mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released September 26, 2011 Week Ending Date September 25, 2011 Issue MI-CW3911 Agricultural Summary Fall Harvest Underway Five days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ended September 25, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation ranged from 0.50 inches to 0.66 inches in the Upper Peninsula and 0.43 to 1.28 inches in the Lower Peninsula. Temperatures were normal to 2 degrees above normal in the Upper Peninsula, while temperatures in the Lower Peninsula ranged from 1 degree above normal to 3 degrees below normal. A few showers fell across the state, but fall harvest was in full swing. Moisture aided fall tillage efforts. Field activities included winter wheat planting, third and fourth cutting of hay, and harvesting of corn, silage, dry beans, potatoes, sugarbeets, apples, peaches, and various vegetable crops. Field Crops Report Field Crops Corn continued to mature at a pace behind average, and was mainly in the R5 to R6 stage. A very small amount of corn was reported harvested. Silage harvest was going strong. Most of the soybeans have turned color, and continue to dry down. Harvest was expected to begin soon. Alfalfa harvest continued in some areas; growers were cutting for a third or fourth time. Sugarbeet harvest continued slowly. Dry field conditions were assuaged somewhat by rains. Dry beans were being harvested at a pace behind normal. Winter wheat planting was underway in some areas. Following soybean harvest, more growers will plant their wheat. Potato harvest continued with some potatoes being shipped directly from the field and others going directly into storage. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Harvest of Gala apples neared completion; harvest of Honeycrisp continued. McIntosh, Empire and Jonathan picking began. Fall raspberry harvest was past its peak. Niagara grape harvest was continued; Concord harvest will commence about October 1. Niagara yields have been very high and quality has been good. Wine grape ripening in the northwest has been slowed by intermittent cloudy, cool and rainy weather. Harvest of early cultivars and grapes for sparkling wine has begun. Vegetables Most vegetable harvest was winding down for the season. Growers began removing plastic and working fields. Rains stopped harvest in some areas. In general, late harvest continued on peppers, watermelon, squash, and tomatoes. Pumpkin and winter squash harvest is in full swing. Cucurbit growers have been battling powdery mildew this year. A report in central Michigan states, "Most squash, pumpkin, and gourd patches have succumbed to powdery mildew." Carrot harvest continued as rains have benefitted the crop. Cauliflower and broccoli harvest continued, including broccoli for processing. Snap beans harvest is virtually complete. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 09/25/11 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 3 27 61 9 Subsoil : 4 29 62 5 --------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 09/25/11 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, third cutting : 87 80 87 84 All hay, fourth cutting : 27 21 48 32 Apples, harvested : 34 19 60 26 Corn, dent : 90 78 100 92 Corn, mature : 35 17 88 59 Corn silage, harvested : 65 48 95 72 Dry beans, turning leaves : 98 93 100 98 Dry beans, dropping leaves : 92 76 99 90 Dry beans, harvested : 33 14 74 53 Peaches, harvested : 95 90 100 97 Potatoes, harvested : 40 28 36 41 Soybeans, turning leaves : 83 57 97 90 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 46 21 83 63 Sugarbeets, harvested : 7 2 20 8 Winter wheat, planted : 11 2 17 18 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 09/25/11 