State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 08/29/04 Issue NH-CW3504 Volume 24, Number 19 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) August 30, 2004 - 4 pm -- Agricultural Summary EXCELLENT HAYMAKING CONDITIONS For the week ending August 29, 2004, there were 6.1 days available for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 9% short, 71% adequate, 20% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 8% short, 77% adequate, 15% surplus. Pasture condition was rated 11% poor, 23% fair, 45% good, 21% excellent. A week of warm temperatures with plenty of sunshine finally arrived for farmers to work the fields. Heavy showers and thunderstorms interrupted harvest over the weekend at most locations. Major farm activities included: mowing orchards; pruning trees; spreading manure; monitoring fields; applying pesticides; cutting and baling hay; cultivating and weeding renovated strawberry beds; harvesting apples, peaches, pears, highbush and wild blueberries, potatoes, sweet corn and other vegetables, barley, oats, and broadleaf and shade tobacco. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 5 Short 9 0 16 Adequate 71 62 73 Surplus 20 38 6 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 5 Short 8 0 15 Adequate 77 73 77 Surplus 15 27 3 --------------------------------------------- -- Field Crops Report Last week's long stretch of warm, dry weather provided excellent conditions for fieldwork. Maine small grain harvest moved into high gear with 20 percent of the oat crop and 40 percent of the barley crop combined by week's end. Hay producers put the longest stretch of dry days this summer to good use, and second crop progress moved back on schedule with normal. Third crop harvest is just getting underway, with good to excellent condition reported. Last week's sun improved corn silage condition and harvest is expected to begin in a week. Maine potato growers continued to apply fungicides on a five-day spray schedule to keep late blight in check. Vine dessication has begun in Aroostook County, and early varieties were harvested green for delivery to processors. Harvest of shade tobacco was active in the Connecticut River Valley, with reports of excellent yield and quality. Broadleaf tobacco harvest proceeded at a fast pace with the arrival of excellent harvest conditions, however progress still trails last year and normal. -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Wild blueberry harvest winding down with 90 percent picked by the end of August. Wild blueberry fruit size was reported above average due to sufficient moisture, however production is expected to fall well short of last year due to poor fruit set. Early pear harvest is just getting underway, with fruit size generally average to small in Connecticut and average elsewhere in the region. Pear conditions in Connecticut and Massachusetts continue to range from very poor to good in the two-state region. Early apple harvest gained momentum across New England, with growers picking Ginger Gold, Jersey Mac, Paula Red and Lodi varieties. Massachusetts cranberry sizing continued to improve, and cool nights enhanced cranberry color. VEGETABLES: Sunny days provided excellent harvest conditions, however cold nights early in the week slowed ripening of vegetable crops in the region. Producers applied protective sprays to combat Phytophthora, mildew, and insects. Sweet corn growers are monitoring a small amount of damage from corn ear worm. Rhode Island reported sweet corn blown down from Hurricane Charley and significant damage on tomatoes, winter squash, and pumpkins from rains and humidity. New England producers harvested an array of vegetables, including beans, cole crops, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes and winter squash. -- Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- Crop 2004 2003 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Barley, ME 40 60 45 Good/Fair Oats, ME 20 30 30 Good/Excel Potatoes: Maine <5 5 5 Good/Fair Mass 30 25 30 Good Rhode Isl 45 50 45 Good/Excel Silage Corn -- -- <5 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 65 70 65 Good/Excel Tobacco: Shade 80 85 90 Good Broadleaf 70 85 90 Good Dry Hay: First Cut 