicides to provide control while the crops gets established, so that later emerging weeds will have minimum effects on crop yield. This period of control is usually the first four to six weeks in the life of the crop. Annual weeds that emerge after the critical period for weed control will not only have a minimum yield impact, but will also produce fewer seeds to replenish the soil seed bank. They can however, interfere with harvest efficacy, which may contribute to some yield loss or reduced grain quality. The longer the herbicide application is delayed beyond the critical period for weed control, not only does competition increase, but also weeds are taller and more mature, making them harder to control. With delayed applications, environmental conditions become less favorable for herbicides to be absorbed and move to sites of action in the weeds to completely kill them. Older, taller weeds get less herbicide coverage and thicker leaf cuticles with dust on them decrease the absorption of herbicide solutions. For annual weeds, best results are seen when the applications are made to small plants growing under good environmental conditions and receiving complete spray coverage. Think of the control obtained when spraying a two to six inch tall giant ragweed compared to a two to three foot tall giant ragweed. For perennial weeds, which are usually found in a field at lower populations in patches, the best results occur with translocated herbicides when the plants are taller and transitioning from the vegetative stage to the reproductive growth stage. This is usually just prior to or during bloom stage of the plant. Treating small rapidly growing perennial plants usually only provides temporary top kill and regrowth occurs. Taller more mature plants provide a greater opportunity for the herbicide to translocate throughout the plant, increasing the chances of obtaining complete control. Most postemergence herbicide applications are timed for annual grasses and broadleaf weeds that comprise the majority of the weed population in a field. Additional applications are needed for the perennial weeds that are present. The following figures show the response of annual and perennial weeds to herbicides over the course of their lifecycle. These figures show how annual weeds are best controlled early in their lifecycle when they are small, while perennial weeds are more susceptible to translocated herbicides later in their lifecycle. The success of a translocated herbicide to control perennial weeds is dependent on timing the application to coincide the plant translocating food sources (sugars) to reproductive areas within the plant. The success of any herbicide to control annual weeds is timing the application to provide good coverage to the plants when they are small, prior to the time they begin to compete with the crop. In most cases, one application will be made to control both annual and perennial weeds present in that field with the timing of the application made for the annual weeds. This does not mean that perennial weeds will not be controlled; it only means that if the growth stage of the perennial weed is small, then the chances of regrowth is greater than if it were closer to the bloom stage. Tom Jordan, Bill Johnson, Glenn Nice, Tom Bauman, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, Purdue Extension Weed Science, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, West Lafayette, IN 47909. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 May 31, 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 83 47 66 +0 0.58 4 Francesville 83 46 65 +2 0.55 2 Valparaiso_AP_I 83 46 65 +1 0.34 2 Wanatah 84 43 64 +1 0.84 2 67 Winamac 82 48 66 +2 1.01 4 North Central(2) Plymouth 83 46 65 -1 1.06 4 South_Bend 82 45 64 +1 0.48 1 Young_America 83 47 66 +2 0.61 3 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 85 47 67 +4 0.39 3 Kendallville 86 51 67 +4 0.99 4 West Central(4) Greencastle 83 50 66 -2 0.73 5 Perrysville 86 51 68 +3 0.54 4 68 Spencer_Ag 85 54 68 +4 1.81 5 Terre_Haute_AFB 85 54 70 +4 1.24 4 W_Lafayette_6NW 85 48 67 +3 0.25 3 74 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 85 55 70 +3 2.09 3 Greenfield 86 52 69 +4 1.13 4 Indianapolis_AP 86 54 71 +5 2.19 4 Indianapolis_SE 85 52 68 +3 2.06 5 Tipton_Ag 86 50 67 +3 1.68 5 74 East Central(6) Farmland 86 47 68 +5 0.36 4 70 New_Castle 85 51 68 +5 0.34 3 Southwest (7) Evansville 87 59 73 +4 2.79 4 Freelandville 83 57 70 +4 2.61 5 Shoals_8S 85 55 70 +4 1.66 5 Stendal 85 58 72 +4 3.52 4 Vincennes_5NE 89 57 72 +5 2.56 6 South Central(8) Leavenworth 81 58 70 +5 2.14 5 Oolitic 83 56 69 +4 1.19 5 71 Tell_City 82 60 72 +4 1.28 5 Southeast (9) Brookville 88 52 72 +7 0.41 3 Greensburg 85 53 71 +6 0.90 4 Seymour 83 56 70 +5 0.81 4 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday May 31, 2009 ------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2009 thru Station | May 31, 2009 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |10.18 +2.66 27 437 -65 Francesville | 8.31 +1.10 23 412 -28 Valparaiso_AP_I | 8.12 +0.30 23 433 +19 Wanatah | 9.37 +1.92 24 366 -1 Winamac | 8.82 +1.61 29 436 -4 North Central(2)| Plymouth | 8.62 +0.96 32 399 -63 South_Bend | 7.03 -0.01 23 446 +53 Young_America |10.09 +2.86 23 479 +43 Northeast (3) | Fort_Wayne | 8.01 +1.19 26 488 +73 Kendallville | 7.00 -0.03 28 471 +76 West Central(4) | Greencastle |15.00 +6.59 30 481 -68 Perrysville |12.64 +4.71 26 550 +65 Spencer_Ag |14.50 +5.68 31 530 +41 Terre_Haute_AFB |11.84 +3.48 26 649 +105 W_Lafayette_6NW |11.21 +3.61 27 505 +63 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |13.09 +5.39 28 606 +73 Greenfield |14.28 +5.98 29 507 +21 Indianapolis_AP |14.11 +6.41 25 648 +115 Indianapolis_SE |14.01 +5.87 29 520 +8 Tipton_Ag |13.51 +5.79 31 457 +53 East Central(6) | Farmland |10.13 +2.76 28 480 +90 New_Castle |10.57 +2.08 25 466 +64 Southwest (7) | Evansville |13.03 +4.26 29 786 +90 Freelandville |15.62 +6.71 30 628 +53 Shoals_8S |14.17 +4.81 28 567 +13 Stendal |16.20 +6.57 28 780 +151 Vincennes_5NE |14.92 +6.01 31 665 +90 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |12.30 +2.90 35 659 +99 Oolitic |13.04 +4.22 31 572 +65 Tell_City |12.16 +2.56 28 722 +76 Southeast (9) | Brookville | 8.85 +0.36 27 612 +165 Greensburg |10.70 +1.85 27 638 +142 Seymour |12.09 +3.68 28 567 +44 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.