in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 3, 2004 Issue IN-CW4004 Agricultural Summary Lack of precipitation in recent weeks has dried out soils, according to Indiana Agricultural Statistics. Farmers are encouraged to monitor equipment and field conditions during harvest as there is growing concern of fire developing. Soybean harvest is 10 days ahead of the average pace. Corn harvest is 3 days ahead of the average pace. Field Crops Report There were 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Ninety-one percent of the corn acreage is mature (safe from frost) compared with 73 percent last year and 88 percent for the average. Twenty-nine percent of the corn acreage is harvested compared with 12 percent last year and 24 percent for the average. By area, 20 percent of the corn acreage is harvested in the north, 28 percent in the central region and 52 percent in the south. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 18 percent. Corn condition is rated 83 percent good to excellent compared with 63 percent last year at this time. Ninety-five percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 84 percent last year and 92 percent for the average. Eighty-four percent of the soybean acreage is mature compared with 59 percent last year and 75 percent for the average. Fifty-five percent of the soybean acreage is harvested compared with 16 percent last year and 29 percent for the average. By area, 47 percent of the soybean acreage is harvested in the north, 70 percent in the central region and 40 percent in the south. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging about 11 percent. Soybean condition is rated 78 percent good to excellent compared with 50 percent last year at this time. Twenty-five percent of the winter wheat acreage is planted compared with 11 percent last year and 16 percent for the average pace. Tobacco harvest is 93 complete compared with 89 percent last year and 94 percent for the average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 3 percent excellent, 36 percent good, 35 percent fair, 19 percent poor and 7 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 99 100 100 Corn Mature 91 82 73 88 Corn Harvested 29 17 12 24 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 95 88 84 92 Soybeans Mature 84 69 59 75 Soybeans Harvested 55 34 16 29 Winter Wheat Planted 25 6 11 16 Tobacco Harvested 93 87 89 94 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 2 3 12 48 35 Soybean 2 4 16 49 29 Pasture 7 19 35 36 3 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table -------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : -------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 24 14 1 Short 43 43 6 Adequate 33 43 80 Surplus 0 0 13 Subsoil Very Short 15 8 4 Short 34 28 9 Adequate 51 64 78 Surplus 0 0 9 Days Suitable 6.8 7.0 4.9 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asian lady beetles set to return, but their numbers are lower WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Homeowners weary of their annual fight with Asian lady beetles may see fewer this year. Tim Gibb, a Purdue Extension entomologist said Asian lady beetles will still be around, but there are indications that their numbers could be down when compared to last year. "From sampling in soybean fields, the early indications are that the population of lady beetles will not be as high this year as it has been the past couple of years," Gibb said. "Using that as an indicator of whether or not we're going to have beetle pressure in homes, it may be telling us we're not going to have as big a problem." The decrease is probably due to lower soybean aphid numbers throughout the state. The lady beetle is a natural predator of aphids. "Part of the reason that the Asian lady beetle population has been fluctuating over the last few years has to do with food sources," Gibb said. Scientists think soybean aphid numbers where low this year for a couple of reasons. Larry Bledsoe, an Extension entomologist, said most soybean aphids ride to Indiana on wind currents and storm fronts from the upper Mississippi valley. Spring rains in that area this year discouraged aphid activity. "Spring rains there delayed planting so that the timing was not right for the aphids to colonize young soybean plants," Bledsoe said. "Also persistent storms after planting interfered with widespread colonization of the aphid. Lastly, Asian lady beetle numbers were unusually high last fall, which probably meant fewer aphid eggs overwintered relative to the previous year." Although their predatory instincts are beneficial to farmers, the beetles have garnered a bad reputation with homeowners. "Beginning in the latter part of October, the Asian lady beetle has a peculiar behavior of wanting to congregate in large groups inside buildings," Gibb said. "This becomes particularly troublesome if the building they've chosen happens to be your home." Entomologists believe the beetles are attracted to buildings because to the beetles anyway the buildings look like cliffs in their native Asia. "Their native habitat included high cliffs," Gibb said. "After feeding during the summertime, the beetles would head toward these tall outcroppings or cliffs and get into the cracks and caves to pass the winter. "In Indiana we