State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 9/11/05 Issue NH-CW3704 Volume 25, Number 20 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) September 12, 2005 - 4 pm -- Agricultural Summary-- A GREAT WEEK FOR FARMING GGENERAL CONDITIONS: For the week ending September 11, 2005, there were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture: 12% very short, 35% short, 52% adequate, 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture: 10% very short, 26% short, 63% adequate, 1% surplus. Pasture condition: 7% very poor, 15% poor, 37% fair, 28% good and 13% excellent. The week began with cooler temperatures and clear skies. On Wednesday, warmer weather arrived to the region and remained through Thursday. Some light rain hit parts of northern New Hampshire and Vermont on Thursday afternoon and into the evening. On Friday, a cool front arrived and remained through the weekend bringing plenty of sunshine. Connecticut crops and pastures are suffering from prolonged lack of moisture. All six states need more rain to improve crop sizing. It was a great week to do field work and to prepare for harvest as fall is approaching. Major farm activities included weeding, irrigating, monitoring pests and diseases, spraying fungicides and pesticides, spreading manure, baling hay, chopping grass, chopping corn silage and harvesting a variety of fruits and vegetables. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 12 8 0 Short 35 26 5 Adequate 52 65 69 Surplus 1 1 26 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 10 8 0 Short 26 22 5 Adequate 63 68 73 Surplus 1 2 22 --------------------------------------------- -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Sunshine provided great weather to harvest fruits and berries. Early apple harvest was in full swing with a quarter of the apples picked. Apple growers reported that fruit size was varying from average to below average in Connecticut, Maine and Vermont. Peach harvest should finish shortly and crop condition was rated good to fair. Very dry conditions continued to hinder pear production in Connecticut with fruit size ranging from average to below average, whereas Massachusetts had harvested a forth of the 2005 crop. Great weather allowed Maine wild blueberry growers to finish raking the last of the berries. Maine wild blueberry growers were also busy weed controlling fields and using more flail mowing instead of burning fields due to fuel prices. Highbush blueberry harvest should finish up this coming week and crop condition was rated good to excellent. Cranberry growers expect to slowly start the 2005 harvest this week. More rain is needed to help fill up reservoirs and water supplies to protect against frost during harvest. Hopefully Hurricane Ophelia will provide some much needed rain this coming week. VEGETABLES: Recent dry weather is having a negative effect on vegetable crops in New England. Growers continued to irrigate or pump water to crops since some crops were starting to dry up. Great weather provided ideal conditions for farmers markets and local farm stands but high fuel prices hindered markets. Sweet corn harvest had started to wind down in the region and crop condition was rated good to fair. Growers were busy harvesting a variety of vegetables such as: beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, greens, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, pumpkins, radishes, snap beans, summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini and winter squash. Some farmers started to clean up harvested fields and planted cover crops. Greenhouse and nursery operations were busy harvesting and selling a variety of flowers. FIELD CROPS: Dry, warm days provided farmers great conditions to do field