in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 1, 2002 Issue IN-CW3502 Agricultural Summary Corn harvest is underway in a few early maturing fields in the southwestern area of the state, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Dry weather prevailed during most of the week with only a few areas in the south receiving any measurable precipitation. Major crops continued to advance toward maturity. Chopping silage and scouting of fields continued in some areas. Most farmers are now gearing up for the fall harvest season. The most critical areas for soil moisture deficiency remain in the east central, southwest, south central and southeast regions of the state. Field Crops Report There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 30 percent good to excellent compared with 29 percent last week and 70 percent last year at this time. Eighty-six percent of the corn acreage has reached the dough stage compared with 100 percent last year and 97 percent for the average. Forty-three percent of the corn acreage has reached the dent stage compared with 90 percent last year and 71 percent for the average. By area, 40 percent of the corn acreage is in the dent stage in the north, 44 percent in the central regions and 49 percent in the south. Six percent of the corn crop is mature compared with 22 percent last year and 16 percent for the 5-year average. Soybean condition is rated 38 percent good to excellent compared with 38 percent last week and 68 percent a year earlier. Ninety-five percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 100 percent last year and 99 percent for the 5-year average. Eleven percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 18 percent last year and 16 percent for the average. Other activities during the week included baling hay, moving grain to market, cutting silage, preparing equipment, cleaning up grain bins, attending FSA offices, hauling manure and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 10 percent good, 23 percent fair, 34 percent poor and 33 percent very poor. Pastures continue to dry up in most regions of the state. Third cutting of alfalfa hay is 70 percent complete compared with 98 percent last year and 82 percent for the average. Tobacco harvest is 25 percent complete compared with 43 percent last year and 34 percent for the average. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Feeding of hay continued. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn in Dough 86 75 100 97 Corn in Dent 43 27 90 71 Corn Mature 6 1 22 16 Soybeans Podding 95 85 100 99 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 11 4 18 16 Alfalfa Third Cutting 70 54 98 82 Tobacco Harvested 25 10 43 34 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 19 22 29 28 2 Soybean 11 19 32 34 4 Pasture 33 34 23 10 0 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 34 29 3 Short 37 38 18 Adequate 29 31 72 Surplus 0 2 7 Subsoil Very Short 36 32 9 Short 38 40 28 Adequate 26 27 61 Surplus 0 1 2 Days Suitable 6.7 5.6 4.8 Contact information --Ralph W. Gann, State Statistician --Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm Other Agricultural Comments And News DROUGHT-DAMAGED CORN AS LIVESTOCK FEED Hot, dry weather is taking its toll on the corn crop in many areas of Indiana. Cattle producers may be harvesting drought-stressed corn as silage this year in order to salvage some value and to supplement potentially short winter feed supplies. Following are some factors producers should consider prior to and during harvesting of drought-stressed corn. CROP INSURANCE. Contact the company or a representative so that the crop can be appraised prior to harvest. LDP PROGRAM. If participating in the LDP (Loan Deficiency Payment) program, producers should contact their Farm Service Agency Office regarding field(s) to be harvested for silage so that yield estimates can be determined. CHECK PESTICIDE LABELS. Before using any stressed corn for feed, be sure to note the harvest restrictions for any herbicides and insecticides. Check the pesticide label or consult your chemical supplier for details. This is especially critical with an early silage harvest. HARVESTING AS WHOLE PLANT SILAGE. Feeding value of drought-stressed corn is influenced by several