NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 08/12/01 Issue NH-CW3201 Volume 21, Number 15 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) August 13, 2001 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary DROUGHT-LIKE CONDITIONS PERSIST For the week ending August 12, 2001, there were 6.6 days available for fieldwork across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 6% very poor, 38% poor, 42% fair, 13% good, 1% excellent. Major farm activities included: spreading manure; cultivating; irrigating; hoeing; cutting hay and chopping haylage; harvesting shade and broadleaf tobacco, peaches, raspberries, highbush and lowbush blueberries, sweet corn, cole crops, tomatoes and other vegetables; and spraying for weeds, insects, and fungus. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 38 19 1 Short 37 47 20 Adequate 25 34 56 Surplus 0 0 23 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 27 15 0 Short 36 42 18 Adequate 37 43 62 Surplus 0 0 20 --------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Persistent dry weather and high heat has caused drought- like conditions throughout most of the region. Though some areas received rain near week's end, precipitation levels remain below average and crop growth has slowed. In many fields, leaves have turned brown and fruits have shriveled. Irrigation took place, where available, to alleviate the dry conditions and aid growth. Potatoes were harvested amidst the almost unbearable high temperatures. The harvest of oat and barley fields just got underway in Maine, and both crops are in excellent to good condition. Tobacco plants thrived in last week's hot, humid weather as harvest continued. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Highbush blueberries, apples, peaches and raspberries continued to be picked. Pears are in good to fair condition in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but are in very poor condition in Connecticut. Maine wild blueberry quality has suffered from the lack of rain, and though some fields are looking great, others will not be harvested because of the damage. Cranberries in Massachusetts showed some signs of stress from last week's high temperatures; large concentrations of fruitworm were detected in some beds. VEGETABLES: Farmers harvested broccoli, zucchini, cucumbers, sweet corn, beets, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, radishes, summer squash, beans, and other vegetables last week. Growers scouted their fields for weeds and insects and applications were made where necessary. Sweet corn fields were irrigated, where available. In general, most crops remained in need of moisture as the hot, dry weather persisted throughout most of the week. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2001 2000 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- Potatoes Maine <5 <5 <5 Excel/Good Mass 5 15 20 Good Rhode Isl 20 30 20 Good/Fair Oats, ME <5 <5 5 Excel/Good Barley, ME 5 <5 <5 Excel/Good Silage Corn -- -- -- Good/Fair Sweet Corn 40 35 40 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 55 40 70 Good/Fair Broadleaf 45 30 55 Good/Fair Dry Hay First Cut 99 95 95 Fair/Good Second Cut 80 50 55 Fair/Good Third Cut 15 10 10 Fair ----------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2001 2000 5-yr Avg Condition -------------------------------------------------- Apples 5 5 5 Good Peaches 30 35 35 Good/Fair Pears -- <5 <5 Poor Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Good Blueberries Highbush 55 60 60 Good/Fair Wild,ME 25 35 35 Fair/Good -------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the Week ending Sunday, August 12, 2001 --------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI -- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 42 100 74 +8 0.00 0.68 NH 42 102 74 +9 0.00 2.03 VT 44 99 75 +9 0.00 1.12 MA 53 101 78 +8 0.02 1.28 RI 65 102 80 +9 0.35 0.78 CT 59 103 