work. Both barley and oats harvest continued strong, as growers were close to wrapping up combining. Maine potato harvest was in full swing after a late start and crop condition was rated good to excellent. Dry weather improved Rhode Island potato harvest from fair to poor from the previous week to fair to good. Massachusetts potato harvest continued behind the five year average. The recent dry conditions have caused variability in field corn conditions throughout New England. Field corn crop condition in northern New England was rated excellent to good and fair to good elsewhere. Farmers in the southern region were chopping corn to avoid silage from being burnt. Both broadleaf and shade tobacco growers were close to finishing up harvest. Dry, warm days provided great conditions for the curing process. Dry conditions also provided for great days to bale hay, if fields were in good condition due to the prolonged lack of moisture. Second cutting of hay should finish up soon if weather continues to stay dry, due to limited re-growth of grass. The lack of rain has caused conditions for third cutting of hay to decline to good, whereas the previous week was rated good to excellent. -- Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- Crop 2005 2004 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Barley, ME 80 75 70 Good/ Excellent Oats, ME 70 35 55 Good/ Excellent Potatoes Maine <5 5 10 Good/Excellent Mass. 35 45 45 Fair/Good Rhode Isl. 65 50 60 Fair/Good Sweet Corn 80 85 85 Good/Fair Field Corn 15 5 10 Good/ Excellent Tobacco Broadleaf 95 95 95 Good/Fair Shade 95 99 95 Good Dry hay, 2nd cut 90 90 90 Good/Excellent Dry hay, 3rd cut 45 55 55 Good ---------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ----------------------------------------------------- --Percent Harvested-- Crop 2005 2004 5-yr Fruit Condition Avg Size ----------------------------------------------------- Apples 25 30 25 Avg Good/Fair Peaches 90 95 85 Avg Good/Fair Pears 15 35 30 Avg Fair Blueberries Highbush 99 99 99 Avg/A.Avg Good/Excel Wild, ME 100 100 100 Avg Fair Cranberries, MA - - - Avg/B.Avg Good ----------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary For the Period: Monday September 5, 2005 To: Sunday September 11, 2005 AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI -- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 32 84 60 +1 0.00 0.60 NH 28 86 60 +1 0.00 0.32 VT 31 89 60 +0 0.00 1.31 MA 36 86 64 +0 0.00 0.01 RI 44 84 67 +1 0.00 0.00 CT 40 87 66 +1 0.00 0.03 ------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -- Weather Information Table For the Period: Monday September 5, 2005 To: Sunday September 11, 2005 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 37 81 59 -4 1746 -204 745 -18 Allagash 32 80 55 -2 1356 +79 466 +143 Augusta_State_A 45 80 63 +2 2001 +112 947 +223 Bangor_Intl_Arp 40 82 62 +2 1969 +244 893 +287 Barnard 40 80 60 +2 1658 +168 664 +216 Bath 39 80 61 -1 1731 -37 721 +75 Bethel 40 80 60 +1 1802 +97 761 +177 Brassua_Dam 38 79 57 +2 1460 +221 537 +227 Brunswick_ME 44 78 63 +2 1848 +80 839 +193 Caribou_Municip 37 79 57 +2 1628 +253 649 +271 Corinna 40 82 61 +3 1801 +166 776 +242 Danforth 39 79 59 +2 1609 +19 631 +109 Dover-Foxcroft 43 80 60 +3 1538 +48 571 +123 Durham 39 79 60 -4 1764 -242 746 -72 East_Hiram 38 79 59 -2 1761 +64 738 +160 Eustis 34 77 55 -2 1390 +188 477 +195 Frenchville 39 80 58 +3 1607 +330 643 +320 Gray 48 82 65 +4 2025 +282 973 +350 Greenville_ME 44 77 60 +2 1608 +107 638 +179 Guilford 40 81 59 +2 1648 +158 681 +233 Hollis 36 83 60 +1 1825 +199 804 +276 Houlton 32 79 57 +2 1622 +185 651 +228 Kennebunkport 41 82 62 -3 1673 -450 683 -218 Livermore_Falls 35 84 60 +3 1844 +380 827 +401 Moosehead 37 83 58 +2 1420 +181 496 +186 New_Sharon 39 82 61 +4 1814 +350 803 +377 Patten 41 79 59 +3 1535 +98 578 +155 Portage 38 80 58 +3 1603 +228 628 +250 Portland_ME 46 81 64 +3 1973 +230 926 +303 Rangeley 39 78 58 +2 1461 +294 522 +258 Sebec_Lake 41 80 60 +2 1631 +130 638 +179 Vanceboro 40 79 60 +1 1589 +70 610 +138 Waterville 43 82 62 -1 1889 -61 858 +95 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 35 84 61 -2 1907 +12 866 +144 Benton 37 77 58 -1 1774 +208 740 +270 Berlin_AG 36 79 59 +0 1793 +217 753 +261 Bethlehem 35 79 58 -1 1782 +217 747 +277 Concord 37 85 63 +2 2227 +332 1098 +376 Diamond_Pond 35 76 54 +0 1349 +290 455 +250 First_Conn_Lake 34 74 53 -3 1329 +270 435 +230 Greenville 40 86 64 +5 2305 +590 1168 +596 Keene_AP 37 82 62 -2 2219 +103 1082 +200 Lakeport 46 84 65 +5 2237 +464 1114 +478 Marlow 37 84 61 -1 1986 +65 910 +185 Mount_Washingto 28 61 47 +5 350 +289 15 +15 North_Conway 38 80 61 +1 1974 +212 907 +282 Otter_Brook_Lk 39 80 61 -3 2064 -52 955 +73 Plymouth 36 81 59 +2 1833 +282 788 +315 Rochester 42 84 63 +1 2050 +22 969 +147 Weare 40 82 63 +1 2061 +140 970 +245 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 31 81 58 -3 1861 +208 802 +265 Bethel 39 82 61 +2 1959 +388 880 +391 Burlington_Intl 42 81 62 +0 2388 +366 1218 +399 East_Haven 33 80 58 +2 1765 +457 732 +399 Island_Pond 38 78 58 +2 1718 +424 709 +389 Montpelier 40 79 60 +2 2023 +432 925 +425 Morrisville_AG 37 79 59 -1 1748 +161 731 +226 Mount_Mansfield 37 66 54 +3 1070 +386 250 +184 Northfield 34 81 59 +2 1872 +423 809 +395 Pownal 39 80 61 +2 2047 +388 910 +372 Rochester 36 82 61 +2 1963 +392 880 +391 Rutland_AG 36 82 60 -3 2130 +37 1022 +163 Sunderland 39 79 61 -2 2058 +53 944 +160 Sutton 38 77 58 +2 1709 +401 698 +365 Townshend_Lake 39 82 62 -1 2114 +128 996 +203 Union_Vill_Dam 35 89 61 -3 1934 -68 864 +63 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 45 80 63 +4 2166 +446 1035 +446 Boston/Logan_In 53 85 67 +0 2493 +66 1335 +200 Greenfield 41 84 64 -2 2287 +20 1124 +130 New_Bedford 42 82 64 -5 2257 -196 1109 -50 Otis_AFB 45 79 64 -2 2451 +454 1251 +435 Plymouth 43 81 62 -3 2238 +183 1139 +279 Walpole 44 85 66 +3 2444 +369 1271 +416 West_Medway 44 83 64 +2 2289 +214 1142 +287 Chicopee/Westov 39 85 65 -3 2589 -6 1343 +87 Worcester 52 81 66 +4 2349 +412 1186 +435 Worthington 37 82 61 +1 1983 +293 872 +315 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 51 84 68 +2 2653 +337 1438 +385 Woonsocket 44 84 65 +3 2428 +385 1239 +423 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 40 82 63 -4 2202 -294 1031 -148 Bridgeport/Siko 56 82 69 +2 2738 +245 1450 +243 Hartford/Bradle 45 87 67 +2 2752 +263 1480 +304 Norfolk 45 82 63 +3 2065 +373 927 +368 Norwich 47 85 67 +2 2568 +244 1349 +311 Thomaston_Dam 45 83 65 +3 2450 +428 1244 +447 Willimantic 42 84 65 +2 2458 +395 1236 +405 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.03 -0.74 1 4.40 +1.15 9 Allagash 0.15 -0.76 1 3.37 -0.33 9 Augusta_State_A 0.19 -0.51 2 3.28 +0.37 11 Bangor_Intl_Arp 0.07 -0.76 2 3.26 +0.12 12 Barnard 0.07 -0.84 1 4.96 +1.46 11 Bath 0.03 -0.67 1 4.98 +2.04 9 Bethel 0.00 -0.79 0 4.73 +1.26 9 Brassua_Dam 0.18 -0.70 1 4.16 +0.76 11 Brunswick_ME 0.00 -0.70 0 4.60 +1.66 8 Caribou_Municip 0.42 -0.42 1 3.88 +0.35 8 Corinna 0.00 -0.87 0 4.17 +0.65 8 Danforth 0.24 -0.63 1 4.25 +0.63 12 Dover-Foxcroft 0.00 -0.91 0 2.58 -0.92 8 Durham 0.02 -0.68 2 2.67 -0.13 8 East_Hiram 0.00 -0.74 0 4.04 +0.84 9 Eustis 0.07 -0.68 2 4.93 +1.88 10 Frenchville 0.00 -0.91 0 4.79 +1.09 7 Gray 0.05 -0.65 1 2.83 +0.12 11 Greenville_ME 0.27 -0.64 1 5.33 +1.83 9 Guilford 0.11 -0.80 1 4.83 +1.33 11 Hollis 0.00 -0.76 0 1.85 -1.04 8 Houlton 0.38 -0.51 1 3.58 -0.09 14 Kennebunkport 0.00 -0.70 0 1.66 -1.16 7 Livermore_Falls 0.09 -0.76 1 3.16 -0.51 8 Moosehead 0.23 -0.65 1 4.60 +1.20 9 New_Sharon 0.22 -0.63 2 3.06 -0.61 11 Patten 0.53 -0.36 1 4.68 +1.01 