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 4 8 25 51 12 Corn : 3 7 23 51 16 Dry beans : 4 12 28 39 17 Pasture : 6 17 31 38 8 Soybeans : 1 6 26 54 13 ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent of fall seasons (1971-2000) in which first freeze occurred on or before the date (mo/day) given in the table ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Station :Earliest : 90% : 50% : 10% : Latest ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alma : 9/20 10/18 10/07 9/24 11/01 Alpena : 8/29 10/08 9/24 9/15 10/10 Bad Axe : 9/17 10/31 10/11 09/28 11/07 Caro : 8/29 10/08 9/24 9/08 10/08 Coldwater : 9/20 10/18 10/06 9/23 10/22 Eau Claire : 10/02 11/05 10/20 10/08 11/10 Grand Rapids : 9/23 10/19 10/09 9/25 11/01 Hesperia : 9/04 10/12 9/24 9/07 10/19 Lansing : 9/13 10/14 10/06 9/22 10/18 Lapeer : 8/15 10/21 10/04 8/30 11/01 Marquette : 8/31 10/03 9/22 9/07 10/14 Monroe : 10/02 11/04 10/19 10/09 12/09 Saginaw : 9/22 10/30 10/12 9/25 11/06 S.S. Marie : 8/29 10/09 9/25 9/10 10/21 Standish : 8/20 10/09 9/24 9/10 11/01 Stephenson : 8/28 9/28 9/18 9/04 10/03 Traverse City : 8/29 10/19 10/06 9/17 11/01 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 09/25/11 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 : 68 39 2,059 2,181 0.49 1.18 1.70 15.17 Marquette : 68 40 2,017 2,118 0.95 1.85 2.44 16.31 Stephenson : 73 33 2,229 2,501 0.64 0.77 1.85 14.82 Western UP : 73 30 0 2,042 2,182 1,879 0.50 1.20 1.77 14.69 19.45 3.58 : Cornell : 68 42 2,219 2,397 0.67 1.59 2.10 14.18 Sault St Marie : 70 43 2,055 2,229 1.30 2.50 3.78 22.71 Eastern UP : 70 32 2 2,007 2,173 1,664 0.66 1.83 2.42 17.59 18.40 3.55 : Beulah : 70 41 2,408 2,636 1.08 1.97 2.84 22.91 Lake City : 72 40 2,312 2,471 0.62 1.13 1.69 20.60 Old Mission : 72 39 2,269 2,535 1.41 1.44 2.24 16.74 Pellston : 71 37 2,192 2,382 0.73 1.52 2.91 19.00 Northwest : 72 36 1 2,256 2,459 2,147 0.83 1.34 2.16 18.48 17.46 3.66 : Alpena : 73 39 2,219 2,463 1.40 1.52 2.70 22.18 Houghton Lake : 72 41 2,447 2,609 1.05 1.43 1.78 18.28 Rogers City : 72 35 2,066 2,310 1.11 1.39 1.60 15.51 Northeast : 73 35 1 2,266 2,489 2,076 1.28 1.56 2.18 19.10 17.37 3.47 : Fremont : 70 43 2,563 2,818 0.11 0.12 0.29 16.03 Hart : 71 43 2,431 2,708 1.20 1.29 1.97 16.44 Muskegon : 72 49 2,844 3,125 1.29 1.86 2.23 23.06 West Central : 72 33 0 2,539 2,823 2,345 0.80 1.01 1.50 18.96 17.58 3.19 : Alma : 74 42 2,550 2,897 0.61 1.00 1.19 26.31 Big Rapids : 73 38 2,420 2,713 0.58 0.58 1.24 28.65 Central : 74 38 0 2,507 2,793 2,420 0.43 0.55 1.03 23.10 18.32 3.09 : Bad Axe : 77 42 2,483 2,770 0.98 1.08 1.88 23.34 Pigeon : 78 43 2,443 2,728 1.35 1.35 1.54 18.20 Saginaw : 77 46 2,764 3,034 0.63 0.86 1.11 21.20 Standish : 74 41 2,372 2,666 0.64 1.07 1.17 22.92 East Central : 78 41 0 2,467 2,798 2,428 0.90 1.07 1.45 21.62 16.36 2.70 : Fennville : 75 43 2,612 2,925 0.71 0.79 1.07 21.88 Grand Rapids : 74 47 2,948 3,220 0.29 0.60 0.82 27.33 Holland : 70 47 3,713 3,194 1.27 2.00 2.31 29.75 South Bend, IN : 78 44 3,063 3,291 1.69 1.96 2.47 27.04 Watervliet : 75 44 2,812 3,106 1.02 1.19 1.64 24.06 Southwest : 78 33 -3 2,847 3,090 2,646 0.90 1.22 1.59 24.63 18.86 3.26 : Belding : 72 41 2,580 2,825 0.59 0.62 0.74 22.63 Coldwater : 76 44 2,830 3,126 0.85 1.13 2.57 18.36 Lansing : 76 44 2,786 3,122 0.54 0.98 1.26 23.56 South Central : 78 41 -2 2,682 2,996 2,598 0.71 1.08 1.81 23.97 18.51 2.79 : Detroit : 79 49 3,113 3,362 2.60 2.79 5.16 26.93 Flint : 78 40 2,856 3,086 0.53 0.89 1.19 24.94 Romeo : 78 44 2,723 2,953 0.85 1.70 3.50 22.48 Tipton : 77 42 2,814 3,027 1.87 2.35 4.07 24.25 Toledo, OH : 78 44 2,858 3,342 1.31 1.57 3.62 22.38 Southeast : 79 40 0 2,800 3,132 2,598 1.17 1.62 3.39 22.89 17.63 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.