new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 7/3/05 Issue NH-CW3704 Volume 25, Number 10 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) July 5, 2005 - 4 pm -- Agricultural Summary Holiday Weekend Ideal for Strawberry Picking GENERAL CONDITIONS: For the week ending July 3, 2005, there were 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture was rated 5% very short, 14% short, 72% adequate, and 9% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 4% very short, 11% short, 75% adequate, and 10% surplus. Pasture condition was rated 3% very poor, 2% poor, 15% fair, 56% good, and 24% excellent. Warm and humid conditions prevailed throughout the work week. Scattered showers and strong thunderstorms at mid-week were welcome in drier areas of the region, but heavy winds and hail added a challenge for growers in western New England. A small tornado touched down in western Massachusetts on June 29. Some field corn was blown over by the storm, but had recovered by the next day. Damage to fruit crops from the hail was also noted. Cool, dry conditions for the long holiday weekend were welcome, especially for pick-your-own strawberry operations and weekend farmer's markets. Major farm activities included harvesting strawberries, early vegetables, and summer squashes, baling hay and making haylage, weeding, mowing orchards, hilling potatoes, topdressing, cultivating, and sidedressing fields with fertilizer, spraying protective fungicides, monitoring pests and applying pesticides. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 5 3 4 Short 14 8 14 Adequate 66 65 78 Surplus 15 24 4 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 4 3 4 Short 11 6 14 Adequate 71 66 78 Surplus 14 25 4 --------------------------------------------- FIELD CROPS: Prolonged wet spring weather in Maine was followed by extended dry hot weather, causing some distress on small grains and potatoes in that state. Some barley fields reported infestations of Cereal Grain Leaf Beetle. European Corn Borer and Colorado Potato Beetle were spotted on Maine potato fields this week. Potato growers spent the week cultivating fields, applying fungicides, and spraying for pests. The first cut of hay was nearly finished this week, and the second cut of hay was started between rain showers. Farmers continued to take advantage of the sunny weather for haymaking, but humid conditions early in the week made haymaking difficult. Some new seedings of alfalfa were starting to be harvested this week. Field corn height varied from a few inches to shoulder high across the region. Warm weather helped corn growth, but farmers are hoping for rain over the next few weeks to help the crop reach its full potential. Growers sidedressed fertilizer to field corn as needed. Pre-emergent herbicides were applied between rain showers. -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Strawberry picking was in full swing last week; warm weather hastened the ripening of berries. Intermittent showers and thunderstorms slowed the strawberry harvest in parts of New England, but cool, dry weather over the weekend brought many people to pick-your-own operations. Conditions were also well-timed for pollination of cranberry blossoms, as beds were near full bloom last week. Wild blueberry growers in Maine report development was about a week behind schedule due to poor spring conditions. Growers found signs of monilinia and botrytis in the fields, and set traps to monitor for blueberry fruit fly. Raspberries were starting to ripen, and highbush blueberries were reported as not far behind. Apples were reported sizing up well with good moisture availability. Scab was reported in some orchards, but appeared under control. Fruit growers spent the week monitoring crop development and pests. Pesticides were applied as needed. VEGETABLES: Warm weather helped sweet corn and other vegetables develop well this week, despite the slow start across the region. Harvest of early season vegetables continued, as farm stands were open with lettuce, greens, radishes, peas, beans, yellow squash, and cucumbers. At the same