in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date August 30, 2009 IN-CW083109 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY Once again, the state experienced scattered rain showers and cooler than normal temperatures, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Northwestern and north central areas received the heaviest amounts of precipitation with some areas receiving over 3 inches of rain. Some central and eastern counties are still in need of rain while a few northern counties have sustained crop damage from the recent excess moisture. Reporters indicated that diseases in the soybean crop are becoming more evident as the season progresses. There is a growing concern that the corn and soybeans will not reach full maturity before the first frost. FIELD CROPS REPORT There were 5.3 days suitable for field work during the week. Seventy -nine percent of the corn is in dough compared to 87 percent last year and 93 percent for the 5-year average. Corn condition is rated 63 percent good to excellent compared with 59 percent last year at this time. Eighty-eight percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared to 91 percent last year and 96 percent for the 5-year average. Two percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 5 percent last year and 9 percent for the 5-year average. Soybean condition is rated 63 percent good to excellent compared with 49 percent last year at this time. The third cutting of alfalfa hay is 66 percent complete compared with 82 percent last year and 83 percent for the 5-year average. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Pasture condition is rated 65 percent good to excellent compared with 31 percent last year at this time. Livestock remain in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn in Dough 79 66 87 93 Corn in Dent 23 9 39 62 Soybeans Setting Pods 88 76 91 96 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 2 NA 5 9 Alfalfa - 3rd Cutting 66 44 82 83 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 3 8 26 50 13 Soybean 3 8 26 51 12 Pasture 2 8 25 47 18 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 2 3 27 Short 15 12 46 Adequate 72 70 27 Surplus 11 15 0 Subsoil Very Short 2 4 18 Short 18 16 38 Adequate 69 67 44 Surplus 11 13 0 Days Suitable 5.3 4.4 6.9 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 FORAGES, EQUIPMENT, MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AT HEART OF FORAGE DAY - Written Tuesday August 25, 2009 A field day designed for forage enthusiasts will mow over everything from controlling weeds and looking at different forages, to making hay crop silage and equipment demonstrations. Purdue Forage Day, Sept. 17 near Cambridge City, Ind., combines educational sessions, demonstrations, challenges from an operating forage producer and university expertise to provide participants with solutions and ideas they can implement on their farm, said Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension forage management specialist. Eric and Carrie Miles, owners of a 320-acre farm that sits at the intersection of Wayne, Fayette and Henry counties, will host Purdue Forage Day. The Miles make a living in part from cash crop hay production and helping area farmers harvest their hay, as well as straw production sales and beef cattle. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with sessions to follow from 9 a.m. to noon. Sessions include: "Double Crop Forages and Cover Crops," by Greg Downing of the CISCO Companies, Dennis Brown of Byron Seed Supply and Johnson; "Weed Issues in Pasture," by Glenn Nice, Purdue weed scientist; "Bale Silage -- Another Tool to Reduce Rain- Damaged Hay," by Jason Tower, Southern Indiana-Purdue Agricultural Center superintendent; and "Soil Test Results in Hand --Now What Should be Done?" by Jim Camberato, Purdue Extension soil fertility specialist. Lunch will be available for a nominal fee, which is to be paid on site. After lunch, the Miles will be interviewed and recognized for their help in making the field day possible. At 1:15 p.m., mowers, tedders and rakes, balers, wrappers and other equipment will be demonstrated until designated fields are harvested and baled. The side-by-side equipment demonstrations are intended to show producers how they run when put in a field under sometimes not-so- ideal conditions, Johnson said. The demonstrations should be especially helpful to producers who are considering purchasing new or used equipment. "This year it’s been a challenge to make dry hay production throughout the season, particularly in southern Indiana," said Johnson, who also coordinates the annual field day. "So one of the topics