mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released June 16, 2008 Week Ending Date June~15, 2008 Issue MI-CW2408 Agricultural Summary Continued Warm Weather Three days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 15, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation varied from 0.45 inches in the southwestern Lower Peninsula to 2.73 inches in the northwestern Lower Peninsula. Average temperatures ranged from 1 degree above normal in the western Upper Peninsula to 7 degrees above normal in the southwestern Lower Peninsula. Warm temperatures and rain allowed rapid crop development and improved crop conditions this past week. A farmer stated, "Recent rains and warm weather have improved corn and soybeans very much. Wheat heads are short but filling nicely." Storms brought rains that left soft, wet ground in some areas and standing water in other areas. "There are areas of standing water from rain on June 12. Hay harvest has been delayed again. The next week looks good to finish hay harvest," another farmer reported. Field Crops Report Field Crops Across the State, field crops benefited from the moisture and warmth. Rains have improved crop conditions, but soggy soils were a hindrance in some locations. Some damage was reported from the storms of the previous week. Corn was generally in good condition and averaged about 9 inches in height. Soybeans were nearly all emerged this week. Most winter wheat was headed last week. There were some reports of powdery mildew low in the plant following a damp and humid week. Wet soils slowed harvest of alfalfa and other hay. Alfalfa weevil damage was observed in some fields. Planting of dry beans was delayed due to the rains and will continue as fields dry out. Some fields were just beginning to emerge. Oats generally looked good and about a third of the planted crop had headed. Disease and insect pressure were low. Barley benefited from the recent weather. Sugarbeet stands looked good and were at the six leaf stage, with more advanced fields at the eight to ten leaf stage. Weeds were growing rapidly in the warm weather and fields may need herbicide application. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Apples in the southwest grew to 26 mm in diameter and ranged from 21 to 24 mm in the southeast. Potato leafhopper and apple scab lesions were present. Growers finished thinning activities. In the Grand Rapids area, apples grew to 18 mm. In the northwest, apples grew to 12 mm in diameter. Peaches were 1 inch in diameter in the southwest; hand thinning continued. Peaches grew to 21 mm in the southeast and 15 mm in the northwest. Pear fruit grew to 21 mm and 13 mm in the southeast and northwest, respectively. Plums grew to 14 mm in the west central and 10 mm in the northwest. Japanese plums were 20 mm and European plums were 22 mm in the southeast. Sweet cherries grew to 20 mm in diameter in the southwest, as early varieties were yellowing and began to show color. Bacterial canker symptoms were evident. In the southeast, sweet cherries were 18 mm as coloring began, and discoloration from the early season cold injury was visible. Frost scars were apparent on hanging fruit in the northwest, as sweet cherries grew to 12 mm; in the west central, they were 15 mm. Tart cherries were 16 mm in the southwest and 14 mm with some scarring in the southeast. Strawberry harvest was underway. Blueberries were pea-sized in the southwest. In the southeast, blueberries were at fruit set. Grapes were in bloom in the southwest. Wine grape shoots were 10 to 16 inches in the northwest. Vegetables The additional moisture and warmer temperatures provided two of the essential factors needed for substantial crop growth. However, growers were concerned about the loss of fertilizer and herbicides from the recent rainstorms. Asparagus harvest was complete in some areas, while other growers expect to pick late this year. The celery, radish, onion, and lettuce crops sustained damage with radish being affected the most in the central part of the State. Early planted cabbage started under tunnels continued harvest in some fields, while other fields were beginning to head and appear to be doing well. Some carrots were lost to flooding last week, but stands were thin in most places. The extensive rainfall in the west central is of