mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released June 14, 2010 Week Ending Date June 13, 2010 Issue MI-CW2410 Agricultural Summary Wet Weather Continues Four days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 13, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation varied from 0.31 inches in the central Lower Peninsula to 2.29 inches in the western Upper Peninsula. Average temperatures ranged from 1 degree below normal in the south central Lower Peninsula to 3 degrees below normal in the western Upper Peninsula. It was generally cool all week, and more rain kept fieldwork to a minimum. Farmers appreciated the rain in northern Michigan. "We finally received some much needed rain, which has improved all crops. Cattle are now having good pasture," stated one reporter from the northern tip of Lower Peninsula. While farmers in the north Lower Peninsula welcomed the rain, other producers across Michigan would rather have missed it. Many fields across the state were saturated. It has been too wet to harvest hay, and conditions made spraying weeds and nitrogen application very difficult. "Another tough week to get fieldwork done and now armyworms are in the wheat. Some farmers will "mud" in the spray so they can save the wheat crop," stated one farmer in southeast Michigan. Field Crops Report Field Crops Rainy weather continued and hindered many field activities. Wheat was past flowering and was in early grain fill. The reports of powdery mildew, Septoria, Fusarium head blight (scab) and leaf rust continued. In the southeast, there was some lodging due to last week's tornado. Oats and barley were heading out. Small grains were yellowing, in part due to maturity and the abundance of moisture received. Some oats in the southwest were in early grain fill. Alfalfa harvest was stalled due to rains and threats of rain. Alfalfa that was cut for dry hay and not baled in Central Michigan will be chopped back on fields due to the difficulty in baling. Quite a bit of haylage was harvested. Some hay fields were over-mature. Rains have been excellent for regrowth of first cuttings. Sugarbeet development continued and rows were filling quickly. Corn was in growth stages ranging from V4 to V6. Corn height was variable due to planting timing and some fields were showing signs of stress due to rains. Rains were impeding timely applications of nitrogen and herbicides for weed control. Seed corn planting was nearing completion with a little rust on lower leaves. Soybean planting continued as weather permitted. Fields were in growth stages ranging from V1 to V4. Emergence of planted fields was rapid. Septoria brown spot seemed to be a problem on soybeans in the southwest. Weed control on corn and soybeans will be necessary, given moisture levels. Planting of drybeans was stalled due to rains. Some fields in eastern Huron County were underwater. Much of the crop was still left to plant. Early planted fields should be scouted for root rot injury. There were several reports of insect and mollusk activity and or damage last week. Growers were encouraged to scout fields for the presence of these pests. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit The rains last week brought about one to two inches, and soils remain wet in the southwest and southeast areas. Growing degree days were still about a week ahead of normal. Apples ranged from fruit size 20 to 21 mm in the northwest to 1.5 to 2 inches in the southwest. In the west central and southeast, some apple blocks with very low yield potential will not be harvested. There were higher than usual levels of powdery mildew in the Grand Rapids area. Peaches ranged from fruit size 1 to 1.5 inches in the southwest and southeast. European plums were between 17 and 25 mm in the northwest and southeast, and fruit was 1.5 inches long and 1 inch wide in the southwest. Strawberries were starting to color in the northwest. Harvest was underway in the southwest, southeast, and Grand Rapids areas. Sweet cherries were at fruit size 14 to 16 mm diameter in the northwest; fruit was beginning to color in the southwest, southeast, and west central. Tart cherries ranged from fruit size 12 mm in the northwest to 16 to 18 mm in the southeast, and fruit coloring has begun there. Pears were at 16 mm in diameter the northwest and an inch diameter in the southwest. Blueberries were at fruit size 11 to 12 mm in size in the southeast, with green fruit in the southwest. Cherry fruitworm flight continued, and cranberry fruitworm trap catch increased. Grapes had 10 to 16 inch shoots in the northwest; and bloom was ending on primary shoots in the southwest. Grape berry moths continue to be caught. Summer raspberries were in bloom in the northwest and harvest has begun in the Grand Rapids area. Vegetables Vegetables were progressing well. Humid weather, however, could cause many fungi to develop. Asparagus quality improved in Oceana