mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released July 13, 2009 Week Ending Date July 12, 2009 Issue MI-CW2809 Agricultural Summary Cool & Dry Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 12, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation varied from 0 inches in the west central, south west, south central and south east Lower Peninsula to 0.08 inches in the eastern Upper Peninsula. Average temperatures ranged from 4 degrees below normal in the west central and central Lower Peninsula to 7 degrees below normal in the north east Lower Peninsula. Dry weather this week allowed crops and field activities to advance. Lack of rain was beginning to show stress on corn and soybeans. Rain was also needed for improving hay crops. One grower reported, "It was a very good week for farm activities with moderate temperatures, sunny skies, and little wind. We could use some more moisture; corn is showing signs of stress on lighter ground." Field Crops Report Field Crops Crop progress remained behind normal. The majority of wheat turned yellow. Harvest has slowly begun in the southeast. Oats were looking good and were turning. Rye, in the southeast, was ready to be cut. Corn and soybeans were behind schedule. Both were showing signs of stress from of lack of moisture; however, the color was better. Soybeans, in the west central, began blossoming. Alfalfa harvest continued. There were several reports that the second cutting would be better. Alfalfa enjoyed the cooler temperatures. Sugarbeets were progressing with no serious problems but had spotty stands in some fields. A reporter in the Thumb region stated, "Large acreage of dry beans was being replanted for the third time." In fields that were not replanted, the crop was progressing and stands looked well. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Apples were 30 to 32 mm in the northwest, 1.75 inches in the southeast, and 2 inches in diameter in the southwest, where fire blight symptoms were common. Apricot harvest was underway in the southwest. Blueberries were 14 mm in the southeast; hand picking of early varieties continued in the southwest where fruit size and quality were excellent. Peaches were 2 inches in diameter; bacterial leaf spot infections were found. Pears were 23 mm in the northwest, 1.4 inches in diameter in the southeast. Plums ranged from 23 mm in the northwest to 1 inch in diameter in southern Michigan. Raspberry harvest was underway. Strawberry harvest neared completion in the northwest and renovation continued in the southwest. Sweet cherries were 21 mm in the northwest. Tart cherries were coloring in the northwest, as harvest was underway in the southwest; growers were concerned with quality and volume due to damage from storms experienced a few weeks ago. Grapes were at berry touch in the southwest and late bloom in the northwest. Vegetables Vegetable crops continued their development this week as temperatures remained close to normal. Celery harvest picked up this week, but growers are reporting lower than normal production for this time of year. Planting of celery was finished for most producers. In the southeast, some early sweet corn was harvested. Producers across the State continued to monitor for European corn borer and corn earworm. Cabbage harvest continued, with growers reporting good yields and quality. Peppers and tomatoes showed good progress this week, but growers report that development continued to be a week to ten days behind normal for this time of the year. In the southwest, early planted snap beans were reported to be in good condition. Growers monitored snap bean fields for potato leafhopper activity. Across the State, summer squash and zucchini harvest continued. Cucumbers continued to be harvested as growers monitored fields for cucumber beetles and downy mildew. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 07/12/09 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 10 30 56 4 Subsoil : 7 22 64 7 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 07/12/09 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 2 6 23 55 14 Corn : 2 8 27 49 14 Dry beans : 3 18 43 29 7 Oats : 1 3 25 60 11 Pasture : 2 7 29 49 13 Soybeans : 2 8 30 49 11 Winter Wheat : 1 4 24 55 16 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 07/12/09 ------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------- : Inches : Corn, height : 38 26 42 43 : : Percent : All hay, first cutting : 97 82 94 96 All hay, second cutting : 28 13 27 33 Blueberries, harvested : 23 8 14 9 Corn, silked : 1 0 2 11 Dry beans, blooming : 1 0 1 6 Oats, headed : 87 85 94 95 Oats, turning yellow : 25 15 18 34 Soybeans, blooming : 16 6 30 26 Strawberries, harvested : 88 76 84 93 Tart cherries, harvested : 13 3 10 34 Winter wheat, turning yellow : 87 71 98 98 Winter wheat, harvested : 1 0 3 16 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 07/12/09 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2009 :2008 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 82 39 797 795 0.03 0.29 1.36 7.68 Marquette : 82 41 679 736 0.03 0.29 1.36 7.69 Stephenson : 87 42 913 981 0.04 0.12 0.27 8.92 Western UP : 87 35 -5 771 796 860 0.03 0.27 1.42 7.96 10.40 3.42 : Cornell : 87 43 851 862 0.02 0.22 0.30 6.84 Sault St Marie : 80 47 677 730 0.09 0.65 1.73 7.63 Eastern UP : 87 43 -3 690 740 700 0.16 1.06 1.46 8.80 9.76 3.19 : Beulah : 84 48 955 1,057 0.16 1.14 1.86 9.78 Lake City : 80 41 921 1,027 0.08 0.88 1.41 11.04 Old Mission : 85 48 861 995 0.36 1.45 1.86 6.56 Pellston : 84 40 823 974 0.09 0.56 1.18 5.44 Northwest : 85 40 -4 859 974 992 0.20 0.91 1.40 7.51 9.43 2.99 : Alpena : 83 48 863 1,005 0.08 0.97 1.71 9.33 Houghton Lake : 80 39 912 1,068 0.15 0.38 0.77 9.76 Rogers City : 85 49 870 958 0.78 1.22 1.76 9.54 Northeast : 85 39 -5 884 1,025 952 0.24 0.70 1.27 9.34 9.19 3.18 : Fremont : 82 46 1,062 1,145 0.46 0.62 1.53 9.32 Hart : 81 44 991 1,060 0.13 0.64 1.77 12.28 Muskegon : 83 49 1,130 1,110 0.22 0.52 2.21 9.66 West Central : 83 43 -4 1,046 1,093 1,102 0.22 0.72 1.71 10.76 9.63 2.54 : Alma : 81 50 1,069 1,217 0.20 0.51 2.12 13.56 Big Rapids : 80 46 1,063 1,182 0.34 0.65 2.12 10.26 Central : 81 46 -4 1,061 1,188 1,162 0.32 0.62 2.04 11.00 10.28 2.97 : Bad Axe : 81 49 947 1,163 0.03 0.62 2.38 10.69 Pigeon : 82 47 948 1,132 0.11 0.86 3.02 10.97 Saginaw : 81 49 1,083 1,270 0.32 1.32 3.53 12.09 Standish : 82 47 971 1,107 0.04 0.60 2.02 10.30 East Central : 82 47 -5 959 1,182 1,143 0.14 0.90 3.03 11.55 9.38 2.92 : Fennville : 82 48 1,121 1,140 0.54 0.62 4.40 13.10 Grand Rapids : 81 50 1,246 1,335 1.35 1.52 6.61 15.60 Holland : 85 52 1,308 1,323 0.44 0.58 8.86 20.04 South Bend, IN : 84 48 1,364 1,405 0.47 0.56 3.29 12.72 Watervliet : 82 48 1,219 1,267 0.33 0.43 3.36 11.68 Southwest : 85 43 -4 1,235 1,286 1,250 0.38 0.49 3.92 12.85 11.11 3.09 : Belding : 80 43 1,069 1,188 0.16 0.36 2.23 10.86 Coldwater : 85 48 1,280 1,275 0.18 0.33 2.85 13.03 Lansing : 82 48 1,150 1,308 0.40 0.70 4.02 15.55 South Central : 85 43 -5 1,155 1,269 1,245 0.49 0.69 3.88 13.41 10.86 3.22 : Detroit : 86 55 1,313 1,433 1.04 1.20 4.97 14.30 Flint : 82 47 1,133 1,355 0.51 1.04 5.55 15.35 Romeo : 83 51 1,116 1,255 0.20 0.70 5.86 10.40 Tipton : 85 51 1,214 1,295 0.48 0.58 2.99 12.40 Toledo, OH : 84 52 1,350 1,409 0.26 0.33 3.33 11.78 Southeast : 87 46 -4 1,202 1,330 1,215 0.30 0.55 3.61 11.85 10.68 3.11 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Issued by the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commer 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.