mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released April 18, 2011 Week Ending Date April 17, 2011 Issue MI-CW1611 Agricultural Summary Slow Planting Progress Three days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 17, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation ranged from 0.67 inches to 1.39 inches in the Upper Peninsula and 0.31 to 0.65 inches in the Lower Peninsula. Temperatures ranged from 1 to 4 degrees below normal in the Upper Peninsula, and temperatures in the Lower Peninsula ranged from normal to 2 degrees below normal. Wet weather and cold soil temperatures continued to delay some spring field activities. Where conditions allowed, field activities reported included manure hauling, tillage of lighter soils, fertilizer applications, sugarbeet planting, alfalfa seeding, and asparagus crown harvesting. Field Crops Report Field Crops Growers were busy with early spring activities. Growers applied fertilizer where field conditions allowed. Manure hauling was common on livestock operations. Sugarbeet planting began Monday, April 11 with one field in Sebewaing. Planting continued through the week. Oat and barley planting and alfalfa seeding began in southern areas of the State. Progress has been slow. Wheat has broken dormancy in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula. Field operations were slowed at the end of the week due to rain and snow. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit No substantial tree, vine, or bush damage from low winter temperatures has been reported. Development this spring has not advanced to where fruit flower buds have been susceptible to any cold weather that has prevailed. Vegetables Precipitation toward the end of the week delayed field activities as growers continued to prepare equipment for planting and perform fieldwork as conditions allowed. In the west central area, asparagus crown harvest was finishing up. Planting is expected to begin next week if weather allows. Planting of carrots and other crops were delayed because of wet soil conditions. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 04/17/11 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 0 3 64 33 Subsoil : 0 7 77 16 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 04/17/11 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Pasture : 10 20 27 39 4 Winter Wheat : 1 4 26 52 17 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 04/17/11 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : Barley, planted : 2 0 32 14 Barley, emerged : 1 0 2 0 Oats, planted : 14 3 70 33 Oats, emerged : 2 1 25 7 Sugarbeets, planted : 12 0 95 41 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 04/17/11 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2011 :2010 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 64 25 32 85 0.60 1.48 1.94 1.90 Marquette : 63 22 34 83 0.69 1.69 2.31 2.23 Stephenson : 63 25 40 106 1.18 1.81 2.04 2.04 Western UP : 64 21 -4 32 87 28 0.67 1.55 1.96 1.93 1.22 2.28 : Cornell : 59 24 20 92 1.28 1.85 2.22 2.16 Sault St Marie : 61 26 17 76 1.24 1.87 2.42 2.41 Eastern UP : 62 19 -1 19 80 10 1.39 2.09 2.54 2.51 1.27 2.43 : Beulah : 63 30 50 115 0.51 3.36 4.75 3.73 Lake City : 67 19 45 111 0.91 2.21 3.38 2.92 Old Mission : 68 28 45 120 0.73 1.45 1.96 1.83 Pellston : 69 23 44 107 0.97 1.75 2.12 2.07 Northwest : 71 19 -1 43 110 35 0.64 1.87 2.61 2.23 1.47 2.69 : Alpena : 66 23 33 103 0.64 1.95 2.80 2.39 Houghton Lake : 70 25 48 115 0.53 1.65 3.16 2.37 Rogers City : 56 26 17 100 0.66 2.02 2.39 2.39 Northeast : 70 23 -2 36 111 32 0.65 1.78 2.97 2.45 1.38 2.52 : Fremont : 73 29 56 126 0.48 1.14 2.54 1.91 Hart : 71 28 54 121 0.48 0.88 1.90 1.41 Muskegon : 64 32 54 132 0.56 0.72 2.40 1.64 West Central : 73 28 0 54 127 46 0.53 0.97 2.24 1.66 1.61 3.16 : Alma : 67 30 40 130 0.28 0.40 3.27 1.60 Big Rapids : 69 28 36 127 0.70 1.03 1.96 1.03 Central : 75 27 -2 44 129 51 0.41 0.71 2.07 1.27 1.50 3.07 : Bad Axe : 65 30 44 141 0.37 1.19 3.98 2.64 Pigeon : 72 29 47 135 0.30 1.71 2.31 2.12 Saginaw : 75 31 55 146 0.34 0.39 2.74 1.94 Standish : 67 25 41 131 0.68 0.78 2.54 2.26 East Central : 75 25 -2 43 136 50 0.51 1.04 2.80 2.07 1.23 2.55 : Fennville : 75 30 66 163 0.44 1.21 2.04 1.42 Grand Rapids : 77 32 71 165 0.50 0.91 2.37 1.58 Holland : 75 34 104 170 0.60 1.38 2.88 1.86 South Bend, IN : 74 31 93 182 0.97 2.34 3.24 2.67 Watervliet : 73 32 71 165 0.65 1.45 2.25 1.68 Southwest : 77 28 0 73 162 62 0.58 1.30 2.32 1.64 1.67 3.41 : Belding : 75 27 55 138 0.33 0.92 2.00 1.31 Coldwater : 73 29 68 167 0.68 1.71 2.03 1.81 Lansing : 73 29 62 163 0.23 1.11 1.97 1.32 South Central : 75 26 -1 58 153 62 0.48 1.31 2.17 1.56 1.61 3.19 : Detroit : 73 35 67 181 0.44 1.86 2.43 2.01 Flint : 74 30 64 162 0.29 1.08 2.95 1.65 Romeo : 64 31 48 126 0.33 1.04 1.81 1.47 Tipton : 66 30 63 154 0.48 1.91 2.49 2.03 Toledo, OH : 71 33 60 173 0.35 1.32 2.15 1.56 Southeast : 74 26 0 59 162 56 0.31 1.30 2.04 1.53 1.67 3.21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.