in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 26, 2004 Issue IN-CW3904 Agricultural Summary near perfect weather conditions last week allowed farmers to make good progress harvesting soybeans and corn, according to Indiana Agricultural Statistics. Soybean harvest is 9 days ahead of the average pace. The best progress for soybean acreage harvested is in the central region at 47 percent complete. The best progress for corn acreage harvested is in the southern region at 35 percent complete. Soils are becoming dry as there was virtually no precipitation in the state last week. Field Crops Report There were 7.0 days suitable for fieldwork. Ninety-nine percent of the corn acreage has reached the dent stage compared with 96 percent last year and 99 percent for the average. Eighty- two percent of the corn acreage is mature (safe from frost) compared with 55 percent last year and 77 percent for the average. Seventeen percent of the corn acreage is harvested compared with 7 percent last year and 16 percent for the average. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 20 percent. Corn condition is rated 81 percent good to excellent compared with 62 percent last year at this time. Eighty-eight percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 70 percent last year and 83 percent for the average. Sixty-nine percent of the soybean acreage is mature compared with 36 percent last year and 54 percent for the average. Thirty-four percent of the soybean acreage is harvested compared with 8 percent last year and 14 percent for the average. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging about 11 percent. Soybean condition is rated 75 percent good to excellent compared with 54 percent last year at this time. Six percent of the winter wheat acreage is planted, on par with both last year and the average pace. Tobacco harvest is 87 complete compared with 80 percent last year and 87 percent for the average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 5 percent excellent, 47 percent good, 31 percent fair, 13 percent poor and 4 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn in Dent 99 95 96 99 Corn Mature 82 64 55 77 Corn Harvested 17 8 7 16 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 88 78 70 83 Soybeans Mature 69 50 36 54 Soybeans Harvested 34 14 8 14 Winter Wheat Planted 6 3 6 6 Tobacco Harvested 87 74 80 87 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 2 4 13 48 33 Soybean 3 5 17 49 26 Pasture 4 13 31 47 5 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table -------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : -------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 14 3 0 Short 43 28 7 Adequate 43 67 71 Surplus 0 2 22 Subsoil Very Short 8 4 5 Short 28 17 11 Adequate 64 75 71 Surplus 0 4 13 Days Suitable 7.0 6.7 3.8 Contact information --Greg Preston, Director --Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corn Fields NEEDED for Annual Corn Borer Survey Since 1961, Purdue's Entomology Department has been conducting the European corn borer (ECB) fall survey. Observations of both stalk damage and larvae attempting to overwinter are recorded for each of nine districts in the state. This data gives us a rough hindsight of ECB activity during the season and foresight of first-generation populations for the following year. Southern Indiana counties take-heart, we include southwestern corn borer in this survey. BE A PART OF HISTORY! We need your help in locating and securing permission to enter some non-Bt cornfields in your area. We destroy up to 20 total plants/field, so the impact on yield will be minuscule. Besides non-Bt corn, we leave it up to you to decide what yellow- dent variety, planting date, tillage, etc that we inspect. Multiple fields to be sampled must be separated by several miles. Data from individual fields will be shared with you. District and state data will be combined and shared with everyone in the October issue of the Pest&Crop. Because we are beginning this survey September 15, we request your field locations ASAP. Please call, we want to dissect your corn! Please e-mail (obe@purdue.edu),call (765-494-4563), or FAX (765-494-2152) specific directions soon. Again, we need representation from ALL areas of Indiana. Thanks in advance! --John Obermeyer and Larry Bledsoe, Department of Entomology, Purdue University ------------------------------------------ Proper Grain Storage, Part 1 The time to start thinking about this year 's harvest is upon us, and the management practices that we utilize after harvest are just as important as those used before. Farmers and elevator managers are in a unique position to apply integrated stored-grain management programs successfully, if they take advantage of the ability to control the critical system parameters such as grain temperature and moisture content, storage time, market