in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date October 30, 2005 Issue IN-CW4405 Agricultural Summary Harvest of both corn and soybeans made good progress during the week, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Some elevators remain at full capacity and have limited hours of operation which makes it frustrating for farmers to deliver grain. Other activities included fall tillage, spreading of fertilizer and lime, applications of fall herbicides and cleaning and repairing equipment. Field Crops Report There were 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Eighty percent of the corn has been harvested compared with 79 percent for last year and 69 percent for the average. By area, 78 percent of the corn acreage is harvested in the north, 78 percent in the central region, and 87 percent in the south. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 17 percent. Ninety-three percent of the soybean acreage has been harvested compared with 90 percent last year and 87 percent for the average. By area, 96 percent of the soybean acreage is harvested in the north, 96 percent in the central region, and 82 percent in the south. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging about 12 percent. Ninety-four percent of the winter wheat acreage has been planted compared with 81 percent last year and 86 percent for the average. Seventy-four percent of the winter wheat acreage has emerged compared with 59 percent last year and 64 percent for the average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 2 percent excellent, 36 percent good, 41 percent fair, 17 percent poor and 4 percent very poor. Livestock remain in mostly good condition. Farmers have been marketing feeder calves. Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Harvested 80 62 79 69 Soybeans Harvested 93 87 90 87 Winter Wheat Planted 94 86 81 86 Winter Wheat Emerged 74 51 59 64 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------------- Percent Wheat 0 3 22 64 11 Pasture 4 17 41 36 2 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table -------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : -------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 4 3 1 Short 17 19 6 Adequate 77 70 73 Surplus 2 8 20 Subsoil Very Short 10 9 2 Short 27 29 20 Adequate 62 59 72 Surplus 1 3 6 Days Suitable 5.6 5.0 3.5 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 2005 WESTERN CORN ROOTWORM SOYBEAN SWEEP NET SURVEY * Survey numbers indicate relative abundance of beetles in areas. * Risks to first-year corn are determined by combining years of survey data with actual damage. * Repeated monitoring with sticky cards is only way to assess risk of individual fields. * Soybean aphid treatments did NOT prevent beetles from laying eggs in soybean before and after. Once again many of Indiana counties were visited in late summer to obtain a snapshot of the distribution and abundance of western corn rootworm adults in soybean during a critical period of rootworm egg deposition. Finding an insecticide-free field to sample became quite a challenge in some northern Indiana counties as many fields were treated for soybean aphid. The relative abundance of rootworm adults found in soybean in 2005 provides regional estimates of the risk of root injury to 2006 first-year corn. The state map on the following page shows the total number of adult western corn rootworm beetles captured in 100 sweeps/field (five sets of twenty sweeps) using a 15-inch diameter net. You will note numerical differences within counties or between adjoining counties, and these are a result of our limited sampling - two data points/county are not sufficient to compare risks on a county basis. Similarly, these "one-time visit" numbers should not be used to infer infestation risks for particular fields. Sweep samples are best viewed as a guideline to assess whether areas are in high, moderate or low risk areas. All growers, especially those in moderate to low risk areas, are encouraged to assess individual fields to refine treatment decisions in first-year corn. This is best accomplished by visiting the field multiple times during the beetle's egg-laying period (mid-July to mid-August) while strategically placing multiple yellow sticky traps. See the on-line publication "Monitoring and Decision Rules for Western Corn Rootworm Beetles in Soybean" at . There has been no demonstrated correlation between soybean sweep counts of beetles and crop injury in corn the following season. In addition, in the springtime, there are many interconnected affecting larval survival and root vulnerability, all of which contribute to the difficulties in assessing the year-to-year economic risks. However, empirical observations over many years, have allowed us to estimate regional risk levels using these sweep sample data as a guide. The primary goals of the annual survey are to compare regional risks of infestation over several years and assign general risk levels of injury to the subsequent crop by areas of Indiana. As previously mentioned, it was a challenge to conduct this random survey in areas of the state where most soybean fields were treated for aphids. Occasionally we resorted to sampling fields that had been treated, based on visual evidence (wheel tracks). However, from the beetle numbers in these sweeps, it was obvious it took little time for western corn rootworm beetles to re-infest fields after insecticide applications. The variant beetle is biologically driven to enter soybean fields and lay eggs, and producers have NOT eliminated their risk of first-year corn damage by treating soybean fields with insecticides this year. As proof, a recent five year, Illinois/Indiana joint program failed to eliminate first year corn damage even when fields were monitored weekly and treated as many as three times a season. John Obermeyer, Christian Krupke, and Larry Bledsoe, Department of Entomology, Purdue University. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- WINTER ANNUAL WEEDS AND MANAGEMENT OF SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE Once again winter weeds like Henbit and Purple deadnettle are beginning to show up in fields around Indiana. These two winter weeds are particularly susceptible to soybean cyst nematode. For the most part, the active growth period for these weeds does not coincide with SCN activities. SCN is not physically active when soil temperature falls below 50øF. The optimum temperature for soybean cyst nematode is 75øF. At 75øF the nematodes require about one month to complete one life cycle, about 750 degree days. This has been a dry summer and fall so far. An earlier than usual harvest might encourage earlier winter weed activities. The higher temperatures that we experienced in September and October might cause a completion of the SCN life cycle this fall. For the first time, we were able to document and report the completion of at least one generation of SCN in the field last spring. Mr. Earl Creech, the graduate student working on this project, was able to follow a life cycle of SCN and extract newly developed cysts on roots of Purple deadnettle plants in a field in southern Indiana. The winter annuals in Indiana typically germinate in late fall and mature in early spring. During this time period, under normal conditions, the Indiana soil temperature seldom reaches and stays at the required temperature. Fall's weather conditions this year have been relatively warm. With well established winter weeds and warm temperatures this year, having the required soil temperatures to complete a life cycle is a possibility. Thus growers might have an extra incentive to spray for winter weeds this fall as part of their overall farm management and SCN population control if they have fields with both purple deadnettle and SCN. With funding from the Indiana Soybean Board and USDA CSREES we are continuing to pursue the correlation between winter weeds and soybean cyst nematode. We have yet to accumulate enough data to be able to recommend winter weed management on regular basis to manage SCN in the northern half of the state, but we are getting close to more definitive answers. We might be able to predict the activities of SCN on winter weeds based on the number of degree days required for SCN to complete the life cycle (750 DD). The accumulation of DD in southern and northern Indiana will be different in different years. We might have to have two sets of recommendations for different parts of the state. We will monitor SCN and winter annuals activities and correlate them with soil temperatures to be able to make better recommendations in the future. Jamal Faghihi, Bill Johnson, and Virginia Ferris, Departments of Entomology/Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University. 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 30, 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 60 30 44 -6 0.04 3 Valparaiso_AP_I 59 29 45 -4 0.29 4 Wanatah 60 24 42 -6 0.07 3 51 Wheatfield 60 29 44 -4 0.33 3 Winamac 59 30 44 -5 0.33 1 47 North Central(2) Plymouth 59 30 43 -7 0.73 2 South_Bend 59 29 43 -7 0.00 0 Young_America 60 32 44 -5 0.17 1 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 57 26 42 -6 0.28 2 47 Fort_Wayne 58 27 43 -6 0.29 1 West Central(4) Greencastle 58 27 44 -7 0.27 2 Perrysville 62 27 45 -6 0.09 2 48 Spencer_Ag 60 24 44 -6 0.23 2 Terre_Haute_AFB 58 29 45 -6 0.07 2 W_Lafayette_6NW 59 29 44 -5 0.20 3 53 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 57 31 45 -6 0.14 1 Greenfield 57 29 42 -8 0.51 2 Indianapolis_AP 57 30 45 -6 0.13 1 Indianapolis_SE 57 28 42 -9 0.30 2 Tipton_Ag 58 29 43 -6 0.24 2 45 East Central(6) Farmland 58 26 42 -7 1.53 2 44 New_Castle 58 28 42 -7 0.91 2 Southwest (7) Evansville 59 29 46 -8 0.03 1 Freelandville 58 33 46 -6 0.06 2 Shoals 62 26 45 -7 0.21 2 Stendal 61 34 46 -6 0.27 2 Vincennes_5NE 61 31 47 -5 0.04 1 51 South Central(8) Leavenworth 57 30 44 -7 0.23 2 Oolitic 60 27 44 -7 0.19 1 50 Tell_City 63 36 48 -6 0.11 1 Southeast (9) Brookville 61 28 43 -7 0.57 3 Milan_5NE 57 29 42 -7 0.65 3 Scottsburg 61 25 42 -10 0.35 2 ---------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday October 30, 2005 ------------------------------------------------ Accumulation -------------------------------- April 1, 2005 thru Station October 30, 2005 -------------------------------- Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF -------------------------------- | | | | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |21.72 -2.86 63 3555 +346 Valparaiso_AP_I |16.45 -10.68 61 3372 +435 Wanatah |18.84 -7.10 71 3213 +429 Wheatfield |24.66 -0.29 115 3394 +554 Winamac |21.48 -3.55 71 3414 +484 North Central(2)| Plymouth |18.75 -7.08 67 3299 +212 South_Bend |13.80 -11.44 64 3444 +551 Young_America |24.35 -0.03 62 3433 +406 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |18.95 -5.37 70 3220 +462 Fort_Wayne |17.68 -4.62 67 3420 +380 West Central(4) | Greencastle |30.95 +2.91 60 3417 -34 Perrysville |22.03 -4.05 65 3715 +517 Spencer_Ag |32.00 +4.01 70 3539 +321 Terre_Haute_AFB |22.85 -3.53 64 3769 +345 W_Lafayette_6NW |18.23 -6.49 69 3510 +484 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |23.46 -1.25 68 3799 +410 Greenfield |35.23 +8.13 81 3520 +265 Indianapolis_AP |24.28 -0.43 64 3869 +480 Indianapolis_SE |27.82 +2.46 68 3540 +158 Tipton_Ag |25.63 +0.14 69 3273 +347 East Central(6) | Farmland |25.92 +1.59 67 3288 +436 New_Castle |28.58 +2.55 62 3194 +269 Southwest (7) | Evansville |23.07 -2.07 58 4254 +305 Freelandville |26.15 +0.03 64 3933 +394 Shoals |27.03 -1.24 76 3921 +489 Stendal |25.78 -2.13 59 4217 +511 Vincennes_5NE |29.71 +3.59 66 4110 +571 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |25.65 -2.80 67 4009 +602 Oolitic |25.51 -1.75 67 3645 +382 Tell_City |24.88 -3.62 50 4433 +604 Southeast (9) | Brookville |24.31 -1.86 64 3749 +660 Milan_5NE |28.12 +1.95 98 3645 +556 Scottsburg |26.33 -0.58 74 3852 +329 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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