mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released November 10, 2008 Week Ending Date November 9, 2008 Issue MI-CW4508 Agricultural Summary Unseasonably Warm Five days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending November 9, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation varied from 0.15 inches in the southeastern Lower Peninsula to 1.08 inches in the eastern Upper Peninsula. Average temperatures ranged from 7 degrees above normal in the southeastern Lower Peninsula to 11 degrees above normal in the northwestern Lower Peninsula. Warm weather prevailed through much of the week providing excellent weather for harvest and fieldwork. A grower in the south central reported, "The main activity this week was harvesting corn. Field conditions were excellent this week for harvest and drying corn." Temperatures dropped near the end of the week and light rain and snow flurries fell throughout much of the State, bringing fieldwork to a standstill. "Our nice fall weather came to a sudden halt Friday evening with rain, snow, and much colder temperatures. This continued all day Saturday which stopped fieldwork," a reporter in the west central stated. Field Crops Report Field Crops Harvest activities and fall tillage continued across the State until rain and snow came. Corn harvest continued where conditions allowed as growers monitored the crop's moisture level. A small amount of soybeans remain to be harvested. Alfalfa harvest has come to an end for most farmers. Some growers continued to get a fourth cutting. Winter wheat continued to emerge in the warm weather. Most of the crop has emerged. The warm temperatures were not ideal for sugarbeet harvest. Vegetables Unstable weather conditions, ranging from warm weather to freezing temperatures, affected the harvest of the remaining vegetable crops. Processing carrot and onion harvest continued with few complications. Winter squash was still being harvested. Late season cole crop harvest continued but was slightly behind schedule due to the dry weather in the summer, which slowed plant growth. Fall tillage and manure hauling activities continued. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 11/09/08 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 2 9 73 16 Subsoil : 6 11 73 10 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 11/09/08 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Pasture : 15 18 40 24 3 Winter Wheat : 1 1 14 58 26 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 11/09/08 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, fourth cutting : 84 71 84 91 Corn, harvested : 72 52 79 69 Soybeans, harvested : 97 94 95 90 Sugarbeets, harvested : 86 75 88 89 Winter wheat, emerged : 93 71 96 88 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 11/09/08 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 : 70 24 3,029 2,515 0.76 0.83 1.63 18.98 Marquette : 65 23 2,897 2,394 0.66 0.83 2.16 20.80 Stephenson : 63 24 2,364 2,725 0.76 0.79 1.32 19.31 Western UP : 70 22 10 2,702 2,497 2,047 0.58 0.64 1.33 17.75 23.22 2.54 : Cornell : 70 25 2,220 2,598 0.78 0.79 1.68 17.51 Sault St Marie : 68 32 2,937 2,346 1.23 1.38 2.37 19.43 Eastern UP : 70 25 10 2,329 2,376 1,790 1.08 1.28 2.25 20.24 22.29 2.65 : Beulah : 73 34 2,603 2,906 0.41 0.53 1.50 22.82 Lake City : 72 27 2,416 2,695 0.46 0.66 2.34 27.48 Old Mission : 74 29 2,488 2,810 0.23 0.67 1.50 15.46 Pellston : 71 33 3,282 2,688 0.65 0.77 1.88 19.44 Northwest : 74 27 11 2,549 2,719 2,355 0.39 0.69 1.83 20.06 21.58 2.69 : Alpena : 69 34 3,388 2,735 0.16 0.37 1.15 20.22 Houghton Lake : 69 34 3,448 2,725 0.27 0.38 1.45 22.96 Rogers City : 69 32 3,303 2,734 0.36 0.55 1.54 21.63 Northeast : 69 18 9 3,209 2,711 2,273 0.34 0.51 1.49 22.04 21.02 2.57 : Fremont : 70 29 2,690 3,029 1.24 1.39 2.85 21.98 Hart : 71 31 2,583 2,901 1.08 1.23 2.20 22.17 Muskegon : 72 35 3,749 3,168 0.70 0.88 2.72 23.68 West Central : 72 29 10 3,038 2,986 2,577 1.00 1.15 2.59 24.34 21.76 2.88 : Alma : 72 29 2,821 3,165 0.28 0.97 2.17 21.23 Big Rapids : 71 29 2,695 2,823 0.60 0.66 2.16 21.72 Central : 72 29 10 2,979 2,993 2,664 0.46 0.81 2.14 20.67 22.17 2.49 : Bad Axe : 72 32 2,705 3,023 0.23 1.00 2.36 25.15 Pigeon : 71 32 2,609 2,912 0.25 0.54 1.55 18.64 Saginaw : 72 35 3,888 3,208 0.19 0.53 1.54 21.38 Standish : 70 25 2,555 2,897 0.50 0.68 2.00 23.02 East Central : 72 25 9 2,996 3,013 2,679 0.28 0.80 1.85 22.18 19.84 2.23 : Fennville : 73 31 2,792 3,125 0.81 1.41 3.06 32.78 Grand Rapids : 72 36 3,133 3,509 0.59 0.72 2.30 29.48 Holland : 72 37 3,167 3,416 1.29 1.52 3.47 31.82 South Bend, IN : 72 32 3,269 3,658 0.27 0.97 2.91 30.34 Watervliet : 72 32 2,992 3,356 0.76 1.31 2.81 28.64 Southwest : 75 31 8 3,022 3,346 2,941 0.76 1.19 3.09 30.46 23.27 2.79 : Belding : 72 29 2,771 3,058 0.80 1.02 2.35 20.66 Coldwater : 74 30 3,030 3,161 0.00 0.32 1.57 23.11 Lansing : 71 35 3,988 3,265 0.12 0.58 1.81 23.39 South Central : 74 29 9 3,113 3,191 2,885 0.28 0.62 1.93 24.47 22.11 2.32 : Detroit : 71 38 4,320 3,574 0.15 0.64 1.37 18.41 Flint : 71 35 4,024 3,250 0.12 0.68 1.50 23.11 Romeo : 71 30 2,876 3,208 0.18 0.72 1.39 21.38 Tipton : 72 31 3,028 3,230 0.18 0.69 1.74 24.42 Toledo, OH : 73 35 3,319 3,512 0.13 0.13 1.23 21.58 Southeast : 75 30 7 3,340 3,306 2,880 0.15 0.50 1.36 22.59 21.11 2.44 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.