Mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released September 7, 2004 Week Ending Date September 5, 2004 Issue MI-CW3604 Agricultural Summary Warm and Dry Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 5, according to the USDA-NASS-Michigan Statistical Office. The State finally received some warm weather, adding important growing degree days to the season total. Temperatures were above normal across the State, with averages ranging from 1 degree above normal in the southwest Lower Peninsula to 5 degrees above normal in the western Upper Peninsula and northwest Lower Peninsula. Across the State, sunshine was the general rule and precipitation was limited, especially in districts where some additional moisture was needed. Amounts ranged from 0.05 inches in the west central Lower Peninsula to 0.70 inches in the southwest Lower Peninsula. An operator in the Upper Peninsula noted, "We still need some more heat, but it is getting kind of late now." A farmer in the west central reported, "This week we got some rain, which helped. Crops look good, but have a lot of catching up to do." Field Crops Report Field Crops Many crops across the State last week were aided from the hot and humid weather. Hay harvest continues, but heavy dew made it difficult to dry. Second cutting was wrapping up in some areas. Third cutting harvest progressed nicely. Corn progressed with the help of the warm and humid weather. Growers were hoping for more warm days so that the corn and soybean crops can mature. The soybean crop continued to advance slowly with good color, but needs time to finish filling pods. Dry beans and sugarbeets looked good. Oat and barley harvest continued. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Growers continued to harvest apples in the southwest, where size and color were excellent. In the southeast, McIntosh harvest was underway and Gala and Honeycrisp were being spot picked. Apples in the southeast also looked excellent. In the Ridge area, McIntosh harvest proceeded. Blueberry harvest was completed in the southeast. Harvest of peaches was winding down in the southwest but continued in the northwest and west central. Plum harvest was finishing in the southwest, with a light crop expected. In the southwest, pear harvest continued. Harvest also continued in the southeast. In the west central, pear harvest was coming to an end. A codling moth alert was issued for fruit tree growers in the southeast. Codling moth trap catches have generally been higher than normal throughout the State for this time of year. Vegetables Warmer temperatures helped move along vegetable crops. Harvest of many vegetables continued statewide. Insect pressure from squash bugs, cucumber beetles and tarnished plant bugs was reported. Potato and aster leafhopper pressure was limited. Some corn borer and corn earworms were noted as well, but numbers were low. Potato harvest continued to pick up steam. Growers reported starting harvest or planning to start shortly. Late sweet corn harvest progressed. Picking neared completion in some areas. Harvest of first planted snap beans wrapped up in the west central. Later plantings continued to mature. Processing tomato harvest progressed in the southeast. Recent cool weather was not conducive to crop progress. Fresh market picking continued in several districts, but growers found many green tomatoes on the vine. Carrot harvest moved along in the southeast and west central. The cool summer weather was good for sizing the crop in the west central. Storage onions were maturing in the southeast, while fresh market harvest continued. Warm weather helped the zucchini crop in the west central. Pumpkins were starting to color. Powdery mildew continued to be a problem in pumpkins and other vine crops. Watermelon harvest increased in the southeast. In asparagus, very few disease problems were reported due primarily to the cool, dry summer. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 09/05/04 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 3 20 74 3 Subsoil : 6 27 66 1 --------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 09/05/04 ------------------------------------------------------------ : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : All hay, second cutting : 93 85 97 97 All hay, third cutting : 51 35 53 54 All hay, fourth cutting : 4 NA 0 2 Apples, harvested : 4 NA NA NA Blueberries, harvested : 97 92 96 NA Corn, silked : 98 93 100 100 Corn, dough : 68 49 76 74 Corn, dent : 25 9 28 40 Corn silage, harvested : 1 0 11 12 Dry beans, setting pods : 100 99 100 100 Dry beans, turning leaves : 50 32 59 61 Oats, harvested : 91 81 97 99 Peaches, harvested : 80 66 NA NA