95 99 100 Second Cut 80 85 80 Good/Fair Third Cut 20 35 40 Good/Excel ----------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ----------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2004 2003 5-yr Avg Condition ----------------------------------------------------- Apples 10 15 10 Good/Fair Peaches 75 65 65 Good/Fair Pears 5 10 15 Poor/Good Blueberries Highbush 90 90 90 Wild 90 95 90 Good Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Good/Fair ----------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, August 29, 2004 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 35 91 63 +0 0.00 1.59 NH 36 91 64 +2 0.00 0.91 VT 34 90 65 +2 0.01 1.60 MA 38 92 67 +0 0.00 0.31 RI 47 89 68 -1 0.00 0.32 CT 45 92 68 +1 0.00 0.01 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004: 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 23, 2004 To: Sunday August 29, 2004 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 41 88 63 -3 1472 -323 499 -217 Allagash 35 83 59 -1 1020 -178 254 -57 Augusta_State_A 49 89 66 +0 1650 -89 620 -60 Bangor_Intl_Arp 45 88 66 +2 1574 -14 584 +13 Barnard 40 87 62 -1 1330 -54 411 -17 Bath 45 89 64 -2 1459 -163 507 -100 Bethel 43 89 65 +2 1518 -59 507 -45 Brassua_Dam 40 82 62 +2 1106 -47 273 -22 Brunswick_ME 48 86 65 -1 1642 +20 606 -1 Caribou_Municip 40 84 62 +3 1252 -37 401 +38 Corinna 44 89 65 +2 1495 -25 521 +12 Danforth 41 86 62 -1 1233 -247 356 -144 Dover-Foxcroft 41 84 62 -1 1239 -145 368 -60 Durham 46 87 63 -4 1474 -370 497 -273 East_Hiram 44 85 63 -1 1425 -145 455 -92 Eustis 36 82 60 +0 1036 -85 234 -35 Frenchville 40 83 61 +3 1165 -33 346 +35 Gray 50 89 67 +2 1699 +102 648 +62 Greenville_ME 46 86 65 +4 1594 +199 596 +159 Guilford 39 87 61 -3 1076 -308 272 -156 Hollis 44 89 64 +1 1527 +23 533 +29 Houlton 37 87 63 +2 1266 -81 420 +14 Kennebunkport 46 88 64 -5 1356 -587 413 -427 Livermore_Falls 41 91 65 +4 1583 +220 593 +185 Moosehead 40 85 61 +2 1104 -49 269 -26 New_Sharon 44 88 64 +3 1439 +76 461 +53 Patten 41 84 61 +0 1193 -154 335 -71 Portage 42 84 61 +2 1222 -67 378 +15 Portland_ME 49 89 66 +2 1613 +16 608 +22 Rangeley 41 85 61 +2 1129 +44 280 +30 Sebec_Lake 42 87 62 +0 1339 -56 421 -16 Vanceboro 42 86 62 -1 1256 -149 376 -72 Waterville 47 89 65 -2 1559 -236 568 -148 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 41 89 65 +1 1584 -168 575 -108 Benton 41 82 63 +1 1437 -19 457 +10 Berlin_AG 42 84 64 +2 1470 +3 486 +16 Bethlehem 38 83 62 -1 1335 -121 407 -41 Concord 44 90 67 +3 1967 +215 835 +152 Diamond_Pond 40 79 59 +2 954 -38 182 -14 First_Conn_Lake 39 84 61 +3 1005 +13 222 +26 Greenville 50 88 68 +5 1954 +369 821 +281 Keene_AP 48 88 66 -1 1855 -97 726 -103 Lakeport 51 90 68 +5 1858 +212 764 +159 Marlow 41 83 62 -4 1299 -474 359 -324 Mount_Washingto 36 68 52 +8 123 +62 2 +2 North_Conway 47 86 66 +3 1690 +54 650 +56 Otter_Brook_Lk 46 87 66 -2 1741 -211 648 -181 Plymouth 41 85 63 +2 1452 +8 459 +6 Rochester 47 87 66 -2 1738 -129 684 -87 Weare 47 84 65 +0 1710 -63 637 -46 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 43 85 63 +1 1529 +0 486 -21 Bethel 41 85 63 +2 1592 +140 567 +107 Burlington_Intl 47 85 69 +4 1942 +66 833 +57 East_Haven 34 84 62 +3 1373 +152 443 +125 Island_Pond 41 81 64 +4 1321 +117 403 +99 Montpelier 43 85 66 +4 1592 +113 573 +99 Morrisville_AG 42 84 63 +2 1405 -69 480 +1 Mount_Mansfield 40 73 59 +5 657 +15 70 +4 Northfield 43 87 63 +3 1497 +150 510 +116 Pownal 48 84 65 +3 1673 +138 570 +62 Rochester 45 84 66 +4 1576 +124 547 +87 Rutland_AG 44 86 66 -1 1671 -262 602 -205 Sunderland 42 83 64 -2 1530 -323 493 -245 Sutton 42 84 63 +4 1316 +95 388 +70 Townshend_Lake 47 87 65 -2 1701 -132 607 -139 Union_Vill_Dam 43 90 65 -2 1636 -212 615 -139 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 48 88 67 +4 1835 +242 721 +161 Boston/Logan_In 56 91 70 +0 2214 +0 1042 -3 Greenfield 49 90 68 +0 1978 -105 819 -109 New_Bedford 43 85 66 -6 1997 -232 849 -210 Otis_AFB 45 82 66 -3 1918 +103 822 +68 Plymouth 46 87 66 -2 1926 +49 826 +26 Walpole 48 90 68 +2 2092 +183 921 +118 West_Medway 46 91 68 +2 2097 +188 920 +117 Chicopee/Westov 50 91 69 -2 2239 -143 1018 -147 Worcester 52 86 68 +2 1979 +198 822 +117 Worthington 44 86 64 +1 1611 +54 544 +21 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 