11 Portage 0.60 -0.24 1 1.99 -1.54 7 Portland_ME 0.00 -0.70 0 2.06 -0.65 6 Rangeley 0.28 -0.49 2 4.65 +1.20 10 Sebec_Lake 0.02 -0.89 1 5.38 +1.88 11 Vanceboro 0.24 -0.67 1 4.06 +0.74 12 Waterville 0.06 -0.71 1 4.29 +1.04 11 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.00 -0.69 0 1.69 -1.18 7 Benton 0.08 -0.69 1 4.46 +1.02 10 Berlin_AG 0.00 -0.81 0 3.79 +0.14 10 Bethlehem 0.21 -0.59 2 5.12 +1.38 13 Concord 0.00 -0.69 0 1.91 -0.96 8 Diamond_Pond 0.32 -0.68 1 4.93 +0.55 13 First_Conn_Lake 0.28 -0.72 1 4.63 +0.25 14 Greenville 0.00 -0.77 0 2.01 -1.38 8 Keene_AP 0.00 -0.73 0 2.47 -0.78 7 Lakeport 0.00 -0.70 0 2.74 -0.38 8 Marlow 0.00 -0.78 0 3.96 +0.69 8 Mount_Washingto 0.00 -1.81 0 7.87 +0.40 11 North_Conway 0.10 -0.73 1 5.04 +1.54 9 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.00 -0.73 0 3.41 +0.16 9 Plymouth 0.00 -0.76 0 3.89 +0.62 9 Rochester 0.11 -0.62 1 1.83 -1.24 7 Weare 0.05 -0.73 1 3.77 +0.50 12 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.00 -0.91 0 2.74 -1.07 9 Bethel 0.12 -0.80 1 3.82 -0.18 11 Burlington_Intl 0.26 -0.57 1 3.61 +0.07 10 East_Haven 0.20 -0.66 1 5.56 +1.63 13 Island_Pond 1.31 +0.45 1 5.53 +1.54 12 Montpelier 0.12 -0.59 3 4.43 +1.17 15 Morrisville_AG 0.23 -0.65 1 3.42 -0.62 10 Mount_Mansfield 0.33 -1.21 2 5.61 -0.99 15 Northfield 0.10 -0.67 1 3.88 +0.60 8 Pownal 0.03 -0.88 1 2.33 -1.48 8 Rochester 0.10 -0.82 1 3.67 -0.33 11 Rutland_AG 0.00 -0.89 0 4.21 +0.50 10 Sunderland 0.00 -0.85 0 3.21 -0.37 10 Sutton 0.18 -0.68 2 5.17 +1.24 13 Townshend_Lake 0.00 -0.80 0 3.12 -0.34 8 Union_Vill_Dam 0.03 -0.74 1 3.81 +0.58 13 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.00 -0.70 0 2.97 +0.02 9 Boston/Logan_In 0.00 -0.72 0 1.63 -1.37 7 Greenfield 0.00 -0.84 0 2.99 -0.32 9 New_Bedford 0.00 -0.84 0 7.69 +3.99 6 Otis_AFB 0.00 -0.77 0 1.85 -1.25 6 Plymouth 0.00 -0.98 0 5.17 +1.35 6 Walpole 0.00 -0.91 0 3.13 -0.51 8 West_Medway 0.00 -0.91 0 2.92 -0.72 9 Chicopee/Westov 0.00 -0.84 0 2.22 -1.09 7 Worcester 0.00 -0.91 0 2.47 -1.10 8 Worthington 0.00 -0.87 0 3.18 -0.42 9 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 0.00 -0.84 0 4.35 +0.99 4 Woonsocket 0.00 -0.91 0 4.00 +0.36 7 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.00 -0.91 0 1.98 -1.53 8 Bridgeport/Siko 0.00 -0.74 0 1.32 -1.52 5 Hartford/Bradle 0.00 -0.91 0 2.17 -1.34 8 Norfolk 0.00 -0.98 0 2.11 -2.01 8 Norwich 0.00 -0.91 0 3.26 -0.38 7 Thomaston_Dam 0.00 -0.98 0 2.19 -1.73 9 Willimantic 0.00 -0.91 0 1.02 -2.55 6 Summary based on NWS data. DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of 0.01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2005: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For detailed ag weather forecasts and data visit the AWIShome page at www.awis.com or call toll free at1-888-798-9955. -- Other Agricultural Comments and News CONNECTICUT - Howard Rood (FSA), Fairfield/Litchfield: Farmers are harvesting field corn. It is very dry. Vegetable crops need rain. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Another dry week, no rain once again. Pumping water where available on vegetable crops. Chopping field corn to get it in the silo before it burns up in the field. Frank Himmelstein (Ext), New London: Another good week for making hay although there is little out there to harvest. The hot dry week did not contribute to re-growth. Drought conditions continue. Field corn harvesting is in full swing with fields being cut fairly rapidly due to dry fields and lower yields. Some typically wet fields did produce a fair crop considering the lack of rain in the county throughout the growing season. Corn yields and quality were severely reduced in dry fields. Marsha Jette (FSA), New London: Very, very dry. Need Rain! Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Dry, dry, dry, no rain in most of the county since early July. Mac's a little early, fruit are small, some fruit trees stressed looking. Pumpkins drying up, small in size, would have been a good crop if we had rain a few weeks ago. Rain this late and apples mush up, too hot for good color in apples, cool days needed, irrigated crops good but no water left to irrigate. Making cider with Gravenstein, Jersey Mac, Paula Red and Bartlett Pears. Tomato prices hit rock bottom, squash is low too. Some concern with vegetables from Canada bringing down local prices. Field corn continues to be harvested with results varying from poor ear development and yellow stalks to nice green corn on heavier soils with smaller ears. Nancy Welsh (FSA), New Haven: It is very dry and dusty out here. Producers have begun chopping corn for silage earlier than they would ordinarily like to because it has dried down so fast. The vegetables have just dried up and died due to the heat and abnormally dry conditions. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: August forage seedings drying up with no rain, no subsurface moisture. No threat of getting stuck due to mud while chopping, but sandy soils are difficult to maneuver also, when so dry. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Warm and dry - good hay weather - if we had water to make the grass grow. Most pastures and hay land are dormant. Silage harvest is on hold waiting for full season corn to dent, short season is all in the bunker. Some early pumpkins being picked as folks start fall decorating projects. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Most growers ready for harvest. Vine desiccation continues. Still quite a few acres of potatoes have not been killed as of yet. Small grain harvest continues. Some harvesting will begin next week but majority of growers are waiting for tubers to put on more size. Potato harvest in the valley not to begin until Sept. 26, which is a week later than normal. Tuber size on late maturing varieties is still small due to late planting this spring. The quality of this potato crop looks very good. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Fungicides are still being applied. Some farmers have begun to apply vine killing to their potato fields. Broccoli harvesting continuing. Harvesting of hay and grains continuing. Leslie Nelson (NRCS), Piscataquis: Beautiful weather last week was good for second crop hay. Apples and pumpkins filling up roadside stands. Donald Burke (FSA), Waldo: Farmers still harvesting second crop hay. No silage corn has been harvested yet, but hopefully this weather will continue through the harvest. Showers in the forecast will help alleviate dry conditions. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Weed control on wild blueberry fields is underway. Harvesting of second crop hay is still underway. The high cost of fuel will mean less burning on wild blueberry fields and more flail mowing on fields being burned with straw. Sandy Truslow (FSA), Cumberland/York: The area needs rain badly, everything is dusty! Apples that are being picked for the early market are small. If two inches of rain are received the rest may size up. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Summer is hanging on. That is good because we need every day we can get for crops to mature. Corn silage harvest is about to begin. Marcia Hall (FSA), Oxford: Oxford County producers are busy harvesting vegetables and getting them to market. Sweet corn still being harvested. Field corn looking nice but still maturing as was planted late in most of the county. Second crop hay being harvested. Potato crop has started to be harvested with signs of the wet spring becoming a factor. Apples have begun to be harvested and the fruit seems to be average size with some being on the small size. Laura Rand (FSA), Androscoggin: What a great week for farming. Hay being harvested, fresh vegetables being presented at farm stands, potatoes harvest underway, and apples are being picked. Soil conditions are dry and moisture is needed. Potatoes and apples are small in size. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Another dry week with very fall like weather. No frost yet but one night down in the 30's in parts of the county. Dew is very heavy overnight with fog in the mornings. Corn is being cut and the weather has been great for haying. Fall vegetables are selling and pick you own pumpkin operations are open. Apples are plentiful and selling well. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Another week without rain continues to drain the reservoirs and water supplies. Some growers will be sweating whether they will have enough water for frost protection and water harvest if we don't get some rain soon. There are hopes that Ophelia will bring something this way. No frost nights so far, although temperatures have gotten down into the high 30's a few nights. Some harvesting will begin this week. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: The past ten days have been perfect for all farm activities. Farmers have been busy harvesting fall vegetables, 2nd and 3rd cut hay, and early silage corn. Orchardists have reported that the tree fruit harvest has begun and the crop looks a little thin but okay. Many producers have noted that field conditions are beginning to get very dry. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Excellent week for harvesting late summer/fall crops. Crop conditions are still dry and some growers are irrigating. Corn silage growers have started harvesting and area reporting very good yields. Tobacco farmers are reporting the weather is excellent for the curing process. Harvesting of potatoes, winter squash, apples, and peppers is in full swing in the valley. Sweet corn is coming to an end, but demand is very high. Gary Guida, Worcester: Just another picture perfect week! However, it's getting mighty dry out in those fields. Ground cracking and crops showing water stress. Corn holding up but just barely. Harvest of winter squash and pumpkins now in earnest. Raspberry harvest underway. Fall mums are all over and fall crops appearing at farm stands. Great citizen response at local stands as weather still fueling sweet corn purchases. No ECB or fall armyworm seen, crops on four day spray schedule. Squash vine borer population heavy in pumpkins. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: The week was beautiful for field work but we need rain. Early apples and fall raspberries are being harvested. Winter squash, pumpkins and large sized potatoes have hit the stands. Garden centers are happy to have fall sales of mums and grass seed. Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Season winding down. Dry weather continues, rain would be welcomed. Field corn just about ready. Apples beginning to roll in seem a bit small. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Gorgeous, sunny weather all week. Corn silage harvest has started on some farms, and weather has allowed them to make good progress - ditto for third cutting hay. Soil is still a bit dry here and there, and a bit of rain wouldn't hurt pastures and other growing crops. Vegetable stands still doing well with a variety of produce. Apple harvest is continuing, blueberry harvest about done. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Cooling weather this week. Temps dropping into the low 30's by week's end. No reports of killing frost yet. Apple harvest beginning with earlier varieties, some dropping of fruit. Mum