mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released October 11, 2011 Week Ending Date October 9, 2011 Issue MI-CW4111 Agricultural Summary Unseasonably Warm Seven days were suitable for fieldwork during the week ended October 9, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Precipitation was minimal. No precipitation was recorded in the Upper Peninsula, while the Lower Peninsula ranged from no precipitation to 0.09 inches. Temperatures ranged from 13 to 14 degrees above normal in the Upper Peninsula, and 8 to 12 degrees above normal in the Lower Peninsula. It was a great week for fieldwork. Sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures were welcomed to help mature crops, and aid harvest and wheat planting progress. Field Crops Report Field Crops The majority of corn was in the R6 stage, with dry down going well. Harvest for grain began in select areas. Silage harvest was winding down. Soybean harvest was well underway. Winter wheat planting continued quickly where soybeans were coming off. Many dry beans were harvested this week. Alfalfa cutting continued. Sugarbeet growth was aided by the warm temperatures. Harvest continued on an as needed basis, and will continue in earnest once cooler temperatures arrive. Potato harvest was over the halfway point. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Harvests of Empire, McIntosh, and Jonathan apples neared completion. Harvests of Golden Delicious and Cortland continued. Concord juice grape harvest was in full swing; wine varieties were also harvested. Warm sunny weather has hastened sugar production. There has been some freeze damage to grapes in low areas in the southwest. Vegetables A very favorable week allowed vegetable growers a chance to finish up harvest on many summer crops and continue harvest on late season crops. Crops harvested included: carrots, cabbage, cole crops, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, and winter squash. Tomatoes in the southeast were still ripening. The weather was great for fall agritourism and farm markets. There were no reports of frost this past week. In addition to harvesting, growers removed plastic and stakes from fields, executed tillage activities, and planted cover crops where necessary. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 10/09/11 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 3 15 78 4 Subsoil : 3 19 76 2 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 10/09/11 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 2 11 27 49 11 Corn : 4 9 22 50 15 Dry beans : 5 12 27 39 17 Pasture : 2 15 37 41 5 Soybeans : 2 5 25 54 14 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 10/09/11 ---------------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ---------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All hay, third cutting : 94 90 92 93 All hay, fourth cutting : 47 34 59 52 Apples, harvested : 59 42 85 66 Corn, dent : 98 94 100 99 Corn, mature : 68 47 96 83 Corn, harvested : 8 3 43 18 Corn silage, harvested : 88 80 100 93 Dry beans, harvested : 71 35 94 78 Potatoes, harvested : 59 47 68 63 Soybeans, turning leaves : 99 94 100 100 Soybeans, dropping leaves : 88 66 96 93 Soybeans, harvested : 23 2 62 30 Sugarbeets, harvested : 15 11 32 18 Winter wheat, planted : 40 16 68 49 Winter wheat, emerged : 12 4 21 17 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 10/09/11 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 46 2,235 2,295 0.00 1.17 2.75 16.99 Marquette : 81 42 2,172 2,214 0.00 3.24 6.05 20.89 Stephenson : 83 37 2,404 2,646 0.00 1.06 2.99 17.04 Western UP : 84 31 14 2,207 2,295 1,963 0.00 1.07 2.75 16.50 20.81 2.57 : Cornell : 78 40 2,367 2,525 0.00 2.18 3.94 16.67 Sault St Marie : 80 42 2,207 2,322 0.00 0.60 3.03 23.58 Eastern UP : 82 37 13 2,152 2,275 1,733 0.00 2.06 4.08 20.01 19.78 2.57 : Beulah : 82 42 2,574 2,751 0.00 1.18 3.74 24.68 Lake City : 81 36 2,462 2,590 0.02 0.76 2.16 21.63 Old Mission : 82 41 2,429 2,647 0.00 0.93 2.72 18.02 Pellston : 82 34 2,345 2,487 0.02 1.09 3.07 20.77 Northwest : 82 33 12 2,409 2,568 2,249 0.09 1.01 2.68 19.86 19.02 2.75 : Alpena : 84 38 2,373 2,566 0.00 1.30 3.77 24.43 Houghton Lake : 81 36 2,605 2,720 0.00 0.86 2.84 19.69 Rogers City : 85 39 2,210 2,388 0.00 1.29 3.25 17.55 Northeast : 85 36 10 2,418 2,591 2,173 0.00 1.12 3.36 20.94 18.81 2.40 : Fremont : 80 39 2,716 2,952 0.00 0.01 0.13 16.04 Hart : 80 40 2,585 2,827 0.00 0.52 2.02 17.17 Muskegon : 80 41 3,005 3,256 0.00 0.90 2.78 23.98 West Central : 81 33 10 2,694 2,952 2,461 0.00 0.61 1.71 19.67 19.10 2.94 : Alma : 81 41 2,705 3,027 0.00 0.67 1.75 27.06 Big Rapids : 82 35 2,567 2,844 0.00 0.58 1.75 30.06 Central : 82 35 10 2,661 2,926 2,540 0.00 0.52 1.49 24.10 19.88 2.59 : Bad Axe : 82 44 2,633 2,866 0.00 1.43 2.83 25.12 Pigeon : 82 41 2,591 2,833 0.00 1.45 3.06 19.91 Saginaw : 82 43 2,935 3,159 0.00 0.63 1.52 21.86 Standish : 82 39 2,528 2,785 0.00 1.04 2.62 24.47 East Central : 82 39 9 2,619 2,911 2,555 0.00 1.00 2.32 22.88 17.67 2.41 : Fennville : 84 38 2,758 3,057 0.00 1.03 2.20 23.29 Grand Rapids : 82 41 3,118 3,363 0.00 1.27 1.99 28.72 Holland : 81 40 3,846 3,336 0.00 1.35 4.05 31.80 South Bend, IN : 84 39 3,231 3,443 0.00 1.07 3.16 28.24 Watervliet : 83 38 2,972 3,252 0.00 1.11 2.66 25.53 Southwest : 85 33 9 3,012 3,237 2,788 0.00 1.05 2.57 26.01 20.54 2.99 : Belding : 82 35 2,740 2,961 0.00 0.38 1.38 23.39 Coldwater : 83 36 2,994 3,284 0.00 1.22 2.69 19.92 Lansing : 81 38 2,944 3,247 0.00 0.80 1.84 24.42 South Central : 83 35 9 2,845 3,133 2,737 0.01 0.84 2.13 25.03 19.97 2.41 : Detroit : 80 46 3,294 3,496 0.00 0.49 3.92 28.06 Flint : 82 41 3,019 3,208 0.00 0.91 1.87 25.92 Romeo : 83 46 2,884 3,088 0.00 0.45 2.93 23.71 Tipton : 82 43 2,970 3,163 0.00 0.88 3.47 25.37 Toledo, OH : 81 44 3,021 3,475 0.00 0.77 2.75 23.57 Southeast : 85 36 8 2,959 3,267 2,736 0.00 0.79 2.74 24.00 18.89 2.33 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.