80 +10 0.01 1.66 -------------------------------------- Weather Information Table AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 50 97 75 +7 1469 -18 598 +14 Allagash 42 92 68 +6 1106 +106 356 +94 Augusta_ME 58 97 78 +9 1672 +235 755 +201 Bangor 52 94 76 +9 1610 +304 696 +233 Barnard 51 94 73 +8 1400 +258 531 +180 Bath 53 96 76 +8 1418 +95 580 +95 Bethel 53 93 74 +7 1417 +109 542 +87 Brassua_Dam 48 89 70 +7 1161 +212 368 +126 Brunswick_ME 59 96 77 +9 1504 +181 635 +150 Caribou 50 91 73 +9 1351 +273 490 +183 Corinna 53 93 75 +8 1537 +272 627 +204 Danforth 48 92 71 +5 1278 +50 450 +34 Dover-Foxcroft 48 89 72 +6 1334 +192 483 +132 Durham 54 97 76 +6 1436 -87 600 -29 East_Hiram 53 96 75 +9 1398 +94 556 +103 Eustis 49 90 69 +7 1058 +130 319 +96 Frenchville 51 91 72 +9 1217 +217 407 +145 Gray 58 96 78 +10 1672 +370 770 +303 Greenville_ME 53 91 74 +9 1338 +185 506 +147 Guilford 54 91 74 +9 1415 +273 586 +235 Hollis 56 96 76 +10 1501 +258 640 +226 Houlton 46 93 72 +7 1311 +190 481 +142 Kennebunkport 58 96 75 +4 1382 -221 559 -121 Livermore_Falls 50 98 75 +10 1524 +395 654 +317 Moosehead 47 93 71 +8 1143 +194 366 +124 New_Sharon 54 97 76 +11 1652 +523 735 +398 Patten 50 92 70 +6 1161 +40 374 +35 Portage 54 91 73 +9 1391 +313 536 +229 Portland_ME 58 95 75 +8 1555 +253 679 +212 Rangeley 47 88 69 +7 1082 +190 324 +120 Sebec_Lake 49 96 73 +8 1375 +222 523 +164 Vanceboro 50 90 72 +6 1321 +171 476 +114 Waterville 55 96 77 +8 1595 +108 693 +109 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 58 96 76 +8 1652 +192 746 +181 Benton 53 94 74 +10 1354 +135 493 +121 Berlin_AG 52 94 74 +9 1403 +176 527 +134 Bethlehem 49 94 72 +7 1296 +77 454 +81 Concord 56 98 78 +10 1663 +203 741 +176 Diamond_Pond 46 84 67 +6 980 +155 278 +121 First_Conn_Lake 42 86 66 +5 899 +74 238 +81 Greenville 52 102 76 +10 1422 +101 575 +128 Keene_AP 61 97 78 +8 1669 +38 728 +42 Lakeport 62 97 78 +12 1746 +373 808 +303 Marlow 52 95 74 +6 1303 -177 479 -86 Mt_Washington 45 67 57 +10 189 +145 10 +10 North_Conway 58 100 77 +10 1687 +321 759 +263 Otter_Brook_Lk 58 97 76 +7 1524 -107 608 -78 Plymouth 52 96 74 +9 1356 +152 506 +127 Rochester 58 95 77 +8 1685 +134 775 +142 Weare 54 92 75 +7 1450 -30 573 +8 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 48 93 72 +6 1136 -135 371 -46 Bethel 49 95 75 +10 1501 +295 611 +230 Burlington_VT 56 99 80 +11 1834 +261 850 +201 East_Haven 44 93 69 +6 1199 +179 394 +126 Island_Pond 48 91 72 +9 1240 +238 425 +172 Montpelier 51 92 75 +10 1388 +150 532 +133 Morrisville_AG 47 94 73 +8 1222 -7 426 +25 Mount_Mansfield 50 79 67 +10 738 +204 184 +128 Northfield 51 95 75 +10 1384 +260 516 +186 Pownal 54 92 74 +8 1432 +155 526 +106 Rochester 52 94 74 +9 1356 +150 496 +115 Rutland_AG 53 91 75 +6 1472 -148 559 -112 Sunderland 52 91 73 +5 1288 -269 448 -171 Sutton 50 92 73 +10 1289 +269 460 +192 Townshend_Lake 57 98 77 +8 1518 -11 628 +10 Union_Vill_Dam 53 98 76 +7 1472 -71 580 -44 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 62 96 78 +11 1641 +316 707 +242 Boston 65 97 80 +8 2020 +186 1018 +171 Greenfield 55 101 79 +8 1733 -8 789 +23 New_Bedford 66 95 79 +6 1814 -16 830 -12 Otis_AFB 68 91 78 +8 1770 +293 824 +227 Plymouth 65 96 78 +8 1727 +187 772 +127 Walpole 64 99 80 +11 1917 +331 922 +263 West_Medway 64 99 80 +11 1900 +314 906 +247 Westover 64 97 80 +7 1970 -21 955 -1 Worcester 63 92 78 +9 1709 +234 756 +180 Worthington 54 93 74 +8 1382 +91 519 +89 RHODE ISLAND Providence 67 100 81 +9 2024 +283 1001 +218 Woonsocket 65 102 82 +13 1997 +437 1003 +376 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 59 98 77 +5 1635 -293 700 -213 Bridgeport 71 100 82 +9 2090 +226 1046 +163 Hartford_AP 63 102 82 +10 2030 +110 1004 +94 Norfolk 62 93 76 +9 1592 +295 674 +237 Norwich 67 102 81 +10 2001 +230 968 +181 Thomaston_Dam 64 100 80 +11 1760 +218 788 +180 Willimantic 67 101 81 +12 1995 +424 959 +326 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.20 -0.64 3 0.60 -2.69 9 Allagash 0.00 -0.91 0 1.40 -2.20 4 Augusta_ME 0.00 -0.77 0 1.89 -1.07 6 Bangor 0.68 -0.08 3 2.08 -0.85 8 Barnard 0.04 -0.78 2 0.69 -2.46 7 Bath 0.05 -0.68 1 0.57 -2.15 8 Bethel 0.26 -0.65 4 1.20 -2.18 10 Brassua_Dam 0.24 -0.60 2 0.90 -2.64 8 Brunswick_ME 0.00 -0.73 0 1.15 -1.57 6 Caribou 0.01 -0.90 1 3.61 -0.17 7 Corinna 0.34 -0.50 1 1.07 -2.12 4 Danforth 0.00 -0.94 0 3.40 -0.27 5 Dover-Foxcroft 0.11 -0.71 2 0.81 -2.34 7 Durham 0.06 -0.66 1 0.74 -2.26 8 East_Hiram 0.44 -0.45 2 1.17 -2.20 7 Eustis 0.47 -0.30 2 1.52 -1.72 8 Frenchville 0.07 -0.84 2 1.64 -1.96 9 Gray 0.01 -0.62 1 0.81 -1.80 8 Greenville_ME 0.28 -0.54 2 1.58 -1.57 10 Guilford 0.14 -0.68 3 1.98 -1.17 8 Hollis 0.25 -0.45 2 1.42 -1.39 7 Houlton 0.04 -0.87 1 2.16 -1.40 7 Kennebunkport 0.14 -0.56 1 2.10 -0.68 10 Livermore_Falls 0.05 -0.86 2 1.15 -2.15 10 Moosehead 0.06 -0.78 2 0.59 -2.95 8 New_Sharon 0.41 -0.50 2 1.73 -1.57 8 Patten 0.10 -0.81 3 1.66 -1.90 10 Portage 0.01 -0.90 1 1.54 -2.24 7 Portland_ME 0.24 -0.39 1 1.42 -1.19 8 Rangeley 0.40 -0.51 3 2.26 -1.16 10 Sebec_Lake 0.18 -0.64 3 0.52 -2.63 8 Vanceboro 0.07 -0.63 1 2.17 -0.77 7 Waterville 0.50 -0.34 2 1.00 -2.29 8 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.32 -0.45 4 2.59 -0.45 11 Benton 0.12 -0.79 2 1.00 -2.37 5 Berlin_AG 0.09 -0.89 1 1.55 -2.08 6 Bethlehem 0.11 -0.94 1 1.83 -2.02 7 Concord 0.21 -0.56 1 1.79 -1.25 6 Diamond_Pond 0.70 -0.48 3 2.79 -1.61 11 First_Conn_Lake 0.79 -0.39 3 3.67 -0.73 8 Greenville 0.46 -0.49 2 2.18 -1.42 7 Keene_AP 2.03 +1.12 1 3.71 +0.25 5 Lakeport 0.00 -0.84 0 1.48 -1.88 5 Marlow 0.29 -0.55 2 2.14 -1.05 8 Mt_Washington 0.40 -1.45 2 1.60 -5.16 9 North_Conway 0.01 -0.90 1 0.77 -2.73 8 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.18 -0.73 2 1.96 -1.50 9 Plymouth 0.59 -0.32 3 1.53 -2.11 9 Rochester 0.00 -0.84 0 2.54 -0.71 7 Weare 0.00 -0.84 0 1.53 -1.66 6 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.45 -0.53 2 2.47 -1.25 9 Bethel 0.10 -0.95 1 1.26 -2.56 7 Burlington_VT 0.26 -0.65 2 0.30 -3.19 4 East_Haven 1.12 +0.01 4 1.78 -2.34 9 Island_Pond 0.67 -0.45 4 1.74 -2.44 7 Montpelier 0.27 -0.60 2 0.52 -2.58 8 Morrisville_AG 0.49 -0.63 4 1.06 -3.04 8 Mount_Mansfield 0.66 -1.02 3 1.67 -4.56 9 Northfield 0.00 -0.86 0 0.57 -2.73 3 Pownal 1.07 +0.09 2 3.66 -0.06 9 Rochester 0.24 -0.81 3 1.57 -2.25 10 Rutland_AG 0.01 -0.95 1 1.23 -2.45 7 Sunderland 0.21 -0.64 2 3.01 -0.04 9 Sutton 0.26 -0.85 2 1.32 -2.80 12 Townshend_Lake 0.33 -0.58 2 1.94 -1.40 9 Union_Vill_Dam 0.28 -0.53 2 1.14 -1.98 8 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.23 -0.61 2 1.68 -1.64 8 Boston 0.66 -0.04 2 2.79 +0.12 8 Greenfield 0.09 -0.75 2 1.69 -1.67 9 New_Bedford 0.22 -0.72 4 3.85 +0.63 14 Otis_AFB 0.17 -0.60 2 1.83 -0.95 7 Plymouth 0.19 -0.68 3 2.90 -0.33 11 Walpole 0.45 -0.41 2 1.09 -2.14 7 West_Medway 1.28 +0.42 2 2.38 -0.85 8 Westover 0.38 -0.39 3 4.50 +1.39 9 Worcester 0.16 -0.68 2 2.27 -1.09 8 Worthington 0.02 -0.96 1 1.83 -2.09 8 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.35 -0.45 1 1.69 -1.33 7 Woonsocket 0.78 -0.13 2 1.34 -2.23 7 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.13 -0.65 2 1.08 -1.87 6 Bridgeport 1.66 +0.89 1 2.60 -0.66 4 Hartford_AP 0.26 -0.52 2 0.98 -1.97 8 Norfolk 1.17 +0.17 4 4.10 +0.25 9 Norwich 0.33 -0.53 2 2.40 -1.02 7 Thomaston_Dam 0.01 -0.93 1 0.62 -3.18 6 Willimantic 0.15 -0.76 2 0.96 -2.76 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 2001: 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 - Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Everything suffered from the heat wave... livestock, crops and people. Ice cream sales were good! Most things came back to life after the rains this past weekend. Several crops were stunted, or at the very least set back with the high heat of last week. Dry tip will be the rule for non- irrigated sweet corn for a while. Field corn and hay crops were really suffering from drought stress. Broadleaf tobacco