in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 9, 2005 Issue IN-CW4105 Agricultural Summary Ideal weather conditions last week allowed farmers to make good progress harvesting corn and soybeans, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Corn harvest is on pace with the 5 year average, but is about 5 days behind last year's pace. Soybean harvest is about 2 days ahead of average, but is 7 days behind last year. Fall tillage has taken place in some fields along with spreading of fertilizer and lime. Field Crops Report There were 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 49 percent good to excellent compared with 84 percent last year at this time. Ninety-five percent of the corn is mature compared with 95 percent last year and 92 percent for the average. Thirty-one percent of the corn has been harvested compared with 44 percent for last year and 31 percent for the average. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 19 percent. Soybean condition is rated 57 percent good to excellent compared with 78 percent last year. Ninety-eight percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 98 percent last year and 97 percent for the average. Fifty-two percent of the soybean acreage has been harvested compared with 70 percent last year and 48 percent for the average. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging about 12 percent. Thirty-four percent of the winter wheat acreage has been planted compared with 41 percent last year and 33 percent for the average. Five percent of the winter wheat acreage has emerged compared with 8 percent for both last year and the average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 3 percent excellent, 32 percent good, 41 percent fair, 18 percent poor and 6 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Mature 95 89 95 92 Corn Harvested 31 20 44 31 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 98 95 98 97 Soybeans Mature 91 78 92 86 Soybeans Harvested 52 22 70 48 Tobacco Harvested 92 85 96 96 Winter Wheat Planted 34 11 41 33 Winter Wheat Emerged 5 1 8 8 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 5 13 33 40 9 Soybeans 3 9 31 45 12 Pasture 6 18 41 32 3 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table -------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : -------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 3 2 33 Short 15 10 43 Adequate 79 79 23 Surplus 3 9 1 Subsoil Very Short 10 10 20 Short 27 23 39 Adequate 61 63 41 Surplus 2 4 0 Days Suitable 6.4 4.6 6.8 Contact information --Greg Preston, Director --Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Agricultural Comments And News EAR ROT, AFLATOXIN ADDING TO CORN GROWERS' WORRIES Lower yields aren't the only thing corn producers can expect from the hot, dry weather this summer. Purdue University plant pathologist Charles Woloshuk said farmers should also be on the look out for an ear rot that may cause a potent carcinogen. Aspergillus ear rot is caused by a type of mold, Aspergillus flavus. It can cause aflatoxin contamination in corn. "We have that problem when it's hot, the plants are stressed, the overnight temperatures have been very high in the 70s and 80s and we haven't had a lot of rain," Woloshuk said. "That doesn't mean that ear rot will be there, but we tend to get worried about it. Aflatoxin is one of the most potent natural carcinogens." For that reason the Food and Drug Administration has set aflatoxin thresholds of 20 parts per billion in grain products and 0.5 parts per billion in milk. Lactating animals that ingest feed containing aflatoxins can pass the toxins through to the milk. "Right now is a good time to scout your fields for ear rot," Woloshuk said. "Once the grain is combined, it's more difficult to assess aflatoxin contamination." Producers should look for aspergillus ear rot on hills and in areas where the soil is light or other areas where the corn is stressed or stunted, he said. Another approach would be to cut a swath across the field with a combine and then examine ears along the swath for ear rot. In either case, Woloshuk said, "You have to randomly take ears and pull the husks back and look for an olive green mold. It's not blue-green, it's not green-green, and you might find those." Other colored molds may indicate other problems, and a high number of moldy ears can mean the corn has other toxins or won't store well. Aspergillus ear rot may be at the base or the tip of the ear, but it can always be identified by its powdery texture and olive green color. Photos of aspergillus are available online at http://www.oardc.ohio- state.edu/ohiofieldcropdisease/Mycotoxins/mycopagedefault.htm. "My advice to someone who finds an ear with Aspergillus is to harvest ears around the area and see if there's a lot or just one ear," Woloshuk said. "Most of the