mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released September 8, 2009 Week Ending Date September 6, 2009 Issue MI-CW3609 Agricultural Summary Sunny and Dry Seven days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 6, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation varied from no precipitation in the western Upper Peninsula, northeast, west central, central, east central, and southwest to Lower Peninsula to 0.41 in the southeast Lower Peninsula. Average temperatures ranged from 5 degrees below normal in the southeast, southwest, and south central Lower Peninsula to normal temperatures in the eastern Upper Peninsula. This was a normal late summer week with moderate but below normal temperatures. Crops are continuing to progress well with the warm and sunny temperatures experienced last week. Some cool overnight temperatures were seen last week as low as 31 degrees in the western Upper Peninsula and 33 degrees in the northwest Lower Peninsula. A grower in the central Lower Peninsula commented, "The wide range in crop conditions is due to both spring rain issues and maturity issues. If we do not get a frost until November, then the crop condition will be greatly improved." Another grower from the east central Lower Peninsula commented, "We will need to get past our normal frost date. If we get a long warm fall we could have some record yields." Field Crops Report Field Crops Pleasant conditions, and minimal precipitation, helped progress the development of crops in all areas of the State. However, many farmers were still concerned about the development of corn and soybeans prior to the frost. Farmers continued preparing wheat fields for the 2010 crop. Activities included liming, spreading manure, spraying and tilling. Continual reports of the 2010 wheat crop could be planted late depending on the harvest of soybeans. Oat harvest was all but complete. Corn was in growth stages ranging from milk to dent. Soybeans were in growth stages R4-R6. The soybeans were still short but had numerous pods. Development of both crops was still behind as heat units still were needed. Alfalfa harvest continued, with some farmers receiving a fourth cutting. In the southeast, some farmers have begun to seed new alfalfa. Farmers were putting finishing touches on equipment used for the harvest of sugarbeets. Harvest should begin September 12. Dry bean advancement continued. Some fields were setting and filling pods. In the Thumb, white mold was a problem. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Harvest of Ginger Gold, Williams Pride, Zestar, Mollies Delicious, Jonamac, McIntosh and Gala apples was underway in the southwest. Blueberry harvest was completed for the most part, with a few growers still harvesting Elliott blueberries. Cresthaven, PF25, Loring, Glowingstar, PF19-007, PF23, PF244- 007, PF24C peaches were being picked in the southwest; brown rot was common in some orchards. Bartlett pears continued to be harvested. In the southwest, Anjou and Bosc winter pears were also being picked. Stanley plums were being harvested. In the southwest, harvest of NY9, Italian, Red Heart, and Vision plums was underway. Fall raspberry harvest continued. Harvest of Mars, Fredonia, Himrod, Vanessa, and Marquis grapes was underway in the southwest; harvest of Niagara grapes is expected to begin in late September. In the northwest, grapes were at veraison. Vegetables Tomato harvest continued across the State. In the east central region, some fields were showing the effects of water damage from early in the season, and cracking was observed on some of the heirloom varieties. In the southwest, some blossom end rot has appeared in tomatoes due to recent warmer temperatures. Sweet corn harvest also continued with most farms reporting a good crop with few pest issues; cooler temperatures have slowed the development of later plantings. Pepper and eggplant harvest continued with few problems reported. Zucchini and yellow squash harvest continued, but slowed due to cooler temperatures. Watermelons were harvested in a number of locations, while pumpkin, winter squash, and cantaloup development continued; growers were advised to stay on top of protective sprays due to powdery mildew. Carrot, lettuce, celery, onion, cucumber and pickle harvest continued across the State; cucurbit downy mildew continued to be a problem for cucumber and pickle growers. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 09/06/09 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 2 19 75 4 Subsoil : 4 20 74 2 --------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 09/06/09 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, second cutting : 90 86 99 99 All hay, third cutting : 54 39 67 67 All hay, fourth cutting : 10 2 9 10 Apples, harvested : 11 7 14 11 Blueberries, harvested : 99 91 94 96 Corn, dough : 75 65 89 88 Corn, dent : 21 13 65 62 Corn silage, harvested : 2 1 21 24 Dry beans, setting pods : 99 92 100 100 Dry beans, turning leaves : 45 17 64 78 Dry beans, dropping leaves : 18 3 21 41 Oats, harvested : 91 84 100 98 Peaches, harvested : 65 56 56 75 Potatoes, harvested : 26 17 29 24 Soybeans, turning leaves : 6 1 41 35 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 0 0 10 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 09/06/09 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 3 8 24 52 13 Corn : 5 11 26 46 12 Dry beans : 4 11 39 40 6 Pasture : 5 10 30 45 10 Soybeans : 5 12 30 41 12 ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent of fall seasons (1961-1990) in which first freeze occurred on or before the date (mo/day) given in the table ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Station : 90% : 70% : 50% : 30% : 10% ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alma : 10/24 10/15 10/08 10/20 9/25 Alpena : 10/07 9/29 9/24 9/18 9/08 Bad Axe : 10/28 10/19 10/13 10/06 9/27 Caro : 10/06 9/27 9/23 9/17 9/07 Chatham : 10/06 9/25 9/17 9/08 8/24 Coldwater : 10/17 10/10 10/05 9/30 9/23 Eau Claire : 11/05 10/28 10/22 10/16 10/07 Grand Rapids : 10/24 10/15 10/09 10/03 9/25 Hesperia : 10/12 10/03 9/26 9/20 9/11 Lansing : 10/15 10/08 10/03 9/27 9/19 Lapeer : 10/16 10/06 9/28 9/19 9/03 Monroe : 11/02 10/26 10/20 10/15 10/06 Saginaw : 10/30 10/22 10/16 10/10 10/02 Sandusky : 10/25 10/16 10/09 9/30 9/16 S.S. Marie : 10/12 10/02 9/25 9/18 9/08 Standish : 10/12 10/01 9/24 9/16 9/05 Stephenson : 9/29 9/23 9/18 9/12 9/03 Traverse City : 10/20 10/10 10/02 9/25 9/13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 09/07/09 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 : 77 43 1,551 1,671 0.00 1.31 2.92 11.01 Marquette : 79 43 1,437 1,583 0.00 1.31 2.92 12.06 Stephenson : 81 41 1,777 1,959 0.00 0.95 2.22 13.16 Western UP : 81 31 -1 1,544 1,660 1,732 0.00 1.32 2.80 12.60 17.19 3.58 : Cornell : 78 42 1,646 1,868 0.02 0.76 1.97 12.52 Sault St Marie : 79 46 1,456 1,628 0.06 1.20 2.71 13.21 Eastern UP : 79 39 0 1,445 1,627 1,525 0.02 0.84 2.35 14.27 16.12 3.55 : Beulah : 79 40 1,826 2,131 0.00 1.77 2.71 17.87 Lake City : 79 37 1,755 1,998 0.00 0.87 2.68 17.69 Old Mission : 80 43 1,724 2,039 0.00 1.24 2.90 12.34 Pellston : 80 38 1,633 1,915 0.00 1.15 4.97 12.39 Northwest : 80 33 -2 1,689 1,967 1,959 0.02 1.07 2.82 13.19 15.11 3.66 : Alpena : 79 39 1,744 1,994 0.00 2.37 4.15 19.02 Houghton Lake : 78 34 1,771 2,045 0.00 0.82 1.44 16.27 Rogers City : 79 42 1,705 1,984 0.00 0.91 4.99 20.75 Northeast : 79 34 -3 1,733 1,996 1,898 0.00 1.32 3.45 17.55 15.18 3.47 : Fremont : 83 39 1,991 2,209 0.00 0.40 1.76 14.94 Hart : 81 40 1,879 2,106 0.00 1.14 2.07 16.82 Muskegon : 81 41 2,163 2,231 0.00 0.96 2.24 14.58 West Central : 83 35 -4 1,978 2,149 2,135 0.00 0.74 1.99 16.19 15.48 3.19 : Alma : 80 43 2,039 2,321 0.00 0.98 1.51 19.08 Big Rapids : 78 38 1,896 2,202 0.00 1.27 1.87 21.49 Central : 81 38 -3 1,970 2,245 2,205 0.00 0.90 1.65 18.26 16.40 3.09 : Bad Axe : 79 42 1,913 2,245 0.00 0.48 0.58 16.38 Pigeon : 79 41 1,881 2,149 0.00 0.27 0.87 16.65 Saginaw : 80 43 2,104 2,376 0.00 0.43 0.74 15.91 Standish : 79 38 1,874 2,105 0.00 0.93 1.75 15.23 East Central : 80 38 -4 1,905 2,240 2,204 0.00 0.53 1.04 16.83 14.58 2.70 : Fennville : 80 41 2,077 2,244 0.00 1.96 3.04 18.92 Grand Rapids : 79 44 2,306 2,562 0.00 1.64 2.19 21.27 Holland : 81 44 2,399 2,586 0.00 2.12 3.81 30.26 South Bend, IN : 78 46 2,442 2,637 0.03 1.90 6.78 21.69 Watervliet : 80 43 2,246 2,419 0.00 1.82 3.71 17.93 Southwest : 82 36 -5 2,262 2,442 2,396 0.00 1.79 3.70 19.42 16.74 3.26 : Belding : 82 38 2,010 2,271 0.00 0.57 1.50 18.44 Coldwater : 82 41 2,315 2,412 0.06 0.94 3.46 17.72 Lansing : 78 42 2,186 2,478 0.00 2.13 2.63 24.28 South Central : 82 38 -5 2,133 2,400 2,358 0.03 1.29 2.39 19.88 16.75 2.79 : Detroit : 81 50 2,479 2,742 0.22 0.93 1.61 18.72 Flint : 79 43 2,135 2,519 0.00 0.53 1.14 22.14 Romeo : 80 44 2,142 2,383 0.36 1.41 1.66 17.32 Tipton : 80 45 2,195 2,469 0.31 1.96 3.13 17.42 Toledo, OH : 81 47 2,487 2,699 1.95 2.62 4.21 18.43 Southeast : 82 39 -5 2,236 2,526 2,354 0.41 1.58 2.42 17.41 16.04 2.43 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.