State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 08/10/03 Issue NH-CW3203 Volume 23, Number 16 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) August 11, 2003 - 4 pm -- Agricultural Summary -- WET, MUGGY WEEK IN NEW ENGLAND For the week ending August 10, 2003, there were 3.5 days available for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 1% short, 62% adequate, 37% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 7% short, 74% adequate, 19% surplus. Pasture condition was rated as 0% very poor, 13% poor, 28% fair, 49% good, 10% excellent. Tropical conditions existed in the New England states last week. High humidity and rain showers deterred field activities and harvest, but also increased crop growth rates. Major farm activities included: cutting haylage and making dry hay; harvesting broadleaf and shade tobacco, apples, peaches, highbush blueberries, wild blueberries and vegetables; renovating strawberry beds; spreading manure; mowing; pruning; cultivating; weeding; monitoring fields; applying insecticides and fungicides. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ----------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ----------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 20 Short 1 20 37 Adequate 62 67 38 Surplus 37 13 5 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 0 9 15 Short 7 15 41 Adequate 74 70 42 Surplus 19 6 2 ----------------------------------------------- -- Field Crops Report -- Muggy, rainy conditions slowed hay harvest and prevented farmers from accomplishing much field work. Farmers continued to await dry weather so they could finish first crop hay harvest. Second crop harvest reached the half- way mark, and third cutting barley got underway last week. The recent hot, humid weather has improved field corn growth. Potato harvest progressed to five percent complete in southern New England, well behind five-year averages. Maine potatoes remained in good to excellent condition as growers monitored fields and sprayed fungicides between showers. Grain crops in northern Maine were lodged from wind and rain, which might cause uneven ripening. In the Connecticut River Valley, shade and broadleaf tobacco harvests were delayed by rainy weather, and as of August 10, both were well behind normal harvest schedules. -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report -- FRUIT: Tree fruit crops were rated in good to fair condition last week. Peach and apricot harvest were ongoing, along with some early apple harvesting. Monitoring, mowing and pruning took place between rain showers. Growers continued to harvest highbush blueberries, wild blueberries and raspberries. Highbush blueberry harvest was close to last year and the five-year average. Maine wild blueberry harvest progressed slowly due to last week's inclement weather. Cranberry growers in Massachusetts monitored for diseases and pests, as the recent weather conditions tend to advance such problems. Heat and moisture have promoted good berry size. VEGETABLES: Beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, greens, lettuce, peas, radishes, snap beans and summer squash were harvested between showers. Growers also sprayed for pests and disease last week. Sweet corn harvest progressed to 25 percent complete, compared to 40 percent for the five-year average. Farm stands were full of summer vegetables, with good demand from consumers. -- Crop Progress Tables -- FIELD CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ------------------------------------------------------- -- % Harvested -- Crop 2003 2002 5-yr Avg Condition ------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME -- -- 10 Good Oats, ME -- <5 5 Good Potatoes Maine -- -- -- Good/Excellent Mass 5 10 15 Good Rhode Isl 5 30 20 Good/Excellent Silage Corn -- -- -- Good/Fair Sweet Corn 25 35 40 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 25 65 60 Fair/Good Broadleaf 20 60 50 Fair/Good Dry Hay First Cut 95 95 95 Good/Fair Second Cut 50 70 65 Good/Fair Third Cut <5 30 15 Good --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- % Harvested -- Crop 