time, vegetable growers continued with successive planting of different crops. Nurseries started marking down their annual and perennial stock. Growers spent the week top dressing emerged corn, controling weeds in pumpkin fields, and spraying for cucumber beetles and other pests. Sweet corn planting was nearly complete by week's end. -- Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- Crop 2005 2004 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Emerged -- Barley,ME 100 100 100 Good/Excellent Oats,ME 100 100 100 Good/Excellent Potatoes Maine 100 100 100 Good/Excellent Mass. 100 100 100 Good Rhode Isl. 100 100 100 Good/Fair Silage Corn 90 95 90 Good/Excellent Sweet Corn 85 95 90 Good/Excellent -- Percent Planted -- Silage Corn 99 99 95 Good/Excellent Sweet Corn 95 99 95 Good/Excellent Tobacco Broadleaf 100 99 95 Good -- Percent Harvested -- Dry hay, 80 80 75 Good/Fair 1st cut Dry hay, 15 5 10 Good/Excellent 2nd cut ---------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ----------------------------------------------------- --Percent Harvested-- Crop 2005 2004 5-yr Fruit Condition Avg Size ----------------------------------------------------- Apples - - - Avg Good/Fair Peaches - - - Avg Good/Fair Pears - - - Avg Good/Fair Blueberries Highbush - - - Avg/Below Good/Excel Wild, ME - - - Avg Fair Cranberries,MA - - - Good Strawberries 65 65 60 Avg Good/Fair ----------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary For the Period: Monday June 27, 2005 To: Sunday July 3, 2005 AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI -- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 41 92 69 +5 0.00 2.53 NH 38 99 72 +7 0.20 3.18 VT 44 97 73 +8 0.09 2.96 MA 47 96 73 +5 0.03 3.54 RI 52 95 72 +4 0.11 1.03 CT 48 97 74 +5 0.69 2.48 --------------------------------------------- - Copyright 2005: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -- Weather Information Table For the Period: Monday June 27, 2005 To: Sunday July 3, 2005 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 47 91 71 +3 553 -144 230 +38 Allagash 41 92 68 +5 435 +18 167 +106 Augusta_State_A 54 92 71 +4 614 -37 258 +89 Bangor_Intl_Arp 49 92 71 +5 632 +60 249 +120 Barnard 47 90 69 +5 523 +47 213 +129 Bath 47 90 69 +3 494 -75 176 +46 Bethel 49 91 71 +5 579 -9 230 +95 Brassua_Dam 48 88 68 +6 440 +67 173 +125 Brunswick_ME 51 88 70 +4 498 -71 185 +55 Caribou_Municip 47 90 70 +7 531 +70 213 +134 Corinna 49 91 70 +5 573 +11 230 +109 Danforth 48 86 69 +4 491 -30 189 +79 Dover-Foxcroft 47 89 70 +6 481 +5 192 +108 Durham 48 90 70 +2 542 -149 215 +18 East_Hiram 47 87 70 +4 575 -11 237 +103 Eustis 45 89 69 +7 467 +94 193 +150 Frenchville 47 91 70 +7 518 +101 210 +149 Gray 49 90 69 +4 620 +68 265 +149 Greenville_ME 54 85 69 +5 505 +18 209 +122 Guilford 45 88 70 +6 494 +18 212 +128 Hollis 49 90 69 +5 565 +27 234 +124 Houlton 45 88 69 +6 526 +53 205 +120 Kennebunkport 49 86 67 -3 506 -237 187 -33 Livermore_Falls 46 92 71 +8 588 +107 254 +168 Moosehead 45 88 68 +6 432 +59 168 +120 New_Sharon 50 92 71 +7 556 +75 236 +150 Patten 49 87 67 +4 460 -13 173 +88 Portage 48 90 69 +6 510 +49 203 +124 Portland_ME 52 89 69 +4 583 +31 232 +116 Rangeley 46 88 70 +9 463 +108 188 +150 Sebec_Lake 46 91 69 +5 515 +28 206 +119 Vanceboro 47 86 68 +4 475 +1 174 +90 Waterville 51 90 71 +4 569 -128 235 +43 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 44 97 71 +4 617 -65 262 +74 Benton 46 88 71 +7 597 +26 238 +121 Berlin_AG 49 89 72 +8 620 +59 262 +142 Bethlehem 39 91 70 +6 616 +45 254 +136 Concord 48 95 73 +6 772 +90 336 +148 Diamond_Pond 47 88 69 +8 452 +122 180 +153 First_Conn_Lake 42 86 69 +9 469 +139 178 +151 Greenville 50 97 75 +10 818 +204 374 +233 Keene_AP 50 91 74 +6 771 -34 328 +69 Lakeport 53 93 74 +8 744 +115 319 +158 Marlow 46 93 73 +6 681 -36 297 +95 Mount_Washingto 39 82 57 +11 133 +130 13 +13 North_Conway 51 91 73 +7 647 +18 271 +111 Otter_Brook_Lk 48 90 72 +4 712 -93 298 +39 Plymouth 48 92 71 +7 613 +76 253 +141 Rochester 50 90 71 +4 653 -88 269 +47 Weare 50 89 72 +6 683 -34 287 +85 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 46 92 71 +6 645 +61 264 +135 Bethel 