mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released August 23, 2010 Week Ending Date August 22, 2010 Issue MI-CW3410 Agricultural Summary Light Precipitation Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 22, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation ranged from 0.24 inches in the east central Lower Peninsula to 1.45 inches in the eastern Upper Peninsula. Temperatures ranged from 0 to 1 degree above normal in the Upper Peninsula and 2 to 4 degrees above normal in the Lower Peninsula. The week resulted in a few light showers. The rain was welcomed, but did not have the impact some reporters were looking for. "There were scattered showers this past week but most areas received little or no rain. Crop deteriorated slightly this week," stated one reporter in east central Lower Peninsula. Activities included harvesting, combining rye, baling straw, weed spraying, working on equipment, and tilling. Field Crops Report Field Crops A welcomed rain shower soaked fields in the northwest Lower Peninsula over the weekend. Total rainfall amounts of one to two inches relieved a dry spell. This did little to ease the minds of farmers in southern counties who are still noticing dry field crops. A reporter in Monroe county said, "soybeans were starting to look weak from lack of rain." Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) was also found in many fields in southern Michigan. Some corn started to mature during the week although most remain in the dough to dent stage. Many fields showed signs of harvest being right around the corner. Silage harvest did begin in some counties. More was expected to begin this week. Dry bean and sugarbeet harvest was expected to begin this week on a limited basis. This is the earliest start for sugarbeet harvest on record. While harvest was the focus for most acreage, other areas were preparing for planting. Farmers continued to seed alfalfa on land where haying has finished. Unplanted acres from this spring were also being prepped for fall wheat planting. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Soils remained dry in the southwest. Growing degree days and harvest continued to be about 2 weeks ahead of normal in the southwest and southeast. Harvest of early varieties of apples continued across the state. Growers continued to be concerned about obtaining good color with the warm nighttime temperatures in the Grand Rapids area. Codling moth and oriental fruit moth trap catches were up in the southwest and southeast. Peach growers harvested late season varieties. Harvest of European plums began in the southeast and was nearing completion in the Grand Rapids area. Lack of rain and potato leafhoppers continued to affect the growth of strawberries. Pear harvest has begun in the southeast. The quality of the crop in the southeast and southwest is poor due to frost/freeze damage that has affected fruit finish. Harvest of blueberries was wrapping up around the state. Many growers have completed harvest. Grapes continued to be in veraison in the southeast and southwest regions. Harvest of fall raspberry continued in the southwest and southeast regions. Vegetables Vegetables continued to progress and were harvested as development and conditions permitted. Disease pressure and insect activity has some growers concerned. Crops being harvested include, carrots, onions, winter squash, cabbage, yellow squash, celery, zucchini for fresh and processing, cucumbers for pickles, sweet corn, potatoes, snap beans, peppers, watermelon, tomatoes for fresh and processing, eggplant, radishes, leeks, and lettuce. Carrot harvest was underway with a high quality crop. Disease pressure was high, in several carrot fields, in Oceana County. Onions looked good but foliar diseases have been expensive and difficult to control. Harvest of cabbage has slowed due to later transplants this growing season. These late transplants looked good. Aphid counts on celery have been rising on celery. Harvest stages vary by grower. Sweet corn, this year, has had very little damage from European corn borer due to low or near zero trap counts; activity of other pests, such as corn earworm moths and western bean cutworm moths, has been significant. In Macomb County, tomato and pepper fields continue to be faced with blossom end rot problems. Tomatoes have had several bacterial problems this season. Cladosporium leaf mold has appeared in some greenhouse grown tomatoes in Macomb County. Broccoli and cauliflower continued to progress. Vine crops, such as pumpkins and fall squash, continued sizing. Pumpkins and winter squash were ripening ahead of schedule. It will be important to keep vines alive for as long as possible. Downy mildew was reported. Melons continued to progress and looked good. Asparagus disease pressure remained high last week but little rust had been reported this summer. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 08/22/10 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 15 34 50 1 Subsoil : 14 34 51 1 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 08/22/10 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 1 6 26 48 19 Corn : 2 5 21 41 31 Dry beans : 4 14 29 40 13 Pasture : 5 9 34 38 14 Soybeans : 3 5 21 45 26 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 08/22/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, second cutting : 91 87 81 91 All hay, third cutting : 50 41 29 43 All hay, fourth cutting : 3 NA 0 0 Apples, harvested : 7 6 5 3 Barley, harvested : 99 85 NA NA Blueberries, harvested : 91 88 79 81 Corn, dough : 87 76 38 70 Corn, dent : 54 27 3 21 Corn, mature : 6 1 0 0 Corn silage, harvested : 9 NA 0 1 Dry beans, setting pods : 89 86 72 92 Dry beans, turning leaves : 39 NA 4 22 Dry beans, dropping leaves : 12 NA 0 4 Peaches, harvested : 72 50 43 48 Potatoes, harvested : 8 4 14 14 Soybeans, setting pods : 97 87 77 93 Soybeans, turning leaves : 4 NA 0 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 08/22/10 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 : 81 48 1,820 1,368 1.26 2.41 5.35 18.49 Marquette : 75 50 1,775 1,256 1.42 2.57 5.51 18.65 Stephenson : 87 49 2,079 1,573 0.46 0.55 2.87 17.87 Western UP : 87 45 0 1,831 1,321 1,511 1.34 2.43 4.93 18.28 15.07 3.69 : Cornell : 80 50 1,986 1,446 0.10 0.12 2.31 16.43 Sault St Marie : 76 47 1,864 1,268 1.85 2.38 4.01 12.91 Eastern UP : 80 45 1 1,805 1,261 1,316 1.45 1.74 3.27 16.39 14.22 3.53 : Beulah : 85 56 2,182 1,643 0.95 0.96 2.42 15.22 Lake City : 85 44 2,067 1,563 1.06 1.20 2.71 19.50 Old Mission : 83 52 2,093 1,525 1.91 2.44 3.58 15.77 Pellston : 78 46 1,982 1,442 1.86 3.15 4.12 16.61 Northwest : 85 44 3 2,038 1,500 1,704 1.21 1.56 2.69 15.16 13.35 3.11 : Alpena : 83 49 2,019 1,551 1.27 2.25 2.70 17.08 Houghton Lake : 84 46 2,176 1,582 0.82 1.21 2.71 16.02 Rogers City : 83 49 1,897 1,527 2.25 3.20 4.44 20.47 Northeast : 85 46 2 2,064 1,543 1,653 1.39 2.10 3.06 18.34 13.45 3.12 : Fremont : 89 55 2,339 1,773 1.09 1.35 1.79 11.29 Hart : 90 52 2,239 1,686 2.06 2.70 3.14 16.64 Muskegon : 92 61 2,537 1,937 0.89 1.75 1.78 14.77 West Central : 92 50 4 2,331 1,772 1,860 1.37 2.04 2.40 14.65 13.76 3.60 : Alma : 89 58 2,418 1,846 0.61 3.03 3.20 19.92 Big Rapids : 89 54 2,268 1,701 1.87 3.27 3.55 18.75 Central : 89 54 4 2,334 1,763 1,932 1.06 2.53 3.04 16.50 14.65 3.64 : Bad Axe : 82 57 2,270 1,712 0.01 0.20 0.45 17.31 Pigeon : 82 53 2,244 1,685 0.12 0.46 0.91 13.90 Saginaw : 87 57 2,518 1,884 0.62 2.34 2.69 14.77 Standish : 83 50 2,199 1,674 0.53 2.00 2.66 19.99 East Central : 87 50 2 2,271 1,735 1,923 0.24 1.33 1.73 16.19 13.25 2.93 : Fennville : 91 61 2,392 1,864 0.57 1.80 1.87 23.98 Grand Rapids : 91 61 2,644 2,078 0.62 1.59 1.61 22.02 Holland : 94 60 2,605 2,166 0.43 1.13 1.63 29.19 South Bend, IN : 91 60 2,672 2,216 0.51 0.53 1.22 19.97 Watervliet : 90 60 2,547 2,023 0.54 1.37 1.86 19.18 Southwest : 94 57 3 2,536 2,039 2,088 0.61 1.37 1.81 21.07 15.34 3.18 : Belding : 89 57 2,345 1,790 0.94 1.52 1.81 16.65 Coldwater : 89 56 2,565 2,089 0.16 0.46 1.13 16.80 Lansing : 89 59 2,562 1,969 0.04 0.43 0.45 13.94 South Central : 90 55 3 2,458 1,937 2,063 0.29 0.96 1.26 18.11 15.36 3.36 : Detroit : 87 58 2,746 2,221 0.25 0.58 1.05 19.19 Flint : 89 57 2,533 1,918 0.00 0.24 0.31 13.44 Romeo : 88 55 2,424 1,917 0.40 0.44 0.82 13.43 Tipton : 90 53 2,488 1,971 0.51 1.20 1.43 21.23 Toledo, OH : 90 57 2,743 2,238 0.74 2.13 3.21 21.10 Southeast : 92 51 2 2,530 2,056 2,052 0.29 0.84 1.26 18.29 14.78 3.12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.