Soybeans, blooming : 98 95 100 100 Soybeans, setting pods : 92 87 99 98 Soybeans, turning leaves : 10 3 14 28 ------------------------------------------------------------ Crop condition for week ending 09/05/04 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 3 14 38 36 9 Corn : 6 14 30 38 12 Dry beans : 5 18 31 37 9 Pasture : 5 17 43 29 6 Soybeans : 3 11 39 38 9 ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent of Fall season (1961-1990) in which first freeze Occurred on or before the date (mo/day) given in the table ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Station : 90% : 70% : 50% : 30% : 10% ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alma : 10/24 10/15 10/08 10/20 9/25 Alpena : 10/07 9/29 9/24 9/18 9/08 Bad Axe : 10/28 10/19 10/13 10/06 9/27 Caro : 10/06 9/27 9/23 9/17 9/07 Chatham : 10/06 9/25 9/17 9/08 8/24 Coldwater : 10/17 10/10 10/05 9/30 9/23 Eau Claire : 11/05 10/28 10/22 10/16 10/07 Grand Rapids : 10/24 10/15 10/09 10/03 9/25 Hesperia : 10/12 10/03 9/26 9/20 9/11 Lansing : 10/15 10/08 10/03 9/27 9/19 Lapeer : 10/16 10/06 9/28 9/19 9/03 Monroe : 11/02 10/26 10/20 10/15 10/06 Saginaw : 10/30 10/22 10/16 10/10 10/02 Sandusky : 10/25 10/16 10/09 9/30 9/16 S.S. Marie : 10/12 10/02 9/25 9/18 9/08 Standish : 10/12 10/01 9/24 9/16 9/05 Stephenson : 9/29 9/23 9/18 9/12 9/03 Traverse City : 10/20 10/10 10/02 9/25 9/13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact Information U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Statistical Office P.O. Box 26248 Lansing, MI 48909-6248 517-324-5300; or 800-453-7501 Fax 517-324-5299 email: nass-mi@nass.usda.gov Web Page: http:/www.nass.usda.gov/mi Weather Information Table Michigan Weather Summary for Week Ending 09/05/04 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2004 :2003 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 86 45 1,527 1,805 0.51 1.67 2.68 18.32 Marquette : 84 45 1,434 1,742 0.81 2.60 3.43 18.04 Stephenson : 86 45 1,772 2,018 0.00 0.88 1.44 16.78 Western UP : 86 45 5 1,549 1,812 1,721 0.46 1.64 2.42 16.27 17.08 3.58 : Cornell : 82 46 1,577 1,929 0.85 2.00 2.90 18.22 Sault St Marie : 82 48 1,307 1,701 0.94 2.50 3.64 16.97 Eastern UP : 85 41 3 1,351 1,687 1,515 0.63 1.89 2.73 15.80 16.00 3.55 : Beulah : 84 49 1,828 1,960 0.42 3.35 4.57 20.70 Lake City : 84 47 1,779 1,879 0.29 2.01 2.23 16.91 Old Mission : 84 53 1,739 1,939 0.34 2.08 2.96 18.71 Pellston : 84 47 1,651 1,869 0.89 2.09 3.06 14.75 Northwest : 84 47 5 1,701 1,878 1,946 0.46 2.20 3.05 17.16 15.05 3.66 : Alpena : 86 49 1,721 1,863 0.29 0.81 1.52 15.00 Houghton Lake : 83 49 1,872 1,996 0.56 1.61 1.90 16.03 Rogers City : 84 51 1,698 1,932 0.54 1.57 2.14 17.52 Northeast : 86 44 4 1,761 1,954 1,885 0.54 1.46 2.00 16.06 15.11 3.47 : Fremont : 84 51 2,082 2,244 0.00 2.07 2.54 17.15 Hart : 84 50 1,932 2,074 0.07 0.85 1.64 18.42 Muskegon : 84 54 2,104 2,293 0.05 1.33 1.77 20.50 West Central : 84 47 4 2,000 2,156 2,120 0.05 1.49 2.13 20.09 15.44 3.19 : Alma : 85 53 2,190 2,239 0.26 2.45 2.74 20.45 Big Rapids : 84 53 2,050 2,059 0.21 3.24 3.96 19.95 Central : 85 53 4 2,140 2,145 2,190 0.24 2.40 2.76 19.87 16.35 3.09 : Bad Axe : 85 49 2,013 1,977 0.55 1.96 2.38 18.03 Pigeon : 84 51 1,987 1,957 0.45 2.52 2.87 18.96 Saginaw : 85 53 2,203 2,163 0.65 2.46 2.74 17.16 Standish : 84 52 1,961 1,958 0.15 2.35 2.73 17.48 East Central : 86 49 3 2,007 2,028 2,189 0.40 1.99 2.31 18.45 14.56 2.70 : Fennville : 86 50 2,141 2,205 0.14 1.12 1.47 14.79 Grand Rapids : 84 54 2,431 2,296 0.40 1.85 2.94 21.76 Holland : 85 51 2,235 2,253 0.06 1.86 2.48 15.50 South Bend, IN : 85 50 2,574 2,450 0.52 3.36 4.28 22.86 Watervliet : 86 50 2,317 2,234 0.24 3.40 4.36 22.55 Southwest : 87 44 1 2,319 2,292 2,379 0.22 2.53 3.27 20.67 16.71 3.26 : Belding : 84 51 2,190 2,179 0.54 2.12 2.72 22.15 Coldwater : 84 50 2,270 2,179 0.37 2.01 2.28 21.75 Lansing : 84 48 2,306 2,237 0.61 2.53 2.70 21.56 South Central : 86 48 2 2,301 2,264 2,342 0.37 2.29 2.78 21.82 16.72 2.79 : Detroit : 85 56 2,580 2,504 0.60 2.87 3.07 19.82 Flint : 84 49 2,356 2,347 0.48 1.54 1.72 18.30 Romeo : 85 51 2,328 2,201 0.62 1.29 1.48 22.52 Tipton : 86 53 2,296 2,241 0.43 0.98 1.51 18.06 Toledo, OH : 86 54 2,640 2,498 0.94 3.11 4.69 17.30 Southeast : 88 45 2 2,364 2,356 2,338 0.70 2.04 2.56 20.07 16.03 2.43 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Issued by the Federal/State Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Michigan State University's Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Meteorologist, Department of Geography, and Crop Advisory Team ALERTS. 2/ Growing degree days (GDD) is the sum of daily mean temperatures minus 50 per day, 86 maximum And 50 minimum. The GDD is accumulative from April 1.