48 90 73 +9 675 +128 286 +168 Burlington_Intl 51 93 76 +9 886 +128 405 +169 East_Haven 46 91 72 +10 620 +182 258 +181 Island_Pond 46 88 72 +10 601 +163 255 +181 Montpelier 47 89 73 +8 720 +150 306 +177 Morrisville_AG 44 90 72 +8 601 +44 250 +123 Mount_Mansfield 48 80 66 +10 366 +173 104 +94 Northfield 45 91 73 +9 656 +157 272 +172 Pownal 49 89 72 +7 737 +147 293 +158 Rochester 47 90 74 +10 687 +140 292 +174 Rutland_AG 48 92 74 +6 746 -64 324 +62 Sunderland 49 92 73 +5 721 -53 301 +65 Sutton 47 87 71 +9 591 +153 250 +173 Townshend_Lake 50 93 73 +6 737 +8 314 +98 Union_Vill_Dam 47 92 71 +4 640 -104 257 +34 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 51 92 74 +8 749 +145 315 +171 Boston/Logan_In 61 92 74 +3 812 -81 352 +48 Greenfield 51 93 74 +5 824 -47 356 +60 New_Bedford 53 88 72 +2 710 -167 260 -26 Otis_AFB 61 90 75 +8 873 +222 370 +201 Plymouth 58 90 74 +6 708 +12 300 +101 Walpole 53 95 75 +6 826 +75 350 +126 West_Medway 53 91 73 +5 762 +11 313 +89 Chicopee/Westov 54 93 76 +5 980 -41 431 +48 Worcester 61 92 74 +7 815 +132 348 +164 Worthington 48 91 72 +7 694 +97 276 +139 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 59 94 75 +5 886 +56 371 +100 Woonsocket 52 95 74 +6 840 +101 349 +142 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 48 91 73 +1 791 -191 315 -51 Bridgeport/Siko 61 87 74 +3 959 +55 371 +51 Hartford/Bradle 54 95 76 +5 1036 +61 464 +101 Norfolk 51 89 71 +6 729 +135 286 +150 Norwich 55 93 75 +5 907 +30 388 +96 Thomaston_Dam 54 92 74 +7 870 +119 364 +147 Willimantic 51 92 74 +6 882 +121 359 +137 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.07 -0.72 3 2.96 -0.34 15 Allagash 0.10 -0.67 1 2.75 -0.20 11 Augusta_State_A 0.32 -0.43 4 3.12 +0.06 18 Bangor_Intl_Arp 0.11 -0.66 2 1.92 -1.16 7 Barnard 0.44 -0.40 4 3.15 -0.30 13 Bath 0.18 -0.58 2 2.74 -0.58 13 Bethel 0.28 -0.59 3 5.17 +1.51 12 Brassua_Dam 0.19 -0.77 2 3.40 -0.30 14 Brunswick_ME 0.56 -0.20 4 4.24 +0.92 16 Caribou_Municip 0.00 -0.78 0 2.22 -0.55 8 Corinna 0.15 -0.64 2 2.58 -0.73 11 Danforth 0.46 -0.42 2 3.40 -0.01 16 Dover-Foxcroft 1.57 +0.73 2 3.16 -0.29 9 Durham 1.08 +0.24 3 4.15 +0.72 13 East_Hiram 0.52 -0.32 5 3.48 -0.05 20 Eustis 2.53 +1.69 1 5.41 +2.25 12 Frenchville 0.15 -0.62 1 3.56 +0.61 12 Gray 0.68 -0.09 4 4.37 +1.16 15 Greenville_ME 0.11 -0.73 2 2.33 -1.12 11 Guilford 0.81 -0.03 3 3.82 +0.37 16 Hollis 1.93 +1.10 5 5.95 +2.54 19 Houlton 0.26 -0.51 2 2.70 -0.38 13 Kennebunkport 1.36 +0.58 5 3.66 +0.31 16 Livermore_Falls 0.07 -0.81 2 5.98 +2.19 14 Moosehead 0.17 -0.79 2 2.48 -1.22 14 New_Sharon 0.26 -0.62 4 3.89 +0.10 17 Patten 0.84 +0.07 3 4.01 +0.93 17 Portage 0.01 -0.77 1 1.77 -1.00 10 Portland_ME 1.62 +0.85 4 5.31 +2.10 15 Rangeley 0.44 -0.40 2 3.62 +0.19 16 Sebec_Lake 1.47 +0.63 3 4.41 +0.96 14 Vanceboro 0.43 -0.34 2 3.23 +0.23 16 Waterville 0.21 -0.58 2 2.97 -0.33 15 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.29 +0.58 4 4.91 +1.95 16 Benton 0.20 -0.64 3 4.95 +1.43 13 Berlin_AG 0.58 -0.32 2 2.86 -0.95 12 Bethlehem 0.75 -0.16 3 4.77 +1.02 14 Concord 1.31 +0.60 3 5.06 +2.10 14 Diamond_Pond 1.29 +0.24 3 5.44 +1.13 14 First_Conn_Lake 1.61 +0.56 2 6.41 +2.10 12 Greenville 1.21 +0.37 3 3.09 -0.37 9 Keene_AP 2.73 +1.89 3 6.69 +3.33 14 Lakeport 1.24 +0.46 3 5.91 +2.68 16 Marlow 1.85 +1.01 4 5.19 +1.77 13 Mount_Washingto 1.20 -0.51 5 8.32 +1.07 18 North_Conway 0.83 -0.07 4 5.06 +1.36 17 Otter_Brook_Lk 2.15 +1.31 4 4.90 +1.54 15 Plymouth 3.18 +2.34 4 8.95 +5.59 14 Rochester 2.04 +1.25 4 4.62 +1.36 13 Weare 1.72 +0.88 4 3.67 +0.25 15 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.50 +0.51 4 4.61 +0.40 16 Bethel 0.39 -0.45 4 3.25 -0.21 15 Burlington_Intl 0.09 -0.74 1 3.78 +0.50 10 East_Haven 1.26 +0.28 3 5.10 +1.12 15 Island_Pond 1.23 +0.25 3 6.28 +2.30 13 Montpelier 0.28 -0.45 4 3.87 +0.69 16 Morrisville_AG 0.14 -0.77 2 2.18 -1.57 10 Mount_Mansfield 0.12 -1.40 3 3.67 -2.57 14 Northfield 0.30 -0.45 3 4.47 +1.55 12 Pownal 2.45 +1.46 3 5.21 +1.00 14 Rochester 0.45 -0.39 2 6.08 +2.62 13 Rutland_AG 0.26 -0.58 3 5.85 +2.49 15 Sunderland 2.87 +2.17 6 6.64 +3.61 19 Sutton 0.70 -0.28 4 6.31 +2.33 14 Townshend_Lake 2.93 +2.23 4 6.73 +3.84 