time you'll just see one, but one ear could have a lot of toxin in it, so if it's harvested and mixed into the corn, it still could have an impact on the overall toxin level." For farmers who find evidence of aspergillus ear rot in their fields, Woloshuk suggests harvesting as soon as possible. "If a storm dumps rain on a field and it rewets the ears, then we could see toxin levels that eventually grow quite high," he said. "Until we see the weather cool down, I think producers need to think about getting the corn out of the field and drying it down to at least 14 or 14.5 percent." Corn that does have aflatoxin contamination can be used in animal feed, so long as it remains under the FDA's limits. Woloshuk said poultry and young animals are especially susceptible to aflatoxins, which affect the liver. Long-term effects can include low weight gain, weakened immune systems and cancer. More information about scouting for Aspergillus ear rot is available on the Web in the Sept. 9, 2005 issue of Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter. The newsletter is available at http://www.entm.purdue.edu/ Entomology/ext/targets/p&c/index2005.htm. Written Friday, September 30, 2005, Ag Answers, Business and Science of Agriculture, An Ohio State Extension and Purdue Extension Partnership. The INDIANA CROP & WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 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 USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday October 9, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN| Total|Days |Temp ----------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 89 39 64 +6 0.00 0 Valparaiso_AP_I 85 39 64 +7 0.45 1 Wanatah 86 37 62 +7 1.92 1 67 Wheatfield 87 40 63 +8 0.40 1 Winamac 86 40 63 +8 0.07 1 61 North Central(2) Plymouth 85 40 63 +7 0.10 1 South_Bend 85 38 63 +8 0.55 1 Young_America 88 40 65 +9 0.00 0 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 86 39 63 +8 0.00 0 63 Fort_Wayne 87 41 65 +9 0.00 0 West Central(4) Greencastle 85 42 63 +5 0.00 0 Perrysville 90 38 65 +8 0.00 0 66 Spencer_Ag 88 42 65 +8 0.00 0 Terre_Haute_AFB 86 42 64 +5 0.01 1 W_Lafayette_6NW 88 36 63 +7 0.06 1 70 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 84 42 64 +6 0.01 1 Greenfield 86 43 65 +7 0.00 0 Indianapolis_AP 84 44 65 +7 0.00 0 Indianapolis_SE 86 42 64 +6 0.00 0 Tipton_Ag 86 40 64 +9 0.19 1 68 East Central(6) Farmland 86 43 64 +9 0.06 1 62 New_Castle 86 43 65 +10 0.00 0 Southwest (7) Evansville 88 45 66 +6 0.00 0 Freelandville 87 43 65 +6 0.00 0 Shoals 88 40 65 +7 0.00 0 Stendal 88 43 67 +8 0.00 0 Vincennes_5NE 90 41 66 +7 0.00 0 71 South Central(8) Leavenworth 86 46 66 +8 0.02 1 Oolitic 87 44 65 +7 0.00 0 69 Tell_City 87 46 68 +8 0.00 0 Southeast (9) Brookville 88 48 67 +11 0.11 1 Milan_5NE 86 46 65 +9 0.18 2 Scottsburg 88 46 66 +8 0.08 1 ---------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday October 9, 2005 ------------------------------------------------ Accumulation -------------------------------- April 1, 2005 thru Station October 9, 2005 -------------------------------- Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF -------------------------------- | | | | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W | 20.22 -2.64 57 3474 +361 Valparaiso_AP_I | 16.08 -8.97 52 3287 +443 Wanatah | 18.68 -5.45 65 3151 +442 Wheatfield | 23.78 +0.43 107 3324 +559 Winamac | 20.95 -2.26 65 3346 +495 North Central (2| Plymouth | 17.87 -5.99 62 3241 +241 South_Bend | 13.50 -9.68 61 3381 +569 Young_America | 23.18 +0.66 57 3356 +406 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City | 18.48 -4.10 62 3161 +479 Fort_Wayne | 17.20 -3.42 61 3347 +396 West Central (4)| Greencastle | 29.60 +3.55 55 3331 -6 Perrysville | 20.89 -3.44 60 3616 +516 Spencer_Ag | 29.48 +3.44 63 3438 +314 Terre_Haute_AFB | 21.82 -2.76 58 3664 +353 W_Lafayette_6NW | 16.89 -6.03 62 3425 +487 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP | 22.36 -0.56 63 3692 +412 Greenfield | 31.62 +6.58 73 3438 +283 Indianapolis_AP | 22.64 -0.28 60 3757 +477 Indianapolis_SE | 24.70 +1.29 62 3454 +179 Tipton_Ag | 24.72 +1.33 64 3194 +348 East Central (6)| Farmland | 23.64 +1.01 61 3220 +443 New_Castle | 26.00 +2.02 56 3115 +268 Southwest (7) | Evansville | 22.34 -0.85 55 4086 +280 Freelandville | 25.36 +1.22 59 3809 +388 Shoals | 25.76 -0.29 70 3809 +491 Stendal | 24.97 -0.89 55 4063 +480 Vincennes_5NE | 28.77 +4.63 62 3977 +556 South Central(8)| Leavenworth | 24.94 -1.26 60 3875 +581 Oolitic | 24.83 -0.12 62 3543 +379 Tell_City | 24.54 -1.92 47 4241 +556 Southeast (9) | Brookville | 23.26 -0.87 59 3641 +639 Milan_5NE | 26.27 +2.14 91 3548 +546 Scottsburg | 25.08 +0.25 68 3740 +333 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 2005: Agricultural Weather Information Service, 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