factors, but in general is higher than expected. Most studies indicate feed value of drought-stressed corn to be 80 to 100% that of normal silage. Purdue studies conducted with stressed corn indicated little or no difference in feedlot gain or in milk production when beef and dairy cattle were fed normal or stressed corn silage. As a rule, drought- stressed corn will have slightly more fiber resulting in less energy, but one to two percentage units more protein than normal silage. One of the most important factors influencing feeding value, is moisture content at harvest. Ideally, the crop should contain 60-70% moisture at harvest. For up-right silos, to avoid seepage, harvest at 60-65%, whereas for bunker silos, harvesting at 65-70% moisture will result in better packing and storage qualities. The tendency will be to harvest too soon, resulting in silage with excess moisture, poor fermentation and reduced feed value. Stalks of plants with many or most leaves turning brown will contain considerable moisture. Also, stalks with small ears and little or no grain content will be higher in moisture. Normal harvest indicators such as kernel milk line and black layer may not apply in stressed corn. A quick way to determine if the plant contains too much moisture is to hand-squeeze a representative sample collected from the forage chopper. If water drips from the squeezed sample, the corn is too wet for ideal fermentation. Moisture content may also be determined using a microwave: . WHAT ABOUT NITRATE CONTENT? Stressed corn can have elevated nitrate levels. However, samples collected from previous drought years indicated nitrates were not a problem in most cases. For example in 1988, based on 70 fresh corn samples, only 18% contained toxic levels of nitrate. In contrast, 71% of the sorghum-sudan grass samples contained toxic levels of nitrate. Quantitative laboratory analyses for nitrate can be performed at the Purdue University Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL). Cost is $15.00 per sample plus $7.00 accession fee per individual each time samples are submitted. A one-quart size sample of chopped forage is adequate. Samples should be submitted in paper bags or cardboard boxes, not in sealed glass or plastic containers. Names and addresses of other laboratories to obtain nitrate tests can be found at . Also, during the fermentation process, 40 to 60 percent of nitrates will be eliminated. Keep in mind, however, that various nitrogen oxide gases produced during the fermentation process are highly toxic to humans and livestock. For the first three to four weeks after ensiling, do not enter a silo without first running the blower for 15 to 30 minutes. HARVESTING FOR GREEN CHOP. In cases where pasture and stored feed supplies are getting short, producers may wish to consider green-chopping corn for feed. There are two major concerns with this practice. One is the potential for nitrate toxicity and second is the potential to founder animals. To avoid these problems: (1) raise the cutter bar to 12 inches or so the first few days of chopping, (2) gradually introduce animals to green chop, (3) use other feeds that are low in nitrate as part of the ration, (4) feed green chop in small quantities throughout the day rather than large quantities once per day, (5) don't allow green-chop forage to set on a wagon overnight, (6) feed two to three pounds of grain with high nitrate feeds, (7) nitrate levels tend to increase for two to three days following rain, thus take extra precautions during this time period, (8) as plants mature, nitrate levels decline, also animals become acclimated, thus chances for toxicity decrease with time. SELLING OR BUYING DROUGHT-DAMAGED CORN. Normally, whole plant corn silage (65%) moisture per ton is valued at 9-10 times the price of a bushel of corn, including harvest and storage costs (i.e.