17 Union_Vill_Dam 0.57 -0.13 3 5.09 +2.09 15 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.49 +0.65 5 5.61 +2.25 15 Boston/Logan_In 0.20 -0.49 1 1.48 -1.39 6 Greenfield 3.21 +2.34 3 5.13 +1.58 13 New_Bedford 0.81 +0.07 4 1.97 -1.31 9 Otis_AFB 0.80 +0.10 4 1.12 -1.85 8 Plymouth 0.05 -0.72 3 0.76 -2.42 7 Walpole 0.37 -0.47 2 1.17 -2.31 7 West_Medway 1.30 +0.46 6 3.08 -0.40 17 Chicopee/Westov 1.28 +0.37 4 2.81 -0.95 15 Worcester 0.50 -0.38 4 1.81 -1.80 9 Worthington 3.54 +2.63 4 5.27 +1.66 15 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 0.11 -0.63 4 0.72 -2.33 8 Woonsocket 0.46 -0.45 4 1.26 -2.50 11 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.55 +0.76 5 2.94 -0.49 11 Bridgeport/Siko 1.81 +0.97 3 2.38 -0.84 7 Hartford/Bradle 1.30 +0.51 4 2.66 -0.77 12 Norfolk 1.52 +0.51 5 2.63 -1.64 12 Norwich 1.01 +0.24 5 1.23 -1.81 8 Thomaston_Dam 1.65 +0.74 5 3.87 +0.10 15 Willimantic 0.69 -0.22 2 0.85 -2.66 8 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 2005: 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 at1-888-798-9955. -- Other Agricultural Comments and News CONNECTICUT - Howard Rood (FSA), Fairfield/Litchfield: Heavy thunderstorms across most of the county gave us some much needed moisture. Hay and field corn crops look good. Jude Boucher (Ext), Tolland: Over an inch of rain in much of Tolland County has brought much needed relief from the dry conditions that have persisted on some farms since mid-May. Frank Himmelstein (Ext), N ew London: Field Corn; last of the fields finally appear to be planted in the county. Within a few miles distance, corn height is anywhere between a few inches to over three feet in height. Post herbicide treatments being applied for burcucumber and other weeds escape. Rain is really needed in most of the county if this year?s crop is going to reach its full potential. The next three weeks rainfall will be critical particularly for the earliest planted corn. Grass Hay- A great deal of square bales and round bales were put up this week. Most of it will be suitable for horses and non-lactating animals since the protein content will be low on this late cut grass. Second cut will not be as plentiful this year unless we get some more rainfall soon. Early cut hay fields did not make that much re-growth during this dry spell. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Sweet corn looks good, but won't be early, likely last few weeks of July. Good 1st cutting, rain helped gave 2nd cutting a needed boost. Vegetables ok, strawberries ripened quickly in heat then four days of rain held off harvest, picking continues for at least another week, Awesome four day 4th of July weekend, lots of haylage and hay went in and people had fun at family parties too. Karen Vozarik (FSA), New Haven: Hot Humid weather and heavy rains appeared this week. The rain was welcomed due to the severe dryness in the area. Rain accumulations varied in areas from one inch to four inches. Strawberries were hit by the extreme heat in the 90's then the pouring rain, made some growers have a very short season. Corn is starting to stress depending on the stage of maturity. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: Broadleaf weeds are knee high on the 4th of July, luckily the field corn is taller. Pre-plant herbicides washed away by rain after planting, resulting in lots of weeds. On the other hand, spraying with post-emergence herbicides is not easy when thunderstorms are threatened each day. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Finishing up first cut hay, starting second cut on early cut haylage fields. Field corn is growing well with earlier fields over waist high. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Growers cultivating potato fields. Applying fungicides. Checking fields for corn borer egg masses. The dry weather and heat have slowed crop growth. Small grains showing signs of distress. Found some barley fields infested with Cereal Grain Leaf Beetle. Insecticides being applied to combat them. Crops need rain. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: All crops are planted. Farmers are cultivating fields. Herbicides are being applied to barley and oats. Farmers with livestock are haying. Some fungicides are being applied to potatoes. Steve London, Southern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Starting to see European corn borer and Colorado potato beetle on potatoes. Farmers will be spraying this week. Small grains look good with 100% merged. Should be spraying herbicides this week. It's starting to get dry now, on the verge of hurting a bit. We could use about an inch of rain this week, which is funny to say after having a month and a half of rain this spring. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Farmers are getting hay in with little interference with weather. Some have finished haying. Farmers are finding hay tonnage less than usual even though growth appeared plentiful. Some are seeding down new fields as the late spring pushed their timing back. Gleason Gray (Ext), Penobscot: Haying underway, PYO strawberry farms opened this week. Kathy Hopkins (Ext), Somerset: A good week. Donald Burke (FSA), Waldo: Haying continues with several good days of perfect weather. Fertilizer spreading on blueberry fields underway. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: A lot of haying was done with several days in a row of good weather. Row crops doing good with sunny skies. Time to enjoy locally grown vegetables! A perfect summer weekend for farming and all outdoor activities. Blueberries appear to be behind due to wet, late spring. Dr. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild blueberries: Fruit set was variable and more disease symptoms from both monilinia and botrytis can be seen in the fields. Traps are being put out to monitor for the blueberry fruit fly. Plant development is delayed at least one week. G ary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Great weekend for haying. Great for growing crops. Great for eating strawberries!!! Period of showers coming, hope they do not linger. Some scab problems reported on apples. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Great weather this week, much needed warmth and sunshine. Crops have emerged and are being sprayed and cultivated. Sweet corn is beginning to look good and farmers are able to get in hay. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: We had a typical July weather week although it was June! Weather was hot and humid resulting in some serious thunderstorms that rattled through the area including a category F0 tornado in south county on the 29th. A small amount of corn was blown over but popped back up by the next day. Rainfalls were variable from less than an inch to more than 3". Flash flood warnings were posted. The storms cleared the air and the week ended with bright clear sunshine filled days for the long weekend. It was perfect for the tourists shopping our weekend farmer's markets. Nurseries have started marking down their annual and perennial stock. Pick your own strawberry operations are wrapping up their season. Pesticide applications to corn were going on late in the week and plenty of hay was made around the county. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: All beds have full or near full bloom. Bees have had excellent weather to pollinate the blossoms. Growers are applying their second fungicide spray for fruit rot control. Insecticides being applied for various pests. Vines look excellent, but we could certainly use some rain. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Wild weather on Wednesday caused scattered crop damage and field flooding in parts of Franklin County. Producers reported 2.5 inches of rain within an hour in southern sections of the county. They also reported that much of the water was soaked in within 24 hours! Following the stormy weather most vegetable and tobacco farmers were busy top-dressing and cultivating. At this point, all crops look very good. Cool and dry Canadian air allowed forage producers to make some beautiful 1st and 2nd cut hay. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: The past week was hot, humid and rainy. All crops are growing well. Strawberry harvest is coming to an end and sweet corn harvest is just starting. Topdressing and cultivating all summer crops continues. Gary Guida, Worcester: Glorious weather brought strawberry pickers out this week, but unfortunately end of the season as hot weather earlier hastened ripening of fruit. Last good weekend for strawberries around here. Corn sales took off with 4th of July weekend. Growers finished last planting of sweet corn, top dressing of emerged corn, controlling weeds in pumpkin fields, and spraying for cuke beetle. Sweet corn here easily knee high, mostly waist high. Plant sales still strong. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Strawberry picking at peak. Tremendous crop reported some places. Cooler, dryer weather over the holiday weekend was a savior for pick your own. Still an excess of berries. Corn planting for June a disaster with wet and mud. First ripe raspberries seen. Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Fine weather for hay making, first cutting nearly complete. Corn growing well, farm stands report a busy week-end. Fire blight spotted in Moultonborough. Strawberry picking has begun. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Muggy weather for much of the week, but some great dry sunny weather over the weekend. Corn continues to grow well. Farms continuing with dry hay as weather permits, especially with good drying conditions. Many fields ready for second cutting of haylage/baylage. Veggie crops continue to do well. Strawberry picking just about done; blueberries starting to ripen. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Scattered showers interrupted first and second cuttings of hay. Corn continues to grow quickly with warmer weather. Second cutting of grass and alfalfa is underway. Second cut has a higher yield than first in general. Early planted corn is waist high and growing fast. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Fruit growers monitoring pest and crop development and apply sprays for pest control, if needed. Also, growers are training young fruit trees along with mowing orchard floor. Strawberry harvest is nearly over (85% harvest) and getting ready to renovate harvested beds. Hot weather during last week of June ripened strawberry crop quickly and Pick-Your-Own operations needed more customers to keep up to the ripening crop (some crop loss occurred). Sweet cherry harvest is under way. Field Crops: Farmers continued to bale hay or make haylage at a faster rate between showers. Growers are side-dressing fertilizer to field corn if needed. Vegetables: Growers are continued harvesting early season vegetables such as lettuce, greens, radishes, peas. Growers busy trying to side dress fields with fertilizer, cultivating, mowing weeds, scouting for pests and spraying if needed. Sadie Puglisi (Ext), Merrimack: PYO strawberries have good crowds this season. Stands have greens, beans, yellow squash, and cucumbers. Some picking sweet corn, and blueberries. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Weather remains challenging. Gusty winds, heavy downpour and hail (mainly in the western part of Rockingham County) on June 29. Picking strawberries, early vegetables and summer squashes. Weeding and cultivating. Spraying protective fungicides and monitoring pests. Haylage being made. Planting field corn. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: With dryer and less humid weather came a lot of dry hay harvesting. Hail-damaged blueberries are being watched for quality. Spotty thunderstorms have provided periodic rain. Silage corn crop looks very good, humid weather providing lots of growth. PYO strawberries are in full swing with reports of a good crop coming out. Most of the peach crop was hit by late frost at blossom time. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: Lots of sunny weather with scattered showers early in the week. Haying continued through the week but the unwanted showers made it a challenge to dry the hay. The hot weather helped to get the corn and vegetables growing well. Vegetable growers continued with successive planting of different crops, and at the same time harvesting early crops such as lettuce and mixed greens. Growers were also busy weeding, fertilizing and monitoring for pests and spraying if needed. Fruit growers were busy harvesting strawberries, and the pick your own operations were very busy with customers. Growers continue to monitor crop growth for pests and spraying if needed. They were also busy mowing the orchard floors. Bedding plants season is over for most greenhouse, nursery and garden centers. However the woody ornamentals and perennials sales are still going strong. Growers were also busy pinching and taking care of garden mums. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: The weather was dreary and humid most of the week but brought some much needed rain throughout the state. Farmers are still finishing up first their first cutting hay. Sweet corn is beginning to tassel. Producers are gearing up and preparing their stands for summer vegetable sales. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: Most of the corn crop is looking terrific with some fields already shoulder high. Spring new seedings are starting to be harvested. Last week was another great week for haying. Many of the recent showers have been scattered and with the heat many crops could use some moisture. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Another dry hot week has allowed farmers to catch up on cropping. Almost all of 1st crop is complete. Reports are that yields were a little low but the quality is good. Many farms will be starting 2nd cut this week. The corn looks good and maybe a little ahead of schedule. The hot weather is good for the corn. Soil moisture is still adequate here and in some cases a little excessive. I am still seeing freshly harvested fields with mud ruts in them. Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: From heavy rains to the best weather anyone could ask for. Last week Windham County received four inches of rain in three days, then the best drying weather this year. Strawberries are just about finished. Raspberries are just starting and blueberries are 10 days out. Apple producers are reporting that the crop looks OK after such a hard spring. Corn is over six feet and looks great. Second cut is ready only needs good weather. Terence Bradshaw, Univ of Vermont: Apples: Fruit are sizing up well with good moisture availability and fruit set on the low side. Scab appears under control in most orchards. Apple maggot flies are emerging. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Hot week. Some showers, some places got no rain so some places quite dry. Corn growing well, some was knee high. Observed armyworm in first year no till corn, but not high enough population for spraying. Some folks finishing up first cut of hay, some are starting on second cut. Many fields have wet spots with first cut still standing, where farmers were unable to get into those wetter spots the first time around Heather Darby (Ext), Franklin: Last week was dry but humid. It was difficult to make dry hay due to the humid conditions. Second cut has started on some fields while first cut is still being finished up on others. Corn is being sidedressed. Corn is anywhere between spike and 8th leaf stage. A number of fields hit knee high by the 4th. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Applying nitrogen to all crops as needed. Cultivating vine crops. Hilling of potatoes. Spraying to control potato bugs, squash and cucumber beetles. Hand hoeing tomato and pepper plants. 0.224 inches short on water for the week. Last cutting of asparagus, great crop of strawberries, but about due to hot dry weather. Peas in the market with lots of other early vegetables. Demand good on all vegetables Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext),Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources ConservationServices (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: Deirdre Davis Deputy Director: Gerald Tillman 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*********************