mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released September 13, 2010 Week Ending Date September 12, 2010 Issue MI-CW3710 Agricultural Summary Cooler than Normal Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 12, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation ranged from 1.12 inches to 1.56 inches in the Upper Peninsula and 0.34 inches to 1.01 inches in the Lower Peninsula. Temperatures ranged from 2 to 4 degrees below normal. The weather turned cooler this past week, with some precipitation reported in all areas of the state. There were a few reports of very windy conditions with minimal wind damage to some fruit trees and weaker corn stalks. Harvest of crops continued, and some wheat fields were prepared for planting. "The weather turned much cooler this past week. The rain last week helped, and conditions have been good for early harvest of beets and dry beans," stated one reporter in the southeast Lower Peninsula. Field Crops Report Field Crops Rainfall ended a progressive week for field crops as grain crops continued to charge down the path to maturity. While silage harvest continued throughout the week in the north, several operations in the southern counties turned their attention to grain harvest of corn. The crop had considerable dry down during the week. Moisture levels for harvested corn were reported in the upper teens. With the crop being ahead of normal for maturity, farmers began thinking about harvesting corn ahead of soybeans. Some soybean fields were harvested as well and more progress is expected this week. A reporter in Monroe County reported moisture level at 9 percent. "Sugarbeet harvest is moving along nicely," said one reporter. "Conditions are much better since the recent rains and cooler temperatures." Drybean harvest also continued; the recent rains have helped the late planted crop. Wheat ground was being prepared for fall planting. Final cuttings of alfalfa have taken place as the cooler temperatures have hindered further growth. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Growing degree days continued to be about 14 to 20 days ahead of normal. Rainfall was variable across the state. Apples continued to be harvested. Black rot symptoms continued to be seen in many apple blocks in the southeast. Oriental fruit moth trap catches were up in the southwest. High wind has been a concern for growers in the northwest. Late season peaches continued to be harvested in the southwest. Peach harvest has ended in the southeast and west central. Harvest of European plums has ended. Limited rainfall and potato leafhoppers continued to affect strawberry growth. Leaf spot disease continued to cause leaf drop in cherry trees. Harvest of pears continued across the state; it has ended in the southeast. Harvest of blueberries has ended in the southeast and southwest. Harvest of early varieties of grapes continued in the southwest. Grape berry moth has been a problem in the northwest and southwest. Fall raspberries continued to be harvested. Vegetables Vegetables were fairing well despite cooler temperatures last week. Stakes and black plastic were removed from fields in preparation for planting of fall cover crops. Crops harvested included: pumpkins, gourds, hard squash, 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. Gummy leaf stem blight was noted on pumpkins but there were no symptoms of black rot. Additionally, there were no new cases of downy mildew reported this week. Warm soil temperatures were delaying potato harvest in the northwest. In the Oceana County area, harvest of processing zucchini, snap beans and sweet corn was completed. Growers in that area were harvesting processing winter squash, processing broccoli, processing carrots and jack o'lantern pumpkins. In the Thumb, cucumbers for pickle harvest was complete. Tomato harvest continued with few fungal problems. Bacterial concerns such as canker and speck were present on foliage but not on tomato fruit in the Macomb County area. Growers in the southeast harvested sweet corn and tomatoes for processing as they ripened quickly. Insect activity included: imported cabbage worm, diamond-back moth, cabbage looper, western bean cutworm, European corn borer, aphids, spider mites, celery leaftier, and corn earworm. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 09/12/10 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 16 29 53 2 Subsoil : 14 38 47 1 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 09/12/10 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 2 6 27 49 16 Corn : 2 7 19 45 27 Dry beans : 3 13 31 36 17 Pasture : 4 12 39 37 8 Soybeans : 3 6 24 46 21 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 09/12/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, third cutting : 66 60 62 73 All hay, fourth cutting : 27 17 16 17 Apples, harvested : 35 21 17 6 Corn, dent : 94 85 38 73 Corn, mature : 60 37 2 20 Corn, harvested : 4 1 0 1 Corn silage, harvested : 76 57 5 38 Dry beans, turning leaves : 99 93 65 86 Dry beans, dropping leaves : 85 75 34 63 Dry beans, harvested : 44 24 0 17 Peaches, harvested : 98 89 80 83 Potatoes, harvested : 26 16 31 30 Soybeans, turning leaves : 79 51 24 56 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 38 15 3 22 Sugarbeets, harvested : 11 7 0 0 Winter wheat, planted : 2 0 3 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 09/12/10 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 : 72 34 2,112 1,641 1.05 2.43 3.71 20.94 Marquette : 70 36 2,043 1,523 0.98 1.91 3.39 20.62 Stephenson : 77 37 2,378 1,861 0.74 2.67 3.17 20.58 Western UP : 77 31 -4 2,105 1,591 1,784 1.12 2.49 3.86 20.79 17.84 3.58 : Cornell : 73 43 2,265 1,716 1.52 2.74 2.83 19.16 Sault St Marie : 73 46 2,149 1,545 1.68 4.17 6.19 17.25 Eastern UP : 73 35 -2 2,077 1,525 1,574 1.56 4.35 5.90 20.84 16.69 3.55 : Beulah : 76 44 2,513 1,916 0.65 2.07 3.15 17.42 Lake City : 73 39 2,351 1,822 0.81 2.71 3.84 22.28 Old Mission : 75 46 2,412 1,811 0.72 1.78 3.85 17.71 Pellston : 75 40 2,275 1,709 0.88 2.83 4.84 19.59 Northwest : 76 39 -2 2,342 1,767 2,022 0.62 2.03 3.48 17.43 15.61 3.66 : Alpena : 78 39 2,340 1,814 0.63 0.88 2.21 18.02 Houghton Lake : 72 41 2,475 1,843 0.55 1.42 2.44 17.64 Rogers City : 77 45 2,211 1,774 0.62 0.98 3.35 21.57 Northeast : 78 39 -2 2,371 1,802 1,958 0.54 1.13 2.64 19.58 15.64 3.47 : Fremont : 73 42 2,662 2,080 0.93 2.89 4.03 14.23 Hart : 74 42 2,569 1,971 0.83 2.47 4.58 19.16 Muskegon : 77 47 2,937 2,268 0.92 4.48 5.38 19.26 West Central : 77 38 -3 2,670 2,070 2,204 1.01 3.01 4.47 17.75 15.93 3.19 : Alma : 77 42 2,743 2,133 0.66 1.27 1.37 20.68 Big Rapids : 76 35 2,562 1,964 0.80 2.04 3.97 20.42 Central : 77 35 -4 2,645 2,044 2,276 0.67 1.54 2.54 17.88 16.79 3.09 : Bad Axe : 81 48 2,627 1,997 0.41 1.90 1.94 19.24 Pigeon : 80 45 2,579 1,959 0.37 0.92 1.06 14.84 Saginaw : 79 46 2,876 2,189 0.41 1.11 1.75 15.90 Standish : 77 44 2,527 1,944 0.47 1.32 1.89 21.35 East Central : 81 44 -3 2,615 2,020 2,276 0.44 1.44 1.71 17.66 14.98 2.70 : Fennville : 77 44 2,747 2,166 0.45 0.91 1.48 24.89 Grand Rapids : 77 46 3,019 2,399 0.90 1.34 2.00 23.40 Holland : 79 47 3,001 2,504 0.54 2.22 3.27 32.03 South Bend, IN : 83 44 3,065 2,537 0.38 1.36 1.90 21.36 Watervliet : 78 45 2,912 2,339 0.48 1.37 1.98 20.62 Southwest : 83 40 -4 2,897 2,356 2,476 0.52 1.41 2.11 22.54 17.18 3.26 : Belding : 74 40 2,663 2,095 1.06 1.49 2.44 18.15 Coldwater : 81 43 2,923 2,405 0.13 1.29 1.45 18.09 Lansing : 80 42 2,933 2,267 0.55 1.59 1.63 15.53 South Central : 82 40 -4 2,801 2,234 2,434 0.61 1.61 1.90 19.72 17.11 2.79 : Detroit : 88 50 3,147 2,581 0.40 0.55 0.80 19.74 Flint : 83 39 2,901 2,219 0.54 1.62 1.63 15.07 Romeo : 86 46 2,789 2,229 0.41 0.59 0.99 14.02 Tipton : 83 45 2,840 2,292 0.34 1.07 1.58 22.30 Toledo, OH : 85 45 3,121 2,584 0.35 0.71 1.48 21.84 Southeast : 88 39 -3 2,893 2,376 2,431 0.34 0.81 1.11 19.10 16.40 2.43 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.