we’ll focus on is making hay crop silage from round bales. Essentially, this is harvesting the hay when it has a moisture content of 50 percent, wrapping and allowing fermentation to occur." Making hay crop silage is another method to get the forage harvested in a more timely fashion, such that the quality can be improved and more hay can be harvested without rain damage occurring, Johnson explained. Participants can also participate in the hay quality contest by bringing an unbroken small rectangular bale of hay and entering it before 11 a.m. The bale will be probed and results will be sent to producers within a few weeks. A certificate will be awarded by the Indiana Forage Council and forage-related products will be provided by agribusinesses to the winner of each division (legume, grass and mixed hays). "Entering a bale of hay into the contest is not just about who wins," Johnson said. "But it lets producers know how their hay stacks up against other hays in the region and in the state. This will determine how much hay and what supplements would need to be fed to get the proper nutrient profile, as well as provide some guidance for the asking price." The Miles Farm is located at 2990 Heacock Road in Cambridge City. Directions to the farm are available at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ forageday/location.html. For more information, visit the Purdue Forage Day Web site at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/forageday/index.html or contact Johnson at 765-494-4800, johnsonk@purdue.edu . MORE OPTIONS Andreas Westphal, T. Scott Abney, and Gregory Shaner, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University and USDA-ARS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 August 30, 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 82 49 64 -7 0.56 3 Francesville 80 49 65 -5 1.13 3 Valparaiso_AP_I 81 49 65 -5 2.52 4 Wanatah 82 46 64 -5 3.38 4 71 Winamac 81 52 66 -4 1.55 5 North Central (2) Plymouth 81 50 66 -5 1.85 5 South_Bend 81 49 64 -6 1.87 4 Young_America 80 49 65 -5 0.42 1 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 80 52 66 -5 0.09 1 Kendallville 81 55 67 -2 0.13 3 West Central (4) Greencastle 85 48 65 -8 0.57 3 Perrysville 85 50 68 -3 0.33 1 70 Spencer_Ag 87 50 68 -4 0.43 1 Terre_Haute_AFB 87 50 68 -5 0.06 2 W_Lafayette_6NW 82 48 66 -4 0.42 1 74 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 87 52 70 -3 0.46 1 Greenfield 85 51 67 -4 0.59 1 Indianapolis_AP 88 51 70 -2 0.32 1 Indianapolis_SE 86 49 67 -6 0.47 1 Tipton_Ag 83 49 66 -4 0.86 2 76 East Central (6) Farmland 85 51 67 -2 0.16 1 74 New_Castle 84 48 66 -4 0.23 1 Southwest (7) Evansville 90 55 72 -3 0.05 1 Freelandville 88 52 70 -4 0.27 1 Shoals_8S 88 48 68 -5 0.05 1 Stendal 89 53 72 -2 0.00 0 Vincennes_5NE 90 52 71 -1 0.11 1 78 South Central (8) Leavenworth 89 55 71 -1 0.09 1 Oolitic 89 52 69 -3 0.19 1 73 Tell_City 89 56 72 -3 0.00 0 Southeast (9) Brookville 86 52 69 -2 0.43 1 Greensburg 88 51 70 +0 0.64 1 Seymour 88 51 69 -3 0.43 1 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday, August 30, 2009 ------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2009 thru Station | August 30, 2009 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |19.66 +0.62 62 2190 -347 Francesville |21.24 +2.25 57 2141 -199 Valparaiso_AP_I |17.19 -2.52 59 2245 -72 Wanatah |20.63 +1.43 63 2046 -172 Winamac |17.65 -1.34 66 2213 -127 North Central(2)| Plymouth |19.89 +0.71 77 2130 -323 South_Bend |23.51 +4.99 59 2242 -64 Young_America |18.95 +0.77 47 2240 -165 Northeast (3) | Fort_Wayne |20.23 +3.10 59 2347 -61 Kendallville |18.09 +0.45 68 2379 +115 West Central(4) | Greencastle |29.70 +8.28 66 2198 -510 Perrysville |29.56 +9.14 62 2490 -37 Spencer_Ag |30.32 +8.36 65 2451 -102 Terre_Haute_AFB |22.59 +2.30 55 2701 +8 W_Lafayette_6NW |24.59 +5.60 61 2367 -28 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |27.07 +7.87 61 2668 -4 Greenfield |30.94 +9.85 64 2384 -177 Indianapolis_AP |30.25 +11.05 59 2753 +81 Indianapolis_SE |33.01 +13.18 64 2382 -275 Tipton_Ag |25.14 +5.84 65 2251 -76 East Central(6) | Farmland |16.94 -1.76 59 2298 +26 New_Castle |22.61 +2.27 62 2197 -131 Southwest (7) | Evansville |23.60 +4.29 59 3140 +39 Freelandville |29.35 +9.20 59 2739 -43 Shoals_8S |29.62 +7.74 56 2501 -191 Stendal |30.41 +8.71 56 3073 +150 Vincennes_5NE |28.26 +8.11 63 2861 +79 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |28.91 +6.47 79 2751 +72 Oolitic |26.73 +5.61 68 2518 -58 Tell_City |24.47 +2.31 54 2955 -16 Southeast (9) | Brookville |23.98 +3.47 61 2581 +136 Greensburg |30.80 +10.21 66 2696 +199 Seymour |27.85 +7.62 56 2492 -82 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.