2003 2002 5-yr Avg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Apples <5 5 5 Good/Fair Peaches 35 55 40 Good/Fair Pears -- -- -- Good/Fair Blueberries Highbush 55 55 60 Good/Fair Wild, ME 10 5 30 Good Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Good/Fair -------------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary -- For the week ending Sunday, August 10, 2003 -------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 56 88 71 +5 0.50 3.39 NH 49 86 73 +7 0.88 6.80 VT 56 92 74 +8 1.25 3.20 MA 55 88 75 +6 1.32 5.73 RI 63 86 76 +5 2.43 3.55 CT 61 87 76 +5 1.79 4.89 -------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -- Weather Information Table -- Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. For the Period: Monday August 4, 2003 To: Sunday August 10, 2003 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 64 83 72 +4 1291 -158 513 -53 Allagash 57 82 69 +5 935 -39 302 +48 Augusta_State_A 64 80 72 +3 1419 +20 606 +70 Bangor_Intl_Arp 64 83 73 +5 1399 +129 593 +146 Barnard 64 83 71 +5 1175 +65 433 +94 Bath 63 81 71 +3 1246 -39 483 +16 Bethel 60 83 72 +5 1262 -12 490 +49 Brassua_Dam 62 83 71 +8 1028 +106 364 +130 Brunswick_ME 62 82 71 +3 1332 +47 549 +82 Caribou_Municip 60 80 71 +7 1173 +123 448 +150 Corinna 61 83 72 +5 1298 +65 521 +110 Danforth 64 85 72 +5 1219 +24 492 +88 Dover-Foxcroft 60 80 68 +3 1042 -68 358 +19 Durham 62 82 72 +2 1234 -249 527 -82 East_Hiram 59 83 71 +4 1248 -22 484 +45 Eustis 57 81 70 +7 983 +81 325 +110 Frenchville 56 79 68 +5 1068 +94 368 +114 Gray 62 82 71 +3 1420 +154 606 +155 Greenville_ME 63 79 70 +5 1118 -3 402 +55 Guilford 59 80 67 +2 978 -132 331 -8 Hollis 60 84 71 +5 1316 +107 530 +130 Houlton 61 83 71 +6 1220 +129 475 +146 Kennebunkport 63 78 69 -3 1229 -332 441 -217 Livermore_Falls 60 86 73 +8 1325 +226 559 +232 Moosehead 58 82 70 +7 990 +68 327 +93 New_Sharon 62 82 72 +7 1294 +195 537 +210 Patten 62 82 70 +5 1133 +42 409 +80 Portage 57 81 70 +6 1194 +144 458 +160 Portland_ME 62 80 70 +1 1361 +95 552 +101 Rangeley 57 82 71 +8 989 +123 322 +126 Sebec_Lake 63 84 71 +6 1167 +46 436 +89 Vanceboro 62 82 71 +4 1171 +53 443 +93 Waterville 65 81 72 +3 1341 -108 551 -15 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 62 86 73 +5 1428 +4 608 +59 Benton 62 82 73 +9 1254 +65 478 +117 Berlin_AG 61 84 73 +8 1288 +92 498 +117 Bethlehem 56 86 73 +7 1181 -8 420 +58 Concord 62 86 76 +8 1603 +179 733 +184 Diamond_Pond 57 80 69 +8 923 +120 287 +136 First_Conn_Lake 59 83 70 +9 955 +152 303 +152 Greenville 60 84 72 +5 1206 -81 479 +46 Keene_AP 64 84 76 +7 1548 -43 660 -6 Lakeport 62 86 75 +8 1572 +233 714 +223 Marlow 58 82 72 +5 1143 -301 416 -133 Mount_Washingto 49 64 57 +10 176 +134 6 +6 North_Conway 63 84 74 +7 1446 +114 627 +145 Otter_Brook_Lk 61 86 75 +5 1417 -174 583 -83 Plymouth 56 83 72 +7 1239 +66 478 +111 Rochester 61 82 72 +3 1423 -89 606 -8 Weare 63 80 73 +5 1418 -26 571 +22 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 62 82 72 +6 1276 +37 490 +85 Bethel 63 88 76 +11 1449 +274 595 +226 Burlington_Intl 64 89 77 +8 1717 +182 771 +140 East_Haven 58 86 75 +11 1218 +224 437 +177 Island_Pond 62 84 74 +11 1191 +215 428 +183 Montpelier 62 84 74 +9 1272 +65 475 +87 Morrisville_AG 61 92 75 +10 1392 +195 572 +183 Mount_Mansfield 56 72 64 +6 656 +136 139 +85 Northfield 63 85 74 +10 1306 +211 498 +178 Pownal 64 83 73 +8 1328 +83 477 +69 Rochester 64 86 74 +9 1288 +113 486 +117 Rutland_AG 64 85 75 +5 1408 -174 565 -88 Sunderland 61 85 73 +5 1260 -261 437 -166 Sutton 61 82 73 +10 1193 +199 425 +165 Townshend_Lake 64 84 75 +6 1418 -73 578 -22 Union_Vill_Dam 59 87 76 +7 1406 -99 592 -14 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 67 83 74 +7 1496 +205 637 +186 Boston/Logan_In 67 86 75 +3 1762 -26 835 +14 Greenfield 68 84 77 +6 1630 -69 708 -36 New_Bedford 69 84 76 +3 1587 -195 709 -105 Otis_AFB 72 82 77 +7 1567 +130 718 +142 Plymouth 68 85 76 +6 1536 +37 671 +47 Walpole 67 84 75 +6 1667 +121 766 +127 West_Medway 65 86 77 +7 1693 +147 778 +139 Chicopee/Westov 68 82 76 +2 1700 -244 758 -170 Worcester 65 80 73 +5 1541 +104 652 +94 Worthington 63 83 73 +7 1294 +37 477 +61 