Mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released October 12, 2004 Week Ending Date October 10, 2004 Issue MI-CW4104 Agricultural Summary Good Harvest Conditions Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending October 10, according to the USDA-NASS-Michigan Statistical Office. Most areas reported their first killing frost as overnight temperatures dipped into the twenties. The frost wrapped up the growing season for most farmers. Temperatures ranged from 2 degrees below normal in the southwest Lower Peninsula to 3 degrees above normal in the western Upper Peninsula. Continued dry and sunny conditions helped dry down field crops and aided in harvest progress. Precipitation amounts ranged from 0.20 inches in the southeast Lower Peninsula to 0.99 inches in the northeast Lower Peninsula. A farmer in the south central commented, "With the good weather, we are gaining ground on the harvest fast." An operator in the northwest agreed, "The warm, dry weather helped to mature and dry down late planted crops. The conditions are ideal for field work, no mud or getting stuck." Field Crops Report Field Crops The first widespread frost ended the growing season for most field crops. A few districts could have used a bit more time before the frost, but most areas reported crops mature enough that the cold temperatures didn't adversely affect them. Soybean harvest continued. Farmers reported beans with single digit moisture levels. The dry weather allowed operators to make good progress. Corn harvest moved along. Silage chopping progressed rapidly and combining picked up speed. Sugarbeet harvest continued at a moderated pace as growers and processors waited for cooler temperatures to facilitate storage. Producers were also hoping for some moisture to soften the ground for harvest. Dry bean combining moved along rapidly, with harvest nearly complete in some areas. Wheat planting progressed, although some growers were holding off in hope of some rain. Hay harvest continued, with third crop nearly wrapped up and fourth cutting over half complete. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Apple harvest progressed rapidly last week, as cold evening temperatures throughout the region accelerated ripening. Growers in the Ridge area were picking Red Delicious, Spy, Ida Reds, and Jonathan varieties. In the Southeast, Ida Red, Rome, Fuji, Red Delicious, Crispen, and Northern Spy harvest was ongoing. Concord grape harvest concluded last week. Harvest of wine varieties neared completion. Vegetables Statewide, most vegetable growing areas were hit with their first killing frost this week. The low temperatures brought a halt to the vegetable growing season. Operators continued to pick late season crops and worked to wrap up the harvest of summer vegetables. Pumpkin and squash picking moved along as farmers geared up for the busy fall holiday season. Growers continued to harvest potatoes. Celery harvest was over 90 percent completed. Zucchini harvest was almost finished. In the southeast, tomato and cabbage harvest neared completion. Carrot digging moved along. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 10/10/04 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 31 46 23 0 Subsoil : 20 46 34 0 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 10/10/04 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 3 18 41 27 11 Corn : 3 10 32 42 13 Pasture : 10 27 37 20 6 Soybeans : 3 10 33 41 13 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 10/10/04 ------------------------------------------------------------ : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : All hay, third cutting : 94 82 92 95 All hay, fourth cutting : 50 31 32 51 Apples, harvested : 67 48 NA NA Corn, dent : 96 89 99 99 Corn, mature : 66 45 80 84 Corn, harvested : 13 5 7 15 Corn silage, harvested : 88 73 91 91 Dry beans, harvested : 93 86 93 80 Potatoes, harvested : 74 51 NA NA Soybeans, turning leaves : 97 89 100 99 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 91 61 97 92 Soybeans, harvested : 40 16 35 32 Sugarbeets, harvested : 5 2 6 30 Winter wheat, planted : 63 41 52 56 Winter wheat, emerged : 12 9 14 19 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 10/10/04 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 : 77 27 1,905 2,121 0.47 1.51 2.21 20.59 Marquette : 77 25 1,812 2,039 0.24 1.16 2.00 20.04 Stephenson : 80 22 2,173 2,326 0.57 1.92 2.48 19.67 Western UP : 80 21 3 1,921 2,110 1,963 0.48 1.54 2.20 18.56 20.81 2.57 : Cornell : 72 28 1,916 2,227 0.84 1.74 2.32 20.39 Sault St Marie : 73 32 1,653 1,970 1.10 1.76 1.94 19.11 Eastern UP : 78 23 0 1,688 1,964 1,733 0.88 1.78 2.31 18.17 19.78 2.57 : Beulah : 74 24 2,238 2,311 0.43 1.08 1.20 21.54 Lake City : 75 22 2,171 2,172 0.68 1.13 1.39 18.53 Old Mission : 76 31 2,167 2,285 0.50 1.11 1.16 19.68 Pellston : 76 22 2,055 2,174 0.91 1.97 2.24 17.23 Northwest : 76 22 2 2,104 2,198 2,249 0.63 1.28 1.42 18.55 19.02 2.75 : Alpena : 80 26 2,147 2,159 0.79 1.06 1.12 16.13 Houghton Lake : 77 21 2,282 2,298 1.73 1.97 2.15 18.20 Rogers City : 79 25 2,154 2,269 0.89 1.21 1.41 18.80 Northeast : 80 21 1 2,172 2,266 2,173 0.99 1.29 1.47 17.48 18.81 2.40 : Fremont : 74 26 2,511 2,598 1.00 1.37 1.45 18.85 Hart : 72 27 2,360 2,439 0.67 1.49 1.88 20.83 Muskegon : 71 28 2,539 2,701 0.82 1.22 1.30 21.80 West Central : 74 25 0 2,428 2,524 2,461 0.71 1.27 1.50 21.72 19.10 2.94 : Alma : 76 25 2,639 2,615 0.76 1.10 1.20 22.23 Big Rapids : 74 25 2,460 2,395 1.52 2.00 2.24 22.19 Central : 76 24 0 2,576 2,501 2,540 0.90 1.27 1.38 21.40 19.88 2.59 : Bad Axe : 79 29 2,453 2,328 0.39 0.63 0.65 18.68 Pigeon : 79 28 2,432 2,312 0.12 0.39 0.42 19.47 Saginaw : 79 26 2,670 2,555 0.32 0.55 0.55 17.73 Standish : 79 23 2,401 2,280 0.48 0.72 0.72 18.64 East Central : 79 23 0 2,451 2,384 2,555 0.37 0.62 0.66 18.95 17.67 2.41 : Fennville : 76 28 2,591 2,575 0.11 0.19 0.37 14.36 Grand Rapids : 75 29 2,883 2,670 0.90 1.38 1.43 23.19 Holland : 76 30 2,685 2,654 0.61 1.23 1.34 16.84 South Bend, IN : 75 29 3,039 2,855 0.38 0.77 1.13 23.99 Watervliet : 76 28 2,774 2,621 0.27 0.97 1.94 24.49 Southwest : 77 24 -2 2,777 2,680 2,788 0.59 1.13 1.55 22.39 20.54 2.99 : Belding : 74 24 2,625 2,541 1.36 1.79 1.82 23.97 Coldwater : 76 24 2,710 2,485 0.65 1.80 1.80 23.59 Lansing : 76 28 2,754 2,629 0.30 0.48 0.81 22.37 South Central : 78 24 -1 2,748 2,639 2,737 0.45 0.86 1.07 22.78 19.97 2.41 : Detroit : 79 35 3,078 2,914 0.10 0.32 0.32 20.19 Flint : 77 25 2,794 2,747 0.39 0.61 0.83 19.13 Romeo : 77 29 2,772 2,571 0.22 0.74 0.76 23.78 Tipton : 77 30 2,766 2,609 0.11 0.92 0.92 18.98 Toledo, OH : 79 33 3,112 2,928 0.02 0.48 0.48 17.85 Southeast : 79 25 0 2,822 2,750 2,736 0.20 0.67 0.69 20.75 18.89 2.33 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.