Mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released August 15, 2005 Week Ending Date August 14, 2005 Issue MI-CW3405 Agricultural Summary Rains Help Some Drought Areas Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 14, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation amounts ranged from 0.41 inches in the east central and south central Lower Peninsula to 0.67 inches in the northwest Lower Peninsula. Average temperatures ranged from 3 degrees above normal in the northeast and west central Lower Peninsula to 5 degrees above normal in the east central, south central, and southeast Lower Peninsula. Recent precipitation and cooler temperatures have helped some dry areas. One farmer in the central district mentioned, "Rains in the past 10 days have things looking greener and more alive. There may be some salvage for this year's crops." Another farmer in the southwest said, "Finally some rain, only about one-quarter inch on Friday morning. We will need a lot more to help improve crop conditions. It might be too late even if we get rain after the record number of 90 degree days." Field Crops Report Field Crops Temperatures remained above normal through the week and precipitation was light and scattered. Most corn fields looked good. Reports of European corn borer increased. Soybean fields varied. Spraying for aphids continued. There were also reports of spider mites and nematodes. However, many producers stated that the crop looked good. The third cutting of alfalfa was underway. Recent rainfall advanced maturity and aided newly seeded fields. Reports of leafhoppers have increased. Winter wheat harvest was completed. Oat harvest continued. Sugarbeet growth advanced and fields looked good. Some fields showed signs of Cercospora leafspot. Dry bean fields that were stressed by a lack of moisture have recovered. Pods per plant were reported as high. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit In the southwest, peach harvest continued and quality was good. Harvest was underway in the southeast. Size appeared to be fair to good on Red Havens. Split pits were problematic on many early season varieties. In the west central, the first early Red Havens were being harvested. Fruit size and quality were good. In the northwest, peach harvest began. In the southwest, apple growers were harvesting early Paula Reds. Apple maggots were being trapped. In the southeast, apples were sizing very well with Red Delicious being at 2.5 inches and most other apple varieties at 2.75 inches. In the west central, early varieties such as Lodi were being harvested. In blueberries, growers in the southwest completed the third picking of Bluecrop and second picking of Jersey. Elliot harvest began. In the southeast, blueberry harvest continued. Heavy bird damage continued on blueberries. In the northwest, grape berries were sizing rapidly with berry touch occurring in many varieties. In the southwest, summer raspberry harvest ended and fall harvest was underway. Harvest began in the southeast. Japanese beetle damage continued to be seen there. Vegetables Warm weather advanced growth in vegetable crops. Carrot harvest continued and quality remained high. Onion fields looked good. Pepper harvest continued. There were limited reports of bacterial spot. Potato harvest advanced slowly due to high soil and pulp temperatures. Pumpkin plants showed signs of pest and viral activity. Some fields lacked female blossoms. Snap bean harvest continued. Poorly drained fields were lost due to standing water damage. Sweet corn harvest also continued. Growth advanced quickly and many producers hurried to keep up with harvest. Squash, zucchini, and cucumbers also showed signs of viral activity, and there have been a few reports of downy mildew. Tomatoes for fresh market harvest progressed, while harvest of processing tomatoes began. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 08/14/05 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 14 32 53 1 Subsoil : 19 36 44 1 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 08/14/05 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 7 22 30 32 9 Corn : 2 7 25 45 21 Dry beans : 2 7 33 51 7 Pasture : 7 27 36 24 6 Soybeans : 3 6 26 40 25 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 08/14/05 ------------------------------------------------------------ : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : All hay, second cutting : 88 82 73 80 All hay, third cutting : 35 26 16 18 Blueberries, harvested : 82 59 84 NA Corn, dough : 57 20 19 13 Corn, dent : 3 NA NA 1 Dry beans, setting pods : 91 74 55 55 Dry beans, turning leaves : 7 NA 1 1 Oats, harvested : 87 74 40 59 Peaches, harvested : 45 40 40 NA Potatoes, harvested : 9 6 NA NA Soybeans, setting pods : 88 79 58 65 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 08/14/05 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2005 :2004 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 91 45 1,743 1,221 0.46 0.78 2.28 9.57 Marquette : 91 46 1,646 1,127 0.20 0.77 2.72 11.16 Stephenson : 95 51 1,767 1,410 0.94 0.95 2.29 8.01 Western UP : 95 45 4 1,698 1,214 1,394 0.47 0.82 2.41 9.50 14.29 3.69 : Cornell : 91 47 1,688 1,250 0.62 1.26 2.33 7.04 Sault St Marie : 87 53 1,625 1,010 0.43 0.71 3.65 7.98 Eastern UP : 91 39 4 1,609 1,060 1,207 0.59 0.98 2.94 8.30 13.45 3.53 : Beulah : 88 54 1,965 1,440 0.25 0.97 3.22 8.53 Lake City : 88 52 1,826 1,434 0.20 2.08 4.16 11.47 Old Mission : 91 53 1,849 1,365 0.44 1.57 3.17 7.34 Pellston : 89 48 1,832 1,325 1.14 1.28 3.23 8.08 Northwest : 91 48 4 1,840 1,343 1,576 0.67 1.61 3.69 8.87 12.66 3.11 : Alpena : 90 53 1,753 1,373 0.95 2.09 4.60 10.17 Houghton Lake : 87 53 1,871 1,510 0.30 0.97 2.91 9.22 Rogers City : 89 51 1,792 1,386 0.74 1.81 4.31 9.87 Northeast : 91 49 3 1,825 1,412 1,527 0.60 1.63 4.09 10.34 12.77 3.12 : Fremont : 91 58 2,069 1,693 0.52 0.83 2.50 6.60 Hart : 89 55 1,982 1,562 0.27 2.42 5.04 10.43 Muskegon : 88 61 2,125 1,700 1.23 1.32 2.82 6.93 West Central : 91 51 3 2,032 1,620 1,723 0.54 1.77 3.78 8.49 12.74 3.60 : Alma : 90 58 2,105 1,794 0.43 0.68 2.63 7.60 Big Rapids : 90 58 2,040 1,670 0.00 0.00 3.56 8.61 Central : 90 56 4 2,055 1,727 1,794 0.44 0.64 3.18 8.53 13.70 3.64 : Bad Axe : 97 64 2,029 1,619 0.43 0.88 3.13 11.46 Pigeon : 90 57 1,895 1,600 0.06 0.14 2.10 9.26 Saginaw : 89 60 2,028 1,781 0.74 1.01 3.91 11.93 Standish : 90 56 1,982 1,583 0.12 0.42 3.54 11.68 East Central : 97 56 5 1,966 1,656 1,781 0.41 0.69 3.13 11.15 12.47 2.93 : Fennville : 91 58 2,126 1,726 0.66 0.66 1.82 5.45 Grand Rapids : 92 63 2,232 2,008 0.36 0.39 3.86 15.26 Holland : 90 60 2,204 1,815 0.67 0.68 1.16 3.26 South Bend, IN : 91 61 2,365 2,131 1.44 1.55 3.10 9.01 Watervliet : 91 61 2,261 1,903 0.53 0.69 2.38 8.15 Southwest : 96 57 4 2,228 1,905 1,935 0.55 0.71 2.31 7.75 14.41 3.18 : Belding : 91 58 2,041 1,803 0.65 0.70 2.92 12.59 Coldwater : 90 61 2,103 1,855 0.46 0.60 2.95 10.66 Lansing : 91 64 2,231 1,886 0.42 0.49 4.32 14.61 South Central : 92 58 5 2,168 1,908 1,914 0.41 0.52 3.05 11.16 14.28 3.36 : Detroit : 90 64 2,348 2,103 0.36 0.36 3.23 11.33 Flint : 90 61 2,133 1,932 0.24 0.32 3.75 10.66 Romeo : 90 62 2,139 1,898 0.57 0.60 3.49 12.40 Tipton : 90 62 2,183 1,874 0.44 0.46 4.56 12.21 Toledo, OH : 93 61 2,322 2,170 0.69 0.69 4.00 10.15 Southeast : 93 57 5 2,188 1,984 1,898 0.58 0.62 3.66 12.24 13.82 3.12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.