destination, and pest movement into their facilities. Temperature Management Practices One of the primary management practices to maintain quality is aeration. For aeration to be successful the grain has to be level and at moisture contents safe for storage because normal airflow in storage bins, silos, and flats is not enough to dry the grain. Go to for information on recommended maximum moisture contents for aerated grain storage in Indiana and the recommended airflow rates in upright and flat storages. Non-uniform temperatures in the grain bulk generate air currents that can lead to moisture migration when the stored grain is cooling. Most storage problems result from improperly cooling the grain in the storage bin. The most common mistake is to stop running the aeration fan before the cooling front has moved through the entire grain pile. This can lead to condensation and crusted layers of spoiled grain in the bulk. In the fall it may take up to two aeration cycles to cool the grain to below 45 F by mid November. At 0.1 cfm/bu it would require 150 hours per cycle regardless of grain depth. For winter storage in Indiana, the grain should be cooled below 35 F before the end of December. The fan operation time depends solely on the airflow rate in the storage bin. An aeration fan is usually sized for about 1/10 cfm/bu, while an inbin drying fan is usually sized for 1 cfm/bu. It is very important to recognize the difference in order to operate the fans long enough to move the cooling front completely through the bulk, and yet not so long as to waste electricity. Next week we will cover Pest Management Practices. --Linda Mason, Department of Entomology, Purdue University --Dirk Maier, Extension Agricultural Engineer, Purdue University ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday September 26, 2004 ----------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days |Temp ----------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 91 44 67 +4 0.00 0 70 Valparaiso_AP_I 86 44 65 +4 0.00 0 Wanatah 87 38 64 +4 0.00 0 72 Wheatfield 86 43 63 +3 0.00 0 Winamac 85 45 65 +5 0.00 0 67 North Central (2) Plymouth 84 46 64 +3 0.00 0 South_Bend 85 48 66 +5 0.00 0 Young_America 89 44 66 +5 0.00 0 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 86 43 65 +5 0.00 0 69 Fort_Wayne 87 42 66 +4 0.00 0 West Central (4) Greencastle 84 41 64 -1 0.00 0 Perrysville 88 43 66 +4 0.00 0 75 Spencer_Ag 83 45 65 +3 0.00 0 Terre_Haute_AFB 85 46 67 +3 0.00 0 W_Lafayette_6NW 88 40 65 +4 0.00 0 76 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 86 47 68 +5 0.00 0 Greenfield 88 43 66 +4 0.00 0 Indianapolis_AP 85 51 69 +6 0.00 0 Indianapolis_SE 87 45 67 +4 0.00 0 Tipton_Ag 87 44 66 +4 0.00 0 72 East Central (6) Farmland 89 42 65 +4 0.00 0 65 New_Castle 86 42 64 +3 0.00 0 Southwest (7) Evansville 85 49 69 +3 0.01 1 Freelandville 84 48 68 +4 0.00 0 Shoals 86 47 67 +3 0.00 0 Stendal 85 50 69 +4 0.00 0 Vincennes_5NE 85 50 68 +5 0.00 0 73 South Central (8) Leavenworth 85 50 67 +4 0.00 0 Oolitic 85 46 66 +3 0.01 1 71 Tell_City 85 53 70 +4 0.00 0 Southeast (9) Brookville 91 43 68 +7 0.00 0 Milan_5NE 87 47 67 +5 0.00 0 Scottsburg 87 43 66 +2 0.00 0 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday September 26, 2004 ----------------|-------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2004 thru Station | September 26, 2004 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 29.33 +7.59 57 2903 -91 Valparaiso_AP_I 20.05 -3.50 64 2715 -19 Wanatah 21.89 -0.88 68 2534 -77 Wheatfield 37.30 +15.21 72 2647 -22 Winamac 28.55 +6.56 72 2776 +27 North Central (2) Plymouth 26.32 +3.87 71 2676 -215 South_Bend 22.28 +0.47 73 2841 +130 Young_America 26.76 +5.48 62 2913 +70 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 24.97 +3.62 73 2681 +93 Fort_Wayne 25.34 +5.79 66 2876 +35 West Central (4) Greencastle 22.70 -1.99 66 2856 -348 Perrysville 21.49 -1.69 53 3136 +154 Spencer_Ag 27.30 +2.48 69 3062 +55 Terre_Haute_AFB 18.92 -4.41 62 3330 +150 W_Lafayette_6NW 23.19 +1.46 50 2888 +60 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 19.41 -2.36 64 3229 +77 Greenfield 22.64 -1.20 63 3059 +25 Indianapolis_AP 27.12 +5.35 59 3340 +188 Indianapolis_SE 22.42 +0.16 54 3085 -61 Tipton_Ag 22.48 +0.39 64 2813 +71 East Central (6) Farmland 21.25 -0.26 61 2845 +167 New_Castle 23.32 +0.54 50 2542 -203 Southwest (7) Evansville 22.71 +0.74 54 3731 +80 Freelandville 23.13 +0.25 56 3368 +84 Shoals 26.14 +1.44 61 3363 +178 Stendal 24.65 +0.06 55 3573 +130 Vincennes_5NE 23.56 +0.68 67 3506 +222 South Central (8) Leavenworth 31.93 +6.97 65 3395 +232 Oolitic 26.04 +2.41 68 3189 +146 Tell_City 30.60 +5.44 55 3825 +298 Southeast (9) Brookville 19.11 -3.81 54 3259 +368 Milan_5NE 27.60 +4.68 90 3167 +276 Scottsburg 32.91 +9.37 59 3273 +1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2004: 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.