in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 25, 2009 IN-CW102509 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY Farmers were making good progress harvesting both corn and soybeans early in the week until rain forced them out of the fields on Thursday, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. As of October 20, a new record low harvest pace had been set for soybeans with only 34 percent harvested. The old record low for that date was 39 percent harvested in 1990. Corn harvest is running about 23 days behind the 5-year average pace and soybean harvest is about 15 days behind average. FIELD CROPS REPORT There were 4.3 days suitable for field work during the week. Corn condition is rated 62 percent good to excellent compared with 59 percent last year at this time. Twenty-one percent of the corn crop has been harvested compared to 56 percent last year and 63 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 20 percent of the corn acreage has been harvested in the north, 20 percent in the central region and 28 percent in the south. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 25 percent. Soybean condition is rated 62 percent good to excellent. Fifty-two percent of the soybean acreage has been harvested compared with 83 percent last year and 82 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 53 percent of the soybean acreage has been harvested in the north, 61 percent in the central region and 33 percent in the south. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging about 14 percent. Forty-three percent of the Winter Wheat acreage has been planted compared to 85 percent last year and 83 percent for the 5-year average. Eleven percent of the winter wheat has emerged compared with 55 percent last year and 52 percent for the 5-year average. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Pasture condition is now rated 58 percent good to excellent compared with 26 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 Mature 87 77 97 99 Corn Harvested 21 15 56 63 Soybeans Harvested 52 27 83 82 Winter Wheat Planted 43 22 85 83 Winter Wheat Emerged 11 4 55 52 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 3 8 27 48 14 Soybean 3 8 27 49 13 Pasture 2 9 31 47 11 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 0 8 Short 2 3 26 Adequate 53 56 62 Surplus 45 41 4 Subsoil Very Short 0 1 14 Short 6 9 34 Adequate 68 70 49 Surplus 26 20 3 Days Suitable 4.3 2.5 5.2 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 MOLDY CORN COULD CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS IF NOT STORED PROPERLY October 21, 2009 - West Lafayette, Ind. Corn farmers across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are battling moldy corn, which causes challenges from a grain handling and storage standpoint. A Purdue University researcher offers tips and advice for farmers in the Eastern Cornbelt dealing with Diplodia, Giberella and other corn ear rots. Richard Stroshine, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, said that if farmers try to operate like they normally do during harvest this year, it could cause some major problems during the storage of this year’s crop. "I had one elevator manager tell me he hasn't seen anything like this since 1974," Stroshine said. "Farmers are going to have to take extra precaution in storing and drying down their grain this year." Questions about moldy corn and reports of damage are coming into the university from all across the state. Stroshine said he talked with one farmer who estimated 15 percent of the kernels in his harvested corn were damaged by mold. Farmers who have moldy corn should remove as much of the fine material or broken pieces of corn as possible, dry the grain down to 14 to 14.5 percent moisture, and realize it's not going to store as well as it has in previous years, Stroshine said. If fines aren't removed from the corn crop, they will impede airflow and promote the growth of mold within the grain bin, he explained. "Mold can more easily grow on broken kernels because this is the food source for the fungi and it is more readily available," he said. "They also impede airflow during aeration of stored corn. So, getting rid of the fine material is a good strategy for improving grain storage, especially this year." Stroshine recommends using the combine's full capabilities to help get rid of the fine material and incorporating high capacity screen cleaners into the grain-handling system. From a grain drying and handling standpoint, Stroshine said, farmers need to recognize that corn harvested with a high moisture content will have more kernel damage; thus making it more susceptible to mold damage during storage. There is a certain shelf life or storage time for grain and putting it into a bin after it's been kept at a high moisture content, even for a few days, reduces its shelf life, Stroshine said. For example, a farmer decides to harvest the field and get it out of the weather to stop mold growth as soon as possible, Stroshine said. The farmer has a lot of wet corn waiting for several days to be dried and during