$2.50/bu = $22.50 to $25.00/ton of silage). Standing corn should be discounted $5.00 to $7.00/ton to account for harvesting costs. Discounts due to lower feed value should range from 0 to no more than $4.00 per ton. Moisture content will greatly influence pricing. For example, let us assume a value of $24.50 per ton of 65% moisture has been established. Each ton at 65% moisture contains (2000 x .35) = 700 lbs of dry matter. Value per cwt of dry matter = $24.50 ÷ 7 = $3.50. If, however, moisture content is 70%, then each ton contains only 600 lbs of dry matter. To have comparable value, this silage should be priced at $21.00 (6 x $3.50) per ton. On the other hand, if moisture content was 60%, then a comparable price would be (2000 x .40 =800; 8 x $3.50 = $28.00 per ton). Yield per acre will vary greatly with moisture content and with grain yield. At 65% moisture, normal yields would be one ton for each seven to eight bushels of grain. However, with stressed corn, and grain yields in the 50 to 75 bushel per acre range, assume one ton of silage for each five bushels of grain. If stalks are mostly barren, an estimate is one ton per foot of stalk, excluding the tassel. Kern Hendrix and Keith Johnson, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday September 1, 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |87 57 71 +2 0.00 0 Valparaiso_AP_I |87 58 72 +4 0.00 0 Wanatah |88 55 71 +3 0.00 0 80 Wheatfield |86 57 71 +4 0.00 0 Winamac |85 59 71 +3 0.00 0 77 North Central(2)| Plymouth |85 59 71 +2 0.00 0 South_Bend |87 57 72 +4 0.00 0 Young_America |83 58 71 +2 0.00 0 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |85 59 71 +3 0.00 0 76 Fort_Wayne |84 58 70 +2 0.00 0 West Central (4)| Greencastle |85 57 70 -2 0.00 0 Perrysville |84 57 71 +2 0.00 0 78 Spencer_Ag |88 60 73 +3 0.00 0 Terre_Haute_AFB |87 58 72 +2 0.03 2 W_Lafayette_6NW |84 56 70 +2 0.00 0 78 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |86 62 74 +3 0.00 0 Greenfield |86 61 73 +3 0.00 0 Indianapolis_AP |88 64 75 +4 0.00 0 Indianapolis_SE |86 60 72 +1 0.00 0 Tipton_Ag |84 58 70 +2 0.00 0 79 East Central (6)| Farmland |86 56 70 +3 0.00 0 73 New_Castle |86 58 70 +1 0.00 0 Southwest (7) | Evansville |92 63 77 +4 0.00 0 Freelandville |88 64 75 +4 0.15 1 Shoals |90 62 75 +3 0.00 0 Stendal |91 63 76 +3 0.28 1 Vincennes_5NE |89 62 75 +4 0.26 1 75 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |87 64 74 +3 0.15 2 Oolitic |89 61 75 +5 0.00 0 78 Tell_City |92 64 76 +3 0.48 2 Southeast (9) | Brookville |92 60 74 +5 0.00 0 Milan_5NE |88 61 73 +4 0.05 1 Scottsburg |88 56 73 +1 0.04 1 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2002 thru Station | September 1, 2002 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |17.21 -2.06 60 2669 +93 Valparaiso_AP_I |16.53 -3.46 58 2667 +314 Wanatah |17.20 -2.26 63 2542 +290 Wheatfield |19.62 +0.65 48 2584 +278 Winamac |18.78 -0.45 56 2604 +228 North Central(2)| Plymouth |17.80 -1.61 61 2491 +0 South_Bend |15.04 -3.72 58 2632 +290 Young_America |20.28 +1.86 54 2704 +261 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |16.74 -1.78 56 2469 +236 Fort_Wayne |18.37 +1.04 52 2680 +234 West Central (4)| Greencastle |25.31 +3.65 54 2634 -116 Perrysville |27.19 +6.55 56 2777 +212 Spencer_Ag |26.98 +4.78 57 2810 +217 Terre_Haute_AFB |30.14 +9.63 56 3011 +276 W_Lafayette_6NW |24.07 +4.86 63 2735 +303 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |21.04 +1.64 59 2987 +273 Greenfield |27.96 +6.65 60 2827 +226 Indianapolis_AP |19.29 -0.11 52 3098 +384 Indianapolis_SE |22.85 +2.82 50 2820 +121 Tipton_Ag |19.30 -0.22 54 2609 +246 East Central (6)| Farmland |17.72 -1.20 57 2702 +394 New_Castle |20.81 +0.27 49 2425 +61 Southwest (7) | Evansville |19.36 -0.15 43 3479 +332 Freelandville |22.28 +1.93 47 3171 +346 Shoals |21.30 -0.80 44 3052 +318 Stendal |23.46 +1.53 47 3295 +327 Vincennes_5NE |23.85 +3.50 56 3235 +410 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |21.25 -1.41 48 3142 +421 Oolitic |24.15 +2.81 54 2984 +368 Tell_City |21.10 -1.30 38 3585 +567 Southeast (9) | Brookville |20.21 -0.50 48 3038 +554 Milan_5NE |26.26 +5.55 59 2694 +210 Scottsburg |23.30 +2.28 53 2993 +182 ------------------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All rights reserved. The above weather information is provided by AWIS, Inc. 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. The INDIANA CROP WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Second Class postage paid at Lafayette IN. For information on subscribing, send request to above address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Source: Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service