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 69 86 77 +5 1757 +60 817 +58 Woonsocket 63 84 75 +6 1618 +98 722 +114 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 65 81 73 -1 1387 -495 526 -361 Bridgeport/Siko 71 85 77 +4 1797 -19 849 -6 Hartford/Bradle 68 85 77 +4 1858 -17 862 -22 Norfolk 64 80 73 +6 1344 +81 505 +82 Norwich 69 87 78 +6 1754 +27 820 +57 Thomaston_Dam 66 86 77 +8 1693 +189 748 +158 Willimantic 69 86 78 +8 1728 +197 796 +182 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.66 -0.18 4 3.06 -0.21 15 Allagash 1.50 +0.59 5 4.61 +1.03 16 Augusta_State_A 0.67 -0.10 5 3.28 +0.34 16 Bangor_Intl_Arp 0.30 -0.44 3 1.67 -1.26 9 Barnard 1.19 +0.39 7 4.47 +1.32 18 Bath 0.54 -0.17 3 1.93 -0.75 10 Bethel 2.48 +1.57 5 5.78 +2.44 13 Brassua_Dam 0.67 -0.17 6 2.69 -0.87 16 Brunswick_ME 0.59 -0.12 4 2.48 -0.20 11 Caribou_Municip 1.46 +0.53 7 5.40 +1.62 18 Corinna 0.34 -0.50 4 2.29 -0.88 11 Danforth 1.51 +0.59 5 3.03 -0.62 15 Dover-Foxcroft 0.65 -0.15 6 2.60 -0.55 19 Durham 1.62 +0.88 7 3.87 +0.85 14 East_Hiram 0.94 +0.07 7 4.54 +1.21 17 Eustis 2.17 +1.40 7 4.05 +0.79 14 Frenchville 1.34 +0.43 4 4.00 +0.42 14 Gray 1.24 +0.61 5 3.28 +0.65 11 Greenville_ME 0.58 -0.22 2 1.46 -1.69 11 Guilford 0.94 +0.14 5 3.63 +0.48 17 Hollis 0.84 +0.14 6 4.77 +1.94 15 Houlton 2.38 +1.47 5 5.92 +2.38 17 Kennebunkport 1.16 +0.46 6 4.27 +1.49 16 Livermore_Falls 0.74 -0.16 6 5.23 +1.97 18 Moosehead 0.75 -0.09 6 3.34 -0.22 16 New_Sharon 1.14 +0.24 7 4.86 +1.60 16 Patten 3.04 +2.13 7 4.99 +1.45 17 Portage 3.39 +2.46 6 7.98 +4.20 19 Portland_ME 0.75 +0.12 4 2.84 +0.21 10 Rangeley 2.20 +1.29 5 3.53 +0.15 15 Sebec_Lake 1.60 +0.80 5 5.20 +2.05 14 Vanceboro 1.66 +0.96 5 4.13 +1.17 17 Waterville 0.70 -0.14 4 3.13 -0.14 15 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.77 +1.00 7 6.87 +3.85 16 Benton 1.96 +1.05 4 6.13 +2.80 14 Berlin_AG 2.73 +1.75 3 5.82 +2.23 12 Bethlehem 2.63 +1.59 4 6.37 +2.58 17 Concord 3.88 +3.11 7 7.28 +4.26 12 Diamond_Pond 1.41 +0.25 7 5.07 +0.71 19 First_Conn_Lake 2.54 +1.38 5 4.85 +0.49 14 Greenville 2.46 +1.53 5 4.83 +1.27 9 Keene_AP 1.81 +0.90 6 4.84 +1.40 14 Lakeport 1.73 +0.89 5 5.25 +1.90 12 Marlow 4.86 +4.03 6 8.79 +5.62 14 Mount_Washingto 6.80 +4.98 7 13.64 +6.98 20 North_Conway 4.56 +3.65 6 7.62 +4.14 17 Otter_Brook_Lk 2.72 +1.81 6 6.80 +3.36 16 Plymouth 4.52 +3.61 7 7.82 +4.20 16 Rochester 1.49 +0.65 7 4.56 +1.33 12 Weare 3.52 +2.69 6 7.06 +3.89 13 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.92 +0.95 6 7.45 +3.75 16 Bethel 1.84 +0.80 6 6.62 +2.86 18 Burlington_Intl 1.72 +0.81 4 4.60 +1.13 16 East_Haven 1.77 +0.68 6 5.47 +1.41 19 Island_Pond 1.25 +0.13 6 4.71 +0.59 19 Montpelier 2.26 +1.41 5 6.21 +3.18 16 Morrisville_AG 1.56 +0.46 5 5.60 +1.56 19 Mount_Mansfield 2.81 +1.15 7 7.96 +1.81 22 Northfield 1.56 +0.72 5 4.89 +1.63 15 Pownal 2.34 +1.37 6 7.55 +3.85 16 Rochester 1.43 +0.39 5 6.30 +2.54 16 Rutland_AG 2.54 +1.60 5 7.85 +4.21 15 Sunderland 3.14 +2.30 4 7.92 +4.94 16 Sutton 2.03 +0.94 7 5.58 +1.52 18 Townshend_Lake 2.87 +1.97 7 7.17 +3.87 18 Union_Vill_Dam 2.46 +1.67 5 7.56 +4.46 15 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.86 +1.02 6 4.94 +1.62 16 Boston/Logan_In 1.67 +0.97 6 4.39 +1.74 13 Greenfield 3.77 +2.93 7 7.71 +4.35 17 New_Bedford 2.29 +1.37 6 3.45 +0.33 16 Otis_AFB 1.74 +0.98 6 4.54 +1.80 15 Plymouth 3.10 +2.25 6 6.74 +3.55 14 Walpole 3.18 +2.34 7 7.92 +4.73 16 West_Medway 2.02 +1.18 5 5.49 +2.30 11 Chicopee/Westov 2.97 +2.20 7 4.64 +1.51 16 Worcester 2.39 +1.55 6 5.24 +1.88 15 Worthington 3.24 +2.26 5 6.10 +2.18 13 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 3.55 +2.77 5 6.86 +3.88 13 Woonsocket 2.48 +1.57 5 6.28 +2.71 14 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 3.68 +2.91 7 5.48 +2.56 16 Bridgeport/Siko 4.01 +3.24 6 5.20 +1.90 16 Hartford/Bradle 4.15 +3.38 6 6.45 +3.53 16 Norfolk 2.49 +1.51 7 5.20 +1.39 17 Norwich 3.02 +2.18 5 7.18 +3.78 14 Thomaston_Dam 3.65 +2.73 6 6.40 +2.62 16 Willimantic 1.79 +0.88 7 3.99 +0.25 18 Summary based on NWS data. DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of 0.01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2003: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For detailed ag weather forecasts and data visit the AWIS home page at www.awis.com or call toll free at 1-888-798-9955. -- Other Agricultural Comments and News -- CONNECTICUT - Howard Rood (FSA), Fairfield/Litchfield: It was a rainy week. Most fields are too wet to work. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Warm and humid week with intermittent showers. Good for crops to grow, however high level of disease with humid conditions. Harvesting vegetable crops, blueberries, peaches and tobacco. Seeding turnips, trying to combine rye. Marsha Jette (FSA), New London: Still in the soggy weather pattern. Rain heavy at times, most every day, makes it impossible to get dry hay. Corn seems to be flourishing. Vegetables are doing well. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Rainforest-like conditions with sporadic showers, high humidity and little sunshine. Hay difficult to make. Corn is responding and some looks great, still a lot behind. Sweet corn good - ripening rapidly. Squash, tomatoes and such good. Blueberry picking hampered by weather but tasty and plentiful. Spraying as needed. Cleaning out manure pits. Trying different ways to harvest and preserve hay on the moist side. Fairs in full swing. Nancy Welsh/Karen Vozarik (FSA), New Haven: Rain and high humidity continues. Fields are washing out and killing squash and cucumbers and many other vegetables. Army worms are plentiful, 50-60 being caught in traps a day. Animals and birds are also causing havoc in the fields. Corn is losing flavor due to rain. Producers are tired of poor weather. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Water, water and more water. Folks are harkening back to '55 around here. Little or no field work possible with all the rain and wet field conditions. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Rainy weather continues. Most fields are soaking wet. Growers having difficulty getting through with their sprayers. Fortunately, there are no severe insect or disease problems. Small grains are badly lodged. This will cause uneven ripening and dark colored grain. Some potatoes have drowned in low areas of the fields. We certainly would like to see some drier weather. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: The rain this week has deterred farmers from working in their fields. Scouting has been minimal since fields are very wet. Hopefully, in the next weeks to come, we will have some sunny weather. Steve London, Southern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: No late blight showing up yet, our spray schedules need to be tightened up to five days and should be using Super Tin or Curzate. Things are still looking well. We need some sunlight. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Rain kept farmers from doing much of any field work. Raspberries molded on the canes. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Rain and mist has made field work a challenge. Heavy rains this weekend have saturated many fields. Sweet corn harvested was from early plantings under remay row covers. Janet King (FSA), Somerset: The weather has been very humid and wet, making it very difficult to harvest the hay crop. Timely planted corn looks excellent this year! Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Lousy weather for pretty much everything. Periodic heavy rains, humid wet weather. What more could you ask for? Sweet corn is finally coming in. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: The rate of growth of most crops has increased with the damp weather conditions. An insect problem in beans has been reported. Haying is at a stand still until the damp weather clears out. Blueberry crop is appearing to be about average with approximately half the crop harvested. Dr. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild blueberries: Cool, wet weather is good for quality of fruit, but is delaying harvest. Some berries are still green - not ripening so well along the coast. If weather continues like this, harvest will continue later. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: The rain and humidity helped crops grow but played havoc with field work. Between the showers farmers have been able to do some spraying. Market gardens are seeing lots of people grabbing those fresh vegetables. It's great to see the local corn, green beans and squash in the grocery stores. Enjoy these few weeks of local produce. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Every day this month has been foggy and humid, and most have been rainy or very hot. Most farm stands are open and selling sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, and all summer vegetables. I believe the drought is over. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Enough moisture already! Gardens are starting to look like jungles. Now we need to watch for jungle rot. Haying is starting to fall way behind. There was no activity last week. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Weather conditions have been great for some crops and not so great for others. Humidity reigns for the week. Silage corn has received a boost, sweet corn appearing on the market at most stands, blueberries are being harvested, and early apples are starting to be harvested. Hay producers are waiting for dry weather to start harvest. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: All week it was either cloudy with showers and only minutes of sunshine. We had around 4 inches of rain this week again. Weather limited time for all yard work. No harvesting of hay this week. All corn looking great and ears starting to form. A few growers are picking sweet corn. Pick your own blueberry season is on. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: The rain and cool weather continues to slow growth of all crops. Hay producers cannot cut and dry their first cutting of hay, sweet corn continues to mature slowly as well as other vegetables. Cranberries continue to size up and growers are facing tremendous weed and insect pressure. Field corn is growing very slowly, with little time left to catch up. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Vegetables catching up. Not the best crop, but overall with how the weather has been, they seem to be catching up. The hay has gotten caught in the rain a few times, but farmers are trying to harvest as best as they can. Trying to stay ahead of the rain! Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: It is hard for me to remember a longer stretch of such high humidity (12 days now), and we will soon see the consequences. There will probably be minimal effects of fruit rot incidence, but leaf spots and other diseases will likely be more prevalent. Growers have certainly not needed to irrigate this week. Moisture at this time is critical for berry sizing, so there is a 'silver lining' to the clouds in this miserable weather. Outbreaks of dodder have been noted in beds that were treated with Casoron this spring, indicating that the rainfall washed much of the active ingredient away. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: A very rainy week with about 6" of rain has slowed field work. Harvesting continues and disease pressure mounts. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Most farmers' patience was being pushed to the limit this past week. Heat, heavy rain and humidity made farm activities nearly impossible this week. Disease problems are cropping up in most tree fruit. Farmers are reporting harvest delays with tobacco, cucumbers and blueberries. On the other hand, silage corn looks excellent. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: High humidity and heavy rain showers throughout the week. Producers reported four-plus inches of rainfall during the week. Harvesting of all fruits and vegetables is in full swing. Field conditions are very poor due to the saturating water. Plant debases are a big threat to growers because the plants and soils have been wet for a continuous time. Due to the high humidity and wet conditions growers are concerned with controlling flea beetles, European corn borer, corn earworm and aphids. Gary Guida, Worcester: Spraying every night for European corn borer and related pest problems in sweet corn. Harvesting all summer crops finally! Daily rain making disease/insect/field conditions horrible! Herbicides breaking down and mechanical weed control not possible. Excellent consumer demand for locally grown produce and demand still exceeding field production. Real challenging weather for both plants and growers. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Showers, thundershowers, damp sticky weather. If you got first cutting in late you welcome the rain to help second cutting along. If you got first cutting in on time the rain is holding up second cutting. I guess you can't please them all. Veggies are rolling in all over the county, sweet corn in full swing. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Sopping wet, muggy conditions all week. Most crops seem to be doing pretty well, but weather conditions have limited field operations. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Fairly warm, wet week for beginning of August. Some considerable rainfall at times. Field corn generally now at full tassel and silk - looks good. Hayland and pastures also looking quite lush. Local sweet corn now reaching market, many other summer veggies as well. Raspberry picking continues. Japanese beetles continue to be abundant. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn continues to grow well with adequate moisture. Third cut alfalfa and grass ready for harvest but rainfall is slowing harvest. Heavy thunderstorms and rainfall over the weekend stopped all field activities. Steve Schmidt (FSA), Grafton: Light showers fell during the evening several times last week. Very heavy rains arrived on Saturday. Top soil moisture is adequate. Corn looks good and is developing well. Grass and alfalfa look good. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Vegetables: Rain! Growers harvesting an array of vegetables between showers: beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, greens, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, snap beans, summer squash, sweet corn and other vegetables. Farmers kept busy spraying pesticides for insects and diseases. Very good demand for produce at most local farmers' markets and farm stands. Fruit: Orchardists harvesting peaches and Jersey Mac apples. Blueberry and raspberry harvests continued. Some blueberry growers are picked out - lack of a crop! Orchardists busy monitoring for pests, mowing orchard floors and fixing up orchard roads. Apple growers busy summer pruning trees. Field Crops: Rain showers stopped farmers from making dry hay. Silage corn is rapid growing, starting to tassel and silk. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: The rain was welcomed at the beginning of the week despite the downpours. Farm work was done in the rain or between showers. Some fields are very wet and difficult to access. Picking blueberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots and Paula Red apples. Making haylage. Cultivating, weeding and monitoring for pests. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Enough already! Some parts of the county have received more than enough rain this past week. Hard to do field work with showers most every afternoon. Harvesting of sweet corn and vegetables is ongoing. Keeping an eye out for spot flooding in low lying areas. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: The week was cloudy with rain showers every day. Hay fields and pastures continue to do well. The rains have slowed down the harvesting of hay. Blueberry harvesting continued in the week, although the blueberry yields have been reduced drastically by mummy berry disease. Harvesting of summer vegetables and sweet corn continued in the week. Some vegetable growers are experiencing blossom end rot on tomatoes. Nurseries and garden centers continued to do well on perennials and woody ornamentals. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Harvesting blueberries, trying to renovate strawberries amid the rain. Potatoes and squash being sprayed. Inches and inches of rain fell during midweek, making spraying and field work extremely difficult. Sweet corn being harvested. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: Last week we experienced tropical conditions with high humidity and intermittent downpours of rain. These conditions hampered fieldwork especially the harvest of second cut grass. Some of the vegetable crops are enjoying the weather conditions and the sweet corn harvest began last week. Very minor flooding in a few locations on Saturday. Cooler, drier conditions would be welcome! Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: A lot of rain this past week has slowed hay harvest down. Some farms are trying to harvest second cut between the showers but have not been very successful. Corn is showing its tassel. Most of the corn looks very good right now. The ample moisture and hot, humid weather has helped this crop. Fields are very wet which adds to the difficulties of crop harvest. The major rivers are bank full in places so additional rains may cause some flooding. Lynette Hamilton/Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: Mother Nature is on a rampage in southern Vermont with heat, humidity and rain. Up to several inches has caused a whole bunch of problems not just for producers but local towns. Produces report mold, mildew, no bees are working and every bug created this past week. Fields are so wet that second and third cut is impossible to harvest without damage to their land. The only crop that is happy is corn. There is some late weeds showing up in corn fields as well as alfalfa crop. Prickly cucumber has started to take over so corn fields with this type of weather conditions. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Little field work. Storms every day. Some manure spread on grass fields. some hay harvest. corn tasseling, looking better with warm weather. New seedings filling in good, but late. Fields too wet for corn planting, now too wet for summer seeding. Eric Winchester (FSA) Orange/Windsor: This past week has been very wet and muggy. The latter part of the week brought two substantial storms which dumped several inches of rain throughout many parts of the two counties. The sun has only made an occasional (and half-hearted) appearance. No one has made reports of any dramatic flattening of corn fields, despite the heavy rain. The second/third cut grass is very heavy, and so, with all the rain, much of it is lodged and could be difficult to dry. In any case, no one has had enough dry weather to get out onto the fields to make hay or even to chop silage. The hot, humid weather has been the cause of a noticeable decline in milk production for county dairy operations. One of our county committeemen had a chance to observe some of the orchards in southern Windsor County. He stated that the apple crop looks like it may be smaller this year than normal. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Hot and muggy week. Not a thing dried at all. Plus 2-3 inches of rain. Ground, air, and everything else is soaked. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: 2.784 inches of rain - a very wet, soggy week. Daily rain for the entire week. In spite of rain, all crops have done extremely well. Sweet corn - fine crop, both ear size and flavor. Market full of excellent summer vegetables. Spraying for blight on potatoes and squash. Problem to pick beans between showers. A few sunny days would be very helpful. Hope for a sunny, dry week. -- Contact Information -- To receive this report every Monday evening, send an e-mail message to listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type subscribe usda-new-eng-crop-weather Statisticians: Emily McAllister, Robin Helrich Stat Assistant: Wayne Colpitt Deputy Director: Joe Samson New England Agricultural Statistics Service National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Aubrey R. Davis, Director 22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor PO Box 1444 Concord, NH 03302-1444 Phone: (603) 224-9639 Fax: (603) 225-1434 Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov ****************** end of report ***********************