harvest progressed well with the hot weather. Marsha Jette (FSA), New London: Silage corn varies from excellent to poor, but as of late this week, just starting to show signs of drought stress, with no measurable rain predicted for several days. Pastures are browning. Finishing second cutting of hay with varied armyworm damage. Sweet corn is in full swing, as are most vegetables. Nancy Welsh (FSA), New Haven: Extreme heat and dryness has delayed crops for harvest. Temperatures reached the 100-degree mark this week. Humidity was extreme. Rain came in severe storms on Friday. Rain, drizzle was spotty throughout the area through the weekend. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Dry weather has crops gasping. Corn fields look like pineapple fields, pumpkins aren't sending out runners, even weeds are shriveling in hay fields. Some rain showers over the weekend may help, but we really need a 3-day soaker. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Not much change from last week. Activities included spraying, harvesting grain and getting equipment ready for harvest. Those able to are irrigating potato crop. Drought conditions prevail. Early maturing varieties are badly hurt, but later varieties still have a chance if rains come soon; however, no amount of rain has been forecast in the near future. Dee Potter (Ext), Northern Aroostook: Hot and dry all week. Pastures are starting to shut down. Small grains are ripening. Spray schedules continue on potatoes. Erin Chadbourne (Ext), Central Aroostook: Fungicide and insecticide applications continue, along with broccoli and barley harvest. Some potatoes are being harvested as either new potatoes or green for immediate processing. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Where farmers are able to irrigate, potatoes are green and growing well, but where there is no moisture the early maturing varieties are yellowing off. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Still no rain. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Corn on light textured or shallow soils is penciling and beyond recovery. Pastures are very dry, livestock keepers are feeding their animals stored hay. The few showers that fell didn't help the crops much. Janet King/Jennifer Zweig (FSA), Somerset: Somerset County is in need of rain for all crops. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Dry weather continues to be a problem. Some areas received spotty thunder showers, while some areas remained dry. Corn is curling in many areas and second and third crops of grass are just not growing. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Lack of rain and high temperatures are hurting the blueberry crop remaining on the vine. Second crop hay not growing. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Mid-coast fields doing well, on these fields we expect a near-record harvest. But in the remainder of the State the continued dry and hot weather is resulting in fruit shriveling from loss of moisture. A number of fields will not be harvested because berry quality is too poor and fruit is not expected to recover. Stems are dying back to the ground in both crop and non-crop fields on sandy soils Downeast. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: Hay harvest continues. Dry conditions have slowed down hay growth. Need rain for both corn and hay crops. Field corn showing signs of stress from lack of rain. Leaves are starting to curl. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Roadside stands have all summer crops in abundance. Very hot and very dry - praying for rain! Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: This area has been lucky to have more moisture than most others. Corn and soybeans look good. Grass has pretty much stopped growing. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Dry, hot conditions persist. Pastures and hay fields are dry, the corn is curling. Fruit, berries and vegetables are small due to lack of moisture. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Making a lot of hay. First and second cutting, maybe until the end of the week. A welcome rain of about 1.5 inches. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: We have received some much needed rain and hot weather. This will push the corn crop. All crops look good, cranberries continue to size with ideal weather conditions. Shellfish growers continue to harvest quahogs and oysters and are receiving above average prices. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Hot and humid most of the week. Rain was a welcomed sight toward the end of the week. Fungicide applications still being applied. Crop producers busy in the fields spraying, cultivating and irrigating. Summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn and seasonal crops are being harvested. In some areas, the first crop of corn already completed. Blueberries almost finished being picked. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Last week's extreme heat put some stress on the vines in the middle of the day. Sprinklers were run in the morning to prevent damage to the developing berries. Good dose of rain over the weekend in most places will help things out for awhile. There are some bad pockets of cranberry fruitworm in some beds. Fruit rot has not been too bad so far, but we are holding our breath. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Harvest of all crops continues. Unbearable heat and humidity this past week really made crops grow. Peaches are being harvested, apples and pears look good. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Producers are "reeling" from the hot and dry conditions. Irrigation has been used wherever possible to save crops. Many of the vine crops and some of the forage crops are showing signs of heat and drought stress. All crops are ripening quickly, but field crews can't compete with 100+ heat. A cool front Friday brought relief from the record warmth, but very little rain. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Weather conditions were great for the week with lots of heat, sunshine and rain. Some crops are maturing very fast because of the excessive heat mixed with the rain showers. Harvesting apples, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, tobacco and many other summertime fruits and vegetables. All crops look good. Gary Guida, Worcester: Harvesting all summer crops. New strawberry plantings doing well with ample water and heat. European Corn Borer populations in corn at 2%. Very hot temperatures made field work almost unbearable. Corn still driving consumer market and, surprisingly, perennial plants are doing extremely well; however, the sales leader (in volume) has been tomatoes. Fall crops looking to be the best I've had in a couple of years - pumpkins size 20 lb. with heavy set on sugar pumpkins and fall squash. Local peaches, although less in number, are large, flavorful, juicy, and in big demand. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Bruce Clement (Ext), Cheshire: Hot, humid, and dry weather prevailed this week. Crops, animals and people all suffered from the heat. Drought conditions now exist throughout the county. Pastures and hayfields are drying up. Silage corn still looks good. Commercial vegetable growers are irrigating. Blueberry and raspberry harvest continues. Plums and early apples being picked. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Third cut on alfalfa continues. Grasses suffering from dryness. Still no significant rainfall. Very dry even in the subsoil. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Vegetables: Crops growing rapidly if irrigated. Harvesting an array of vegetables - beans, beets, cole crops, cucumbers, greens, potatoes, radishes, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables. Farmers kept busy irrigating, cultivating, hoeing weeds, monitoring pest pressures, spraying pesticides for insects and disease control where needed. Fruit: Orchardists harvesting first apples along with peaches, blueberries and raspberries. Continued to move bins into orchards. Field Crops: Hay cutting continued at a rapid pace during the week, with both the first and second cut being made. Rains on Friday and the weekend helped relieve dry, drought-like weather. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Very hot week for field work and pick-your-own customers. Harvesting sweet corn, blueberries, raspberries and a whole array of vegetables. Red-winged blackbirds are feeding on sweet corn ears ready to be picked. Irrigating vegetable fields, small fruits and fruit crops. Sunday morning rain was helpful. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Rain was spotty this past week. Vegetable crops are being harvested and are looking good. The hazy, hot and humid weather helped the corn crop along, but the crop was starting to curl due to lack of water. Lots of haying being done. Waiting to see if armyworms will make a return. Loads of good looking sweet corn can be found all around the county. Blueberry and raspberry picking in full swing, with a good crop of both. RHODE ISLAND - Robert Swanson (FSA), All Counties: The start of the week was very hot and dry. We received some much needed rain on 8/12, so hopefully this will help to improve crop conditions. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Hot and dry weather dominated the week with some rain at week's end. Grass growth still at a standstill, but rain helped to keep most cornfields looking good. Harvest was completed on small grain crops. Sweet corn harvest looks good, especially compared to last year. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Weather conditions are very dry. Orleans county received very little rain over the week. Corn has tasseled and ears are forming. Starting to see some leaf curl on corn due to dry conditions. Regrowth on hay fields is slow and stunted. So far we have not had reports of farm water supplies drying up; however, there is some concern over this. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: Paula Reds apple are being pick with excellent color and average size. Sweet corn market is flat after last week's heat wave. Third cutting alfalfa has started. The rain this past Sunday was just a tease - we need a lot more. We got about 0.25 inches in Windham County. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Alfalfa blooming, no grass regrowth. Some manure spreading on hay fields. New seeded fields being clipped or harvested. Some stands thin with weeds. Corn crop is showing some moisture stress and firing of lower leaves. Pasture regrowth stopped. Very dry soil conditions. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: Where's the rain? Nothing but a little spit this week in Franklin County. Corn, alfalfa, vegetables and grass showing a lot of stress. Rain is needed badly, some of the corn may not pollinate well! Some is turning brown. Well over 6 inches below normal for our area. Some farmers talking about chopping corn that has no ears, just to save the fodder. Hope it rains this week! Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Another very hot, very dry week. No grass growth this week. Significant rolling on corn leaves. Soil is powder dry. We did receive 0.6 inch of rain but it was no help. One farmer commented that he has lost more feed from dry conditions than from armyworm. Weather report today said we would need 6 inches of rain to get up to a normal year's precipitation. Some word of farmers hauling water. 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 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: David Luckenbach 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 ***********************