mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released September 27, 2010 Week Ending Date September 26, 2010 Issue MI-CW3910 Agricultural Summary Fall Weather Arrives Five days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 26, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Fieldwork and harvest continued across much of the state this week, however a few thunderstorms and strong winds slowed fieldwork in some areas. There were some reports of winds taking down some corn. Activities for the week included harvesting, wheat planting, soil testing, cleaning and treating bins for proper grain storage, and tilling. Field Crops Report Field Crops Field crops made steady progress during the week despite less than ideal weather conditions a couple of days. Rain showers interrupted harvest for nearly the entire state at least one day of the week. This left fields too wet for equipment for a day after the rain. Crops in the lower third of the state endured high winds midweek that resulted in minimal scattered damage to fields. Crops continued to be maturing all at once as maturity continued to progress north. Corn harvest progressed at a quicker than normal pace with 19 percent of the crop harvested. Reporters are indicating mixed reactions about production. While some had higher expectations, others were well pleased. "It's a once in a lifetime corn crop," said a reporter from Muskegon County. "The corn is dry but the stalks are very green. It is an unusual situation for Northern Michigan," said one reporter from Missaukee County. Soybeans were also harvested earlier than normal. Harvest was just getting underway in Clare and Clinton Counties. Sugarbeet harvest continued well ahead of normal pace with "sugar content running around 16.5%", according to a Bay County reporter. Open harvest is expected to begin mid to late October. Farmers were anxious to get an early start on wheat planting. Many acres were planted as soon as soybeans were harvested. A small amount of alfalfa was being cut as the season drew to a close Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Harvest of apples continued. McIntosh and Gala harvests have ended. Cortland, Empire, Jonathan, Honeycrisp, and Red and Golden Delicious continued to be harvested. Fruit color has improved in the southeast. Harvest of peaches and pears has ended. Grapes continued to be harvested. Concord harvesting should be finished this week. Downy mildew infections were seen in the southeast, southwest, and northwest. Fall raspberries continued to be harvested. Vegetables Growers continued to remove stakes and black plastic in preparation for planting of fall cover crops. Crops harvested included: cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkins, gourds, hard squash, carrots, winter squash, cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini for fresh and processing, cucumbers for pickles, potatoes, snap beans, peppers, and tomatoes for fresh and processing. Late season cole crops were under heavy pressure from diamond back moths and imported cabbage worm. Powdery mildew has been difficult to control in pumpkins and winter squash in the Macomb County area. Cooler weather will bring an end to the harvests of cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and tomatoes in the southwest. Quality has been good on peppers and tomatoes. Snap bean growers were pleased with harvest despite dry conditions. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 09/26/10 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 8 18 69 5 Subsoil : 7 31 61 1 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 09/26/10 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 1 6 26 48 19 Corn : 2 6 18 48 26 Pasture : 1 17 31 40 11 Soybeans : 2 6 24 48 20 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 09/26/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, third cutting : 88 82 79 85 All hay, fourth cutting : 49 40 32 30 Apples, harvested : 62 47 29 37 Corn, mature : 90 75 18 59 Corn, harvested : 19 13 0 5 Corn silage, harvested : 96 88 35 73 Dry beans, harvested : 76 64 39 52 Potatoes, harvested : 37 27 38 45 Soybeans, turning leaves : 98 92 80 92 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 86 66 49 68 Soybeans, harvested : 17 5 1 8 Sugarbeets, harvested : 21 16 7 6 Winter wheat, planted : 19 8 18 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 The Michigan Weather Summary was unavailable at the time of publication.