this time while the corn is still wet, it loses its shelf life on the other end. The grain will be more susceptible to molding if it's stressed later on. So there's really a tradeoff, Stroshine said. Even though it may slow down harvest, Stroshine recommends drying corn to below 15 percent moisture as soon as possible to help prevent any further mold issues. Stroshine recognizes the challenges producers face. They need to get the crop out of the field as soon as possible to prevent further damage and loss, but they also need to realize that because of the situation harvest is going to take longer, he said. "More effort, fuel or propane, more time and more patience are going to be needed to successfully harvest, dry and store this year's crop," Stroshine said. Planning is the key. Stroshine said producers should ask themselves, "Can I get it dried without leaving it at a high moisture content for an appreciable amount of time? Can I store it well? Can I handle it properly?" If not, he said, it will only create another problem if the grain is taken from the field and piled up on the farmstead without being properly dried. "Farmers may want to mix their corn with high levels of mold with their good corn, but my recommendation would be to segregate the good corn from the bad," Stroshine said. "It should be handled separately. Then if need be, the producer can blend it later." More information about grain handling and storage is available online at http://www.grainquality.org. Matt Roberts, a former graduate student in the department who specialized in this area, is available to help answer technical questions regarding drying and storing this year's crop. Robert's goal is to help Hoosier producers and the grain industry maintain the quality of their corn and soybean crops at the highest possible level. He can be reached at 765-494-1174 or mroberts@purdue.edu. Writer: Julie Douglas, 765-496-1050, douglajk@purdue.edu Source: Richard Stroshine, 765-494-1192, strosh@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-8415; Steve Leer, sleer@purdue.edu Note to journalists: Four audio clips are available at http://tinyurl.com/yz98jq7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 October 25, 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 70 29 52 +1 1.89 3 Francesville 70 33 52 +3 2.23 3 Valparaiso_AP_I 69 38 53 +3 2.58 4 Wanatah 70 30 51 +3 2.57 4 53 Winamac 70 32 52 +3 1.99 4 North Central(2) Plymouth 70 36 52 +2 1.27 3 South_Bend 70 33 53 +4 1.62 4 Young_America 71 38 56 +7 2.22 2 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 71 33 53 +4 1.59 3 Kendallville 69 34 52 +3 1.09 3 West Central(4) Greencastle 68 28 52 -2 1.64 2 Perrysville 73 36 54 +4 1.50 2 50 Spencer_Ag 69 30 52 +1 0.84 3 Terre_Haute_AFB 68 35 54 +2 0.89 2 W_Lafayette_6NW 71 28 53 +3 1.59 3 55 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 69 34 53 +2 1.41 2 Greenfield 70 29 50 -2 0.93 3 Indianapolis_AP 70 35 55 +3 1.33 2 Indianapolis_SE 69 27 52 -1 0.82 2 Tipton_Ag 70 30 52 +3 1.64 3 56 East Central(6) Farmland 71 24 51 +3 0.80 3 51 New_Castle 69 24 51 +2 0.95 2 Southwest (7) Evansville 70 37 55 +1 0.45 2 Freelandville 69 34 53 +1 1.06 2 Shoals_8S 70 28 51 -2 0.72 2 Stendal 72 33 55 +3 0.73 2 Vincennes_5NE 72 33 54 +2 0.88 1 57 South Central(8) Leavenworth 69 31 52 +0 1.10 2 Oolitic 71 30 52 +0 0.77 3 49 Tell_City 71 34 55 +0 0.83 2 Southeast (9) Brookville 72 27 51 +0 1.15 3 Greensburg 72 29 54 +3 0.98 2 Seymour 72 28 52 +0 1.32 2 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday, October 25, 2009 ------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2009 thru Station | October 25, 2009 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 26.45 +2.31 86 2642 -554 Francesville 26.61 +2.03 78 2586 -334 Valparaiso_AP_I 22.24 -4.39 81 2751 -173 Wanatah 26.87 +1.38 88 2462 -312 Winamac 22.64 -1.94 77 2670 -250 North Central(2) Plymouth 24.77 -0.60 98 2593 -482 South_Bend 27.71 +2.97 78 2748 -134 Young_America 27.00 +3.07 61 2703 -314 Northeast (3) Fort_Wayne 26.14 +4.24 81 2887 -141 Kendallville 22.27 -0.64 94 2916 +67 West Central(4) Greencastle 36.27 +8.73 88 2693 -742 Perrysville 35.78 +10.15 84 3010 -175 Spencer_Ag 38.98 +11.49 85 3012 -193 Terre_Haute_AFB 26.46 +0.55 71 3277 -130 W_Lafayette_6NW 30.19 +5.92 81 2847 -168 Central (5) 32.94 +8.68 80 3298 -75 Greenfield 38.57 +11.99 85 2918 -323 Indianapolis_AP 36.43 +12.17 78 3423 +50 Indianapolis_SE 39.15 +14.29 83 2916 -451 Tipton_Ag 31.01 +6.02 86 2738 -178 East Central(6) Farmland 23.48 -0.43 80 2788 -54 New_Castle 30.26 +4.75 80 2680 -235 Southwest (7) Evansville 34.74 +10.10 77 3902 -25 Freelandville 42.61 +16.99 78 3374 -148 Shoals_8S 41.23 +13.54 76 3062 -353 Stendal 44.55 +17.18 77 3798 +110 Vincennes_5NE 41.78 +16.16 82 3515 -7 South Central(8) Leavenworth 45.83 +17.97 107 3409 +19 Oolitic 37.58 +10.90 91 3114 -135 Tell_City 36.04 +8.08 73 3707 -99 Southeast (9) Brookville 32.09 +6.42 79 3159 +81 Greensburg 38.90 +13.06 83 3308 +151 Seymour 41.67 +16.17 74 3042 -200 -------------------------------------------------------------- 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.