51 88 69 +0 2240 +130 1034 +62 Woonsocket 47 89 67 +1 2054 +176 892 +127 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 48 88 66 -5 1768 -530 640 -462 Bridgeport/Siko 58 88 72 +1 2393 +127 1160 +57 Hartford/Bradle 49 92 70 +1 2358 +67 1124 +25 Norfolk 50 83 66 +3 1750 +188 639 +110 Norwich 49 89 69 +0 2236 +108 1027 +64 Thomaston_Dam 48 91 68 +2 2228 +371 1007 +264 Willimantic 47 88 67 +1 2122 +230 924 +150 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.45 -0.39 3 6.04 +2.67 16 Allagash 0.08 -0.83 1 3.48 -0.24 10 Augusta_State_A 0.32 -0.39 2 6.28 +3.27 15 Bangor_Intl_Arp 0.30 -0.47 2 4.39 +1.35 13 Barnard 0.04 -0.82 2 5.45 +2.12 15 Bath 0.03 -0.72 1 5.15 +2.16 11 Bethel 0.38 -0.53 2 5.49 +1.85 14 Brassua_Dam 0.00 -0.84 0 4.58 +1.22 14 Brunswick_ME 0.00 -0.75 0 4.32 +1.33 10 Caribou_Municip 0.04 -0.87 2 3.01 -0.66 10 Corinna 0.26 -0.65 2 4.81 +1.37 11 Danforth 0.05 -0.86 1 3.44 -0.27 11 Dover-Foxcroft 0.17 -0.69 2 3.95 +0.62 12 Durham 0.11 -0.59 2 6.10 +3.25 15 East_Hiram 0.02 -0.81 1 3.30 -0.11 15 Eustis 0.00 -0.77 0 3.50 +0.42 10 Frenchville 0.20 -0.71 1 4.53 +0.81 9 Gray 0.20 -0.50 2 6.09 +3.50 14 Greenville_ME 0.02 -0.84 2 5.12 +1.79 16 Guilford 0.07 -0.79 1 6.95 +3.62 16 Hollis 0.05 -0.67 1 5.00 +2.18 14 Houlton 0.00 -0.91 0 2.91 -0.78 12 Kennebunkport 0.04 -0.68 2 7.20 +4.38 15 Livermore_Falls 1.59 +0.67 2 5.32 +1.61 13 Moosehead 0.00 -0.84 0 3.50 +0.14 13 New_Sharon 0.42 -0.50 2 5.43 +1.72 14 Patten 0.00 -0.91 0 4.74 +1.05 11 Portage 0.05 -0.86 1 3.67 +0.00 11 Portland_ME 0.00 -0.70 0 5.78 +3.19 11 Rangeley 0.28 -0.62 2 4.43 +0.77 14 Sebec_Lake 0.00 -0.86 0 5.54 +2.21 13 Vanceboro 0.09 -0.72 2 4.66 +1.68 15 Waterville 0.34 -0.50 2 6.09 +2.72 15 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.03 -0.67 1 5.91 +2.91 13 Benton 0.57 -0.33 2 4.24 +0.61 15 Berlin_AG 0.18 -0.77 2 4.72 +0.82 13 Bethlehem 0.22 -0.75 2 5.04 +0.95 15 Concord 0.00 -0.70 0 3.58 +0.58 12 Diamond_Pond 0.32 -0.80 2 6.12 +1.49 12 First_Conn_Lake 0.51 -0.61 2 8.31 +3.68 14 Greenville 0.00 -0.87 0 3.02 -0.64 9 Keene_AP 0.00 -0.83 0 2.14 -1.39 11 Lakeport 0.00 -0.81 0 3.35 +0.02 11 Marlow 0.00 -0.82 0 4.89 +1.57 11 Mount_Washingto 0.91 -0.98 3 7.64 +0.17 16 North_Conway 0.24 -0.66 2 5.01 +1.38 15 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.00 -0.83 0 4.61 +1.08 15 Plymouth 0.01 -0.82 1 2.96 -0.56 11 Rochester 0.00 -0.77 0 5.78 +2.55 9 Weare 0.57 -0.25 1 5.05 +1.73 15 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.04 -0.94 2 2.71 -1.19 13 Bethel 0.01 -1.02 1 3.94 -0.22 13 Burlington_Intl 1.09 +0.18 3 4.69 +1.02 15 East_Haven 0.41 -0.60 2 5.41 +1.13 16 Island_Pond 0.51 -0.52 2 5.23 +0.85 16 Montpelier 0.37 -0.47 3 5.40 +1.91 19 Morrisville_AG 0.87 -0.17 2 5.41 +1.05 13 Mount_Mansfield 1.60 -0.08 3 8.65 +1.88 17 Northfield 0.19 -0.65 1 6.63 +3.22 13 Pownal 0.03 -0.95 1 5.96 +2.06 16 Rochester 0.16 -0.87 2 5.76 +1.60 12 Rutland_AG 0.06 -0.85 2 6.18 +2.38 15 Sunderland 0.33 -0.58 1 4.59 +1.05 14 Sutton 0.57 -0.44 2 4.44 +0.16 16 Townshend_Lake 0.03 -0.86 2 3.64 +0.04 15 Union_Vill_Dam 0.02 -0.81 1 3.69 +0.40 12 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.08 -0.68 2 5.87 +2.70 16 Boston/Logan_In 0.00 -0.77 0 4.03 +1.09 8 Greenfield 0.02 -0.78 1 3.60 +0.28 14 New_Bedford 0.00 -0.96 0 5.30 +1.48 9 Otis_AFB 0.00 -0.79 0 3.15 +0.07 9 Plymouth 0.00 -0.97 0 4.97 +1.34 10 Walpole 0.00 -0.91 0 4.71 +1.15 10 West_Medway 0.00 -0.91 0 6.77 +3.21 7 Chicopee/Westov 0.00 -0.84 0 4.12 +0.93 11 Worcester 0.00 -0.91 0 4.77 +1.32 10 Worthington 0.03 -0.88 1 7.05 +3.30 14 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 0.00 -0.84 0 5.97 +2.68 9 Woonsocket 0.00 -0.91 0 7.02 +3.38 8 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.00 -0.87 0 4.81 +1.51 14 Bridgeport/Siko 0.00 -0.70 0 5.21 +2.29 9 Hartford/Bradle 0.00 -0.87 0 4.25 +0.95 13 Norfolk 0.00 -1.05 0 8.03 +3.91 14 Norwich 0.00 -0.91 0 7.07 +3.51 11 Thomaston_Dam 0.00 -0.98 0 4.82 +0.97 12 Willimantic 0.00 -0.91 0 5.28 +1.71 12 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 2004: 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: Dry weather all week. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: A great week for making dry hay. Dry, mostly sunny and turning from crisp, warm air to the dog days of summer by the weekend. Harvesting of all vegetable crops, peaches and early apples during the week. Broadleaf tobacco harvest picked up pace. Field corn needs more heat to mature. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Awesome week to bale hay. Big round bales and their rectangular cousins dot the fields and pass on the way to the barn. Corn looks great. Vegetables look good too. Karen Vozarik (FSA), New Haven: Cold nights are delaying the ripening of vegetables. Tomatoes are plentiful but are still green on the vine. Plenty of flowers on the eggplant but little fruit. Peaches are doing well and early apple varieties, Paula Red and Gingergolds are being harvested. High humidity, sunny days and cool nights characterized the weather for the week. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Scouting corn for rootworm adults. Corn in late milk to early dough stage. Farmers intend to start harvest in a week to 10 days. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Growers continue to prepare harvesting equipment and spraying crops. Some fields have been desiccated. Small grains are being harvested and a few acres have been harvested green for delivery to processors. Late blight continues to be a concern for growers but, for the most part they have done an admirable job controlling its spread. Size and quality of the potato crop looks very good. Grain crop also looks very good. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Growers are working on equipment in preparation for harvesting in a couple of weeks. Growers are still employing a 5-day fungicide spray schedule. Initial vine dessication has begun. Harvesting of grains has begun. Steve London, Southern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Potato crop is looking good. Growers are applying MH-30 for sprout control on later planted crop. Some seed growers on earlier planted varieties are starting to kill vines. About two percent of the Atlantic varieties have been harvested. No oats have been harvested. 35 percent of the barley crop has been harvested. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Good weather throughout the week allowed farmers to make hay. Some good second crop hay went into storage. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Some nice weather finally allowed for dry hay making. Lots of activity to finish first, second and third cuttings. Corn continues to grow, but could use some more heat. Some fields too wet for manure spreading with heavy trucks. Dr. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild blueberries: Crop harvest continues with good berry size but poor yields. It is expected that harvest will be complete by the end of next week. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: This was the week that keeps farmers on the farm. What great weather to do outdoor work; bale hay and soak up sunshine. Market garden producers are getting those vegetables to the local. Apples are starting to show up in stores, at the farm stand and in "pick your own" operations. Silage corn spotty in places, some very short with little stalk. If we have more of these steamy days and evenings, that silage corn will improve before harvest. Sandy Truslow (FSA), Cumberland/York: Farmers finally received the weather needed to make dry hay. Some areas are still too wet to cut. Other areas have been cut two or three times. We could use more of this weather before the leaves start turning! Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: An awesome week for plant growth. Highbush blueberries are very large thanks to all the moisture. Hay producers still bothered by showers. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: What a glorious week! This week's warmth was needed to give the corn a big boost. Hay making activities were fast and furious - squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and other assorted vegetables are prominent on the farm stands. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: With the first good weather in a while for drying, large plots were being hayed. There was damage reported in a small area of the county from a severe thunderstorm with high winds and hail associated with a freak tornado classified as an 'F0' last week. Fall vine crops and some fruit trees were damaged. Also there was a report of blossom drop due to low pollination in our cool, wet, early summer causing a 60% failure of a large pumpkin crop in another area. More sugar maples are showing very early color. Weekend fairs were well attended thanks to hot, humid weather. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Berries continue to size and color. Coloring was enhanced greatly this week with very cool nights. Some growers turned on their sprinklers to protect from possible frost; some beds went to 32 degrees. Most activities revolve around getting ready for the coming harvest. Very little fruit rot so far (knocking on wood). David Rose (FSA), Bristol: A great week for making hay. Everywhere you went farmers were mowing and baling. The harvest of winter squash began; the crop looks good. All other crops continue to be harvested. Disease and insect pressure, except for corn ear worm, remains low. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: A great week of weather allowed farmers to harvest acres of second-cut hay. Tobacco harvest (field and shade) is winding down. Shade producers have said that this has been an excellent year for yield and quality and are harvesting fifth and sixth primes. Some field tobacco growers have had a difficult season with blue mold and fleck. Vine crop growers have been busy protecting against phytopthora and mildews. Early blight has been observed in several potato fields but yield should not be seriously affected. One more week of warm, dry weather would be perfect. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Beautiful, hot, sunny week; all farmers are smiling and harvesting an array of crops such as tobacco, sweet corn, beans, hay, cukes, peppers and winter squashes. With last week's heavy rains in the area, farmers are applying protective sprays to ward off disease and insects. All crops look good. Gary Guida, Worcester: The road is "temporarily" open!! Retail sales of sweet corn and mums are good. Sales counters are loaded with summer produce. Sweet corn condition and flavor are by far the best I've had in years. European Corn Borer damage at three percent. Second planting of squashes and beans coming on strong. Sugar pumpkins orange and large pumpkins are half way to prime color. Real good fall crops. Awfully hot this weekend. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Six days in a row with no rain! Most of the week featured dry, sunny weather, and haying proceeded at a furious pace. Third cutting alfalfa/grass for haylage continued. Corn continues to mature; a few kernels starting to dent here and there and a few producers are gearing up to start chopping. Veggies doing well, though vine crops and tomatoes starting to wind down at some places. Early apple varieties ready for PYO and starting to make an appearance at farm stands. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Third cut continuing as weather permits. Corn continues to mature slowly. Later planted corn still quite immature. Plenty of moisture at this point but need some heat. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Orchardists harvesting peaches, first pears, plums, and apples (finishing Paula Red, starting Ginger Gold and McIntosh). Highbush blueberry harvest winding down, and fall raspberry harvest continued. Cultivating and weeding newly renovated strawberry beds. Vegetables: Farmers kept busy irrigating, harvesting crops, monitoring pest pressures, spraying pesticides for insect and disease control where needed. Harvesting an array of vegetables, including pumpkin and some winter squash. Field Crops: With drier weather, hay making and cutting haylage continued during the week with the second cut and some third cutting being made. Farmers have newly seeded pasture and hayfields; in many fields, seedings started to emerge. John Porter (Ext), Merrimack: Still need time for corn to mature. Concern that good quality hay will be in short supply. Vegetables are lush with ideal moisture conditions, but a lot of blight and diseases. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Picking apples, blueberries, and whole array of vegetables. Weekend heat and humidity was high. Need some rain. PYO apple and blueberry operations are busy. Growers are busy weeding, cultivating and irrigating. Some damage on apples and other crops due to high wind and localized hail 10 days ago are now showing. Brown rot in peaches also being noticed. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Great weather for haying. Dry days last week helped with all types of field work and harvesting. Scattered storms over the weekend with small hail in spots. Early PYO apple harvest underway with blueberry harvest just about finished. Reports of mummyberry by some producers. A good crop of sweet corn still readily available. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: A hot and humid week. Growth for second cut hay looked good on most hay fields. Field corn growing well. Vegetable growers harvesting sweet corn and an array of vegetables. Monitoring and spraying for corn ear worm and other vegetable insect pests. Last of blueberry harvesting for most fruit growers. Started harvesting early apple varieties. Fall garden mums growing well. Greenhouse and garden centers already selling early mums. Poinsettia crop looking good. Growers applying pesticides against white flies. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: The weather this week allowed for every farm activity imaginable. Spraying, cultivating, watering and harvesting. Lots of great sweet corn. Potatoes look super. Hard squash and pumpkins coming along well. Summer tomatoes, cukes, beans and cole crops are the best. Farm stands filled with every vegetable around. Could use just a tad of rain. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Sweet corn was blown down by Hurricane Charley in the eastern part of the State. Significant crop losses in tomatoes, winter squash and pumpkins due to heavy rains and humidity in various areas throughout the State. Crops for livestock are generally in excellent shape. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: Lots of activity centered around haying. Producers were able to catch up thanks to a record run of dry weather. Excess moisture is resulting in lower yields for some vegetables. Nice week ended with heavy weekend rains. Just what we didn't need!! Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: A lot of hay was harvested this past week due to the longest stretch of dry weather this summer. The fields are still very wet which made harvesting a little tricky. Heavy rain on Sunday night has not helped the abundant moisture problems. Corn crop is starting to mature but the cool, wet weather has delayed this. Hopefully the corn will mature in time to be harvested. Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: Hot, humid weather finished off the week with field corn showing signs of maturing. Haying was the order of the day this past week with the best drying days we have had all summer. Veggie producers have had their problems with blight and insects. Apple producers are beginning to see an excellent crop this year; with good size and color. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Baling dry hay to finish second cut. Some manure spread on cut hay fields. Finally, dry weather, then severe local thunderstorms to wash out roads on Saturday. Some localized flooding of fields. Getting ready for corn and third cut haylage harvest. George Cook (FSA) Lamoille: Heavy rainfall continues to keep hay land waterlogged and impassible in many places. Sunday, received another 2.35 inches, bringing the August total to 10.5 inches on top of a wet July (7.6 inches); over 18 inches for the two month period. More rain forecast for Sunday. Corn shows obvious signs of cold, wet weather. Chris Benedict (Ext), Chittenden: Cool nights and sunny days have added a nice touch to the apple season this year. Yields look good and conditions have been somewhat beneficial for a good crop. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. -- Contact Information To receive this report, send an e-mail message to listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type subscribe usda-new-eng-crop-weather Statistician: Travis Averill 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 ***********************