mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released August 29, 2011 Week Ending Date August 28, 2011 Issue MI-CW3511 Agricultural Summary Pure Michigan Six days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ended August 28, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation ranged from 0.20 inches to 0.49 inches in the Upper Peninsula and 0.28 to 1.60 inches in the Lower Peninsula. Temperatures were 1 degree above normal in the Upper Peninsula and ranged from normal to 2 degrees below normal in the Lower Peninsula. Favorable seasonal temperatures pushed crop progress. "It was an ideal week for farm work. Little rain or high winds, just a good week," said a reporter in Oceana County. Field Crops Report Field Crops Corn growth was variable across the state. In central Michigan, many fields were in R5, while later planted fields were in R2. Western bean cutworm and corn ear worm was present in many fields and fed on ears. Livestock farmers were gearing up for silage harvest. Soybeans were filling pods in most fields. Most early planted soybean fields are in R6. Japanese beetles continued to be the primary leaf feeder in the Montcalm area and bean leaf beetle was feeding in many other areas around the region. Damage was below economic threshold in the vast majority of fields. Third cutting of alfalfa was near completion in the central Lower Peninsula. Dry beans like many other crops, were variable. Many early planted fields struggled to set and retain pods and later-planted fields were in need of continued warm weather to mature. Japanese beetles and bean leaf beetles were feeding on the upper foliage in many fields. Western bean cutworm feeding damage showed up in some unsprayed areas of fields in the high pressure areas. Manure was spread on wheat fields. Some growers applied fungicide to sugarbeets. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit The blueberry harvest neared completion. Yields of Bluecrop have been good, but the Elliott crop is down from last year. Control of fruit rot has been difficult due to the hot, wet conditions of late July. The harvest of early season apple varieties like Paula Red and Ginger Gold continued. Codling moth catches were high in the northwest. Redhaven peach harvest wound down, and growers moved on to other varieties like Blazingstar and Canadian Harmony. Fruit size has improved as harvest has progressed. The Bartlett pear harvest began in the southwest. Concord grapes were coloring in the south; veraison of many wine grape cultivars started in the northwest. Fall raspberry harvest continued. Crop size and quality in the Grand Rapids area has been good. Vegetables Generally pleasant weather with some scattered light rains graced Michigan this past week. Onion harvest was in full swing. The celery crop was more than 50 percent harvested. Condition varied depending on the level of soil wetness. Carrot harvest continued. In the west central region, prior hot weather seemed to slow the sizing of the crop. Pepper and tomato harvest continued. In the southwest, bacterial problems caused many growers to abandon tomato plantings early. Bacterial spot continued to be a concern in the pepper crop. There were positive cabbage crop comments, although some bacterial disease was evident. Sweet corn harvest continued, and the crop looked good. European corn borer pressure was low. Growers monitored for corn earworm moth. Harvest of vine crops continued. Disease pressures were high. Powdery mildew and phytophthora blight was a concern and was present in some fields. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 08/28/11 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 3 17 76 4 Subsoil : 4 18 75 3 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 08/28/11 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 3 8 23 49 17 Barley : 1 9 61 26 3 Corn : 3 8 23 48 18 Dry beans : 5 10 27 41 17 Pasture : 5 11 29 42 13 Soybeans : 2 6 23 52 17 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 08/28/11 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, second cutting : 91 87 93 93 All hay, third cutting : 48 37 56 52 Apples, harvested : 7 3 13 26 Barley, harvested : 89 69 100 20 Blueberries, harvested : 91 85 97 88 Corn, dough : 76 58 93 81 Corn, dent : 19 NA 71 41 Corn silage, harvested : 2 NA 28 11 Dry beans, turning leaves : 20 NA 60 46 Dry beans, dropping leaves : 1 NA 29 21 Oats, harvested : 96 78 99 95 Peaches, harvested : 49 40 86 61 Potatoes, harvested : 8 NA 9 14 Soybeans, setting pods : 97 91 98 97 Soybeans, turning leaves : 2 NA 19 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 08/28/11 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 : 81 43 1,776 1,929 0.21 0.62 2.00 13.47 Marquette : 84 42 1,719 1,873 0.05 0.33 1.61 13.87 Stephenson : 83 41 1,891 2,178 0.20 1.11 1.69 12.97 Western UP : 84 35 1 1,743 1,927 1,599 0.20 0.66 1.83 12.92 15.89 3.69 : Cornell : 81 47 1,853 2,081 0.47 0.81 1.67 11.92 Sault St Marie : 81 49 1,721 1,954 0.44 1.90 4.03 18.93 Eastern UP : 81 38 1 1,686 1,897 1,399 0.49 1.01 2.13 15.13 15.03 3.53 : Beulah : 83 44 2,059 2,284 0.52 0.52 2.91 20.07 Lake City : 83 41 1,964 2,165 0.63 0.67 3.68 18.91 Old Mission : 83 48 1,911 2,198 0.26 0.50 2.94 14.50 Pellston : 84 39 1,850 2,073 0.58 0.62 2.54 16.09 Northwest : 84 39 -1 1,914 2,135 1,803 0.42 0.49 2.80 16.32 14.07 3.11 : Alpena : 84 44 1,881 2,114 0.23 0.39 3.36 19.48 Houghton Lake : 82 40 2,077 2,269 0.42 0.43 2.27 16.50 Rogers City : 85 50 1,753 1,994 0.33 0.33 1.55 13.91 Northeast : 85 40 0 1,925 2,159 1,749 0.40 0.49 2.61 16.92 14.10 3.12 : Fremont : 86 48 2,201 2,444 0.00 0.07 0.58 15.74 Hart : 85 47 2,078 2,340 0.00 0.23 1.84 14.47 Muskegon : 87 53 2,419 2,657 0.60 0.73 5.93 20.83 West Central : 87 44 0 2,168 2,434 1,966 0.28 0.41 2.86 17.46 14.46 3.60 : Alma : 83 50 2,188 2,521 1.45 2.65 7.18 25.12 Big Rapids : 82 47 2,072 2,358 1.58 2.02 10.04 27.35 Central : 84 47 -2 2,151 2,429 2,038 1.60 2.15 7.02 22.06 15.36 3.64 : Bad Axe : 84 53 2,110 2,376 0.48 1.81 3.84 21.46 Pigeon : 84 50 2,083 2,342 0.10 0.34 3.36 16.66 Saginaw : 85 51 2,358 2,626 0.58 1.47 3.65 20.09 Standish : 82 48 2,019 2,299 0.57 0.79 5.56 21.75 East Central : 85 48 -2 2,101 2,410 2,031 0.36 1.05 3.77 20.17 13.80 2.93 : Fennville : 87 52 2,240 2,499 0.12 0.97 2.29 20.81 Grand Rapids : 87 53 2,519 2,759 0.48 1.06 4.22 26.51 Holland : 86 53 3,321 2,724 0.16 0.19 6.18 27.44 South Bend, IN : 87 53 2,637 2,782 0.07 0.46 1.93 24.57 Watervliet : 87 53 2,420 2,657 0.28 0.83 2.99 22.42 Southwest : 87 48 -1 2,459 2,646 2,206 0.34 0.77 3.14 23.00 15.81 3.18 : Belding : 89 47 2,210 2,444 0.32 0.66 4.40 21.89 Coldwater : 89 49 2,455 2,670 0.25 0.28 1.41 15.79 Lansing : 88 50 2,385 2,672 0.82 1.17 2.99 22.30 South Central : 90 47 -2 2,310 2,573 2,176 0.67 1.02 3.35 22.16 15.85 3.36 : Detroit : 90 55 2,653 2,863 0.41 0.56 2.19 21.77 Flint : 89 50 2,430 2,638 0.20 0.54 1.70 23.75 Romeo : 84 53 2,323 2,540 0.21 0.98 3.23 18.98 Tipton : 88 49 2,426 2,596 0.66 0.69 2.28 20.18 Toledo, OH : 88 51 2,453 2,858 0.37 0.80 2.62 18.76 Southeast : 90 46 -2 2,407 2,680 2,168 0.36 0.76 2.70 19.31 15.32 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.