concern where squash was just planted. Market tomatoes in early fields were heavy with blossoms and processing tomatoes are filling the twin rows. Peas were at early harvest. Potatoes were beginning to blossom with low numbers of leafhoppers being found. Cool soil temperatures resulted in poor establishment of the first several plantings of fresh market snap beans, but the later plantings emerged and were doing well. Sweet corn was progressing to the silking stage in some early planted crops and averaged 14 to 16 inches tall. Spinach plantings were responding well to the moisture and warm weather with excellent growth. Rains interrupted the planting of pumpkins and processing zucchini. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 06/15/08 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 0 3 76 21 Subsoil : 0 5 76 19 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 06/15/08 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 1 7 25 50 17 Barley : 1 1 41 55 2 Corn : 1 4 19 52 24 Oats : 0 6 29 52 13 Pasture : 1 3 27 49 20 Soybeans : 1 6 28 51 14 Winter Wheat : 1 5 25 52 17 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 06/15/08 ------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------- : Inches : Corn, height : 9 NA NA NA : : Percent : All hay, first cutting : 49 35 68 58 Asparagus, harvested : 87 73 87 88 Barley, emerged : 100 85 99 99 Dry beans, planted : 41 35 72 52 Dry beans, emerged : 8 NA 24 16 Oats, headed : 33 14 38 33 Potatoes, emerged : 88 61 81 NA Soybeans, emerged : 95 82 92 84 Strawberries, harvested : 21 5 50 30 Winter wheat, headed : 98 85 98 95 Winter wheat, turning yellow : 5 0 NA NA ------------------------------------------------------------- Contact Information U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Field 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 06/15/08 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2008 :2007 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 75 39 401 670 1.04 1.41 2.39 8.37 Marquette : 78 42 367 620 1.69 2.02 2.31 9.22 Stephenson : 80 48 539 704 0.32 0.62 2.43 9.08 Western UP : 80 39 1 425 645 473 1.24 1.62 2.60 8.40 7.28 3.61 : Cornell : 79 43 466 619 0.78 1.17 3.72 8.10 Sault St Marie : 75 43 388 596 1.27 1.58 2.41 7.79 Eastern UP : 79 37 3 390 586 352 0.88 1.27 2.39 7.27 6.87 3.26 : Beulah : 80 53 624 726 3.11 5.55 6.73 13.10 Lake City : 78 52 626 673 5.86 9.83 10.24 14.67 Old Mission : 82 47 578 687 1.34 2.73 3.20 8.40 Pellston : 80 47 569 691 1.68 2.20 4.27 8.58 Northwest : 82 45 3 576 677 557 2.73 4.50 5.50 10.66 6.71 3.03 : Alpena : 85 52 587 683 1.47 2.62 3.08 6.58 Houghton Lake : 79 51 650 716 2.68 8.02 8.25 11.55 Rogers City : 82 52 603 686 1.74 3.97 4.84 8.55 Northeast : 85 49 4 621 702 529 1.78 4.45 5.05 8.69 6.70 2.90 : Fremont : 83 53 709 794 0.69 4.05 4.92 9.20 Hart : 82 53 655 742 1.04 3.47 4.22 9.87 Muskegon : 86 56 674 782 0.56 3.70 4.55 8.20 West Central : 86 51 3 673 769 632 1.73 4.91 5.67 10.49 7.31 2.94 : Alma : 85 58 739 842 0.67 2.15 2.41 5.66 Big Rapids : 85 55 718 745 0.93 2.49 3.13 6.87 Central : 85 55 5 727 793 679 0.78 2.39 2.86 6.13 7.39 3.36 : Bad Axe : 88 54 702 723 1.17 3.08 3.79 6.79 Pigeon : 86 53 697 713 0.58 1.84 2.36 4.90 Saginaw : 88 58 787 836 0.91 2.61 3.26 5.79 Standish : 85 53 676 740 0.78 2.84 3.41 6.64 East Central : 88 51 5 696 755 658 0.96 2.69 3.13 6.13 6.63 3.08 : Fennville : 88 55 707 793 0.37 7.00 7.68 12.37 Grand Rapids : 86 59 829 893 0.14 4.23 4.89 9.84 Holland : 90 56 804 892 0.33 6.47 7.31 11.14 South Bend, IN : 89 57 879 982 0.45 2.21 2.55 7.42 Watervliet : 87 56 788 878 0.55 3.57 4.00 9.04 Southwest : 90 55 7 801 873 728 0.45 4.30 4.87 9.89 8.16 3.55 : Belding : 85 57 746 798 0.42 2.33 2.78 7.01 Coldwater : 86 32 816 824 1.42 2.11 2.64 6.07 Lansing : 84 58 823 842 0.44 3.41 3.54 6.83 South Central : 87 32 4 791 844 730 0.69 3.25 3.70 7.15 7.82 3.57 : Detroit : 91 60 891 915 1.45 2.58 3.03 5.44 Flint : 86 59 866 831 1.19 3.13 3.44 6.26 Romeo : 84 57 772 782 1.00 2.34 2.98 5.76 Tipton : 88 56 820 851 1.99 2.92 3.08 5.93 Toledo, OH : 89 56 877 933 2.13 2.66 2.89 6.79 Southeast : 91 55 6 819 857 698 1.87 3.26 3.73 6.85 7.72 3.36 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Issued by the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office 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.