don't have many cliffs, but we do have tall, two-story homes that are light colored with windows or shadows that look like cracks or caves to the beetles." Even if overall beetle numbers are down, that doesn't mean homeowners won't have problems. "The key to controlling Asian lady beetles is to keep them out of the house in the first place," Gibb said. "Putting a preventative insecticide on the outside of the home in the middle of October will do wonders in keeping these things from appearing inside the home later." Gibb suggests putting an insecticide containing a synthetic pyrethroid around windows, doors and under eaves, particularly on the south and west sides of the home. Other places where there is light and dark contrast also are attractive to the insects. "Often the beetles will tell you where to treat if you just watch them and see where they begin congregating," he said. It's better to stop the beetles before they get inside, because once in the walls they are protected. "A nice warm day in the middle of winter will reactivate the beetles, and they begin searching for a way back out of the wall void. In so doing, they often end up inside the home." If left untreated, beetles can congregate by the thousands inside homes. If they do get inside, Gibb's best advice is to vacuum them up. "After October it becomes difficult to control them, because the majority are still inside the wall voids where we can't get insecticides to them," he said. "They don't all reactivate at once. Even if indoor labeled insecticides are used in the home, the beetles inside the walls are going to continue to slowly appear. It will require daily vacuuming to stay ahead of the beetles reemergence." Control recommendations for Asian lady beetles are available from Purdue Extension through a local Extension educator, the toll-free hotline (888) EXT-INFO, and on the Web. Writer: Kay Hagen, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu Sources: Tim Gibb, (765) 494-4570, gibb@purdue.edu Larry Bledsoe, (765) 494-8324, lbledsoe@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu Agriculture News Page --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday October 3, 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 78 32 56 -5 0.26 2 66 Valparaiso_AP_I 74 35 56 -4 0.34 1 Wanatah 75 30 53 -6 0.40 1 65 Wheatfield 75 32 55 -3 0.00 0 Winamac 74 33 55 -4 0.24 2 61 North Central (2) Plymouth 73 33 54 -6 0.22 2 South_Bend 75 36 56 -4 0.39 2 Young_America 76 30 56 -4 0.09 2 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 73 33 55 -4 0.26 2 60 Fort_Wayne 75 32 56 -3 0.35 3 West Central (4) Greencastle 76 30 55 -7 0.17 1 Perrysville 78 27 56 -5 0.04 1 68 Spencer_Ag 77 32 57 -4 0.03 1 Terre_Haute_AFB 77 30 58 -4 0.20 1 W_Lafayette_6NW 76 31 55 -5 0.00 0 68 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 77 34 59 -2 0.09 1 Greenfield 77 33 58 -3 0.01 1 Indianapolis_AP 76 34 59 -2 0.05 1 Indianapolis_SE 75 30 57 -4 0.00 0 Tipton_Ag 75 32 56 -4 0.03 2 68 East Central (6) Farmland 75 29 55 -4 0.06 2 60 New_Castle 75 29 55 -4 0.00 0 Southwest (7) Evansville 81 34 62 -2 0.01 1 Freelandville 76 36 59 -4 0.02 1 Shoals 78 35 59 -3 0.00 0 Stendal 81 39 61 -2 0.00 0 Vincennes_5NE 78 32 59 -3 0.01 1 67 South Central (8) Leavenworth 78 36 60 -1 0.00 0 Oolitic 77 32 59 -2 0.03 1 66 Tell_City 81 41 63 -1 0.00 0 Southeast (9) Brookville 81 34 60 +0 0.04 1 Milan_5NE 77 36 59 -1 0.12 2 Scottsburg 77 34 58 -4 0.04 1 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday October 3, 2004 ----------------|-------------------------------- | Accumulation |-------------------------------- | April 1, 2004 thru Station | October 3, 2004 |-------------------------------- | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF |-------------------------------- | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 29.59 +7.24 59 2950 -119 Valparaiso_AP_I 20.39 -4.00 65 2761 -42 Wanatah 22.29 -1.24 69 2562 -111 Wheatfield 37.30 +14.51 72 2698 -33 Winamac 28.79 +6.14 74 2816 +2 North Central (2) Plymouth 26.54 +3.31 73 2711 -250 South_Bend 22.67 +0.11 75 2886 +112 Young_America 26.85 +4.89 64 2957 +45 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 25.23 +3.21 75 2717 +68 Fort_Wayne 25.69 +5.58 69 2925 +14 West Central (4) Greencastle 22.87 -2.56 67 2895 -392 Perrysville 21.53 -2.28 54 3187 +130 Spencer_Ag 27.33 +1.88 70 3113 +33 Terre_Haute_AFB 19.12 -4.88 63 3390 +128 W_Lafayette_6NW 23.19 +0.83 50 2924 +26 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 19.50 -2.89 65 3296 +64 Greenfield 22.65 -1.82 64 3119 +8 Indianapolis_AP 27.17 +4.78 60 3407 +175 Indianapolis_SE 22.42 -0.43 54 3140 -87 Tipton_Ag 22.51 -0.27 66 2856 +48 East Central (6) Farmland 21.31 -0.81 63 2887 +146 New_Castle 23.32 -0.09 50 2583 -227 Southwest (7) Evansville 22.72 +0.12 55 3819 +73 Freelandville 23.15 -0.41 57 3431 +62 Shoals 26.14 +0.74 61 3424 +156 Stendal 24.65 -0.61 55 3649 +119 Vincennes_5NE 23.57 +0.01 68 3575 +206 South Central (8) Leavenworth 31.93 +6.34 65 3468 +224 Oolitic 26.07 +1.76 69 3259 +140 Tell_City 30.60 +4.76 55 3916 +292 Southeast (9) Brookville 19.15 -4.40 55 3322 +360 Milan_5NE 27.72 +4.17 92 3230 +268 Scottsburg 32.95 +8.72 60 3332 -24 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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.