County. The 2010 asparagus harvest was all but complete in southwest Michigan with growers applying postharvest herbicides and fertilizers. Carrots and onions were doing well on adequately saturated muck soils. Conversely, oversaturated onion and radish fields were showing signs of stress. Pumpkin and fall squash planting continued. Processing winter squash stands looked good and plantings of processing zucchini continued in Oceana County. Tomatoes, snap beans, peppers, and eggplant were progressing, and some fields were flowering. Warmer conditions are needed for growth. Other tomato, pepper and eggplant fields were being tied and staked. Harvest was underway for sweet peas, greens, cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini, and radishes. Cucumbers were in varying growth stages. In some fields, planting and transplanting continued. Sweet corn development continued and was doing well overall. Planting of some fields continued and emergence was good. Due to wet soils, celery transplanting has slowed. There were reports of bacterial leaf blight. Red beets looked good. Wirestem was observed on cole crops in the Macomb county area. There was some insect activity on bare ground squash, cole crops, sweet corn, celery and cabbage. Post transplanting growing conditions was good for cantaloupe and watermelon. Maturity levels of other vine crops varied. Fields that were not started under tunnels were also in need of sunnier days. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 06/13/10 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 1 2 56 41 Subsoil : 1 4 66 29 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 06/13/10 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 2 7 20 50 21 Barley : 1 22 24 47 6 Corn : 1 5 27 44 23 Oats : 1 6 25 52 16 Pasture : 1 4 20 50 25 Winter Wheat : 1 3 20 51 25 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 06/13/10 ------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------- : Inches : Corn, height : 13 7 NA NA : : Percent : All hay, first cutting : 62 47 46 55 Asparagus, harvested : 97 86 71 82 Dry beans, planted : 50 38 39 51 Dry beans, emerged : 25 NA 10 12 Oats, headed : 64 28 7 29 Potatoes, emerged : 93 80 92 84 Soybeans, planted : 91 87 92 96 Soybeans, emerged : 80 68 73 86 Strawberries, harvested : 34 14 11 22 Winter wheat, headed : 97 92 82 93 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 06/13/10 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2010 :2009 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 70 37 579 381 2.30 3.23 3.50 6.14 Marquette : 70 36 549 296 2.30 3.23 3.50 6.14 Stephenson : 76 34 676 447 1.51 2.80 2.94 5.11 Western UP : 76 31 -3 583 349 447 2.29 3.37 3.62 6.19 7.05 3.61 : Cornell : 75 35 628 382 1.41 2.65 3.61 5.42 Sault St Marie : 75 41 603 293 1.64 2.96 3.07 5.22 Eastern UP : 75 33 -1 565 302 330 2.04 3.29 3.62 5.74 6.68 3.26 : Beulah : 78 42 697 473 0.75 1.59 1.63 7.91 Lake City : 77 37 687 469 1.02 3.39 3.77 9.51 Old Mission : 79 42 678 408 2.52 3.45 3.67 8.64 Pellston : 76 36 681 392 2.29 3.87 3.89 6.63 Northwest : 79 36 -1 663 415 529 1.57 2.82 2.99 7.79 6.57 3.03 : Alpena : 76 42 651 428 2.21 3.47 3.80 8.30 Houghton Lake : 77 36 730 462 0.95 3.80 4.11 7.81 Rogers City : 73 44 606 434 2.67 3.65 3.72 8.20 Northeast : 77 36 -2 689 446 501 1.71 3.80 4.11 8.14 6.51 2.90 : Fremont : 81 44 801 552 0.37 1.29 1.55 5.95 Hart : 82 40 730 497 0.55 1.15 1.43 5.39 Muskegon : 85 46 814 577 0.94 1.74 2.00 6.70 West Central : 85 38 -1 765 540 602 0.59 1.34 1.68 6.07 7.15 2.94 : Alma : 84 46 826 549 0.50 3.33 4.08 10.81 Big Rapids : 79 41 754 550 0.22 2.04 2.50 10.27 Central : 84 41 -1 790 547 647 0.31 2.49 2.91 8.90 7.17 3.36 : Bad Axe : 78 43 752 491 0.64 5.45 5.50 9.58 Pigeon : 82 43 757 481 0.37 2.72 3.11 7.36 Saginaw : 84 47 863 557 0.32 2.50 2.78 7.60 Standish : 80 40 736 501 0.53 4.85 5.28 10.41 East Central : 84 40 -2 747 508 627 0.39 3.50 3.78 8.95 6.44 3.08 : Fennville : 87 46 804 607 0.30 5.02 5.70 11.31 Grand Rapids : 83 50 916 672 0.78 3.21 3.82 11.00 Holland : 87 50 930 682 0.26 4.59 6.79 14.69 South Bend, IN : 87 49 923 756 0.82 2.74 3.91 10.74 Watervliet : 85 49 871 667 0.52 2.98 3.73 9.56 Southwest : 88 43 -2 877 678 695 0.54 2.95 3.76 9.78 7.90 3.55 : Belding : 83 44 807 570 0.61 3.49 3.87 9.90 Coldwater : 87 49 923 711 0.30 3.36 5.38 10.77 Lansing : 84 47 889 613 0.29 2.84 3.49 9.69 South Central : 87 44 -1 858 636 696 0.49 3.17 4.22 10.39 7.55 3.57 : Detroit : 87 50 961 719 0.16 3.71 4.97 10.53 Flint : 87 46 880 613 0.08 1.51 2.12 8.97 Romeo : 88 42 809 603 0.22 1.59 2.06 9.38 Tipton : 87 48 881 676 0.69 3.10 5.91 12.69 Toledo, OH : 88 48 998 750 0.54 2.86 5.11 12.60 Southeast : 89 42 0 888 680 665 0.45 2.43 4.12 10.70 7.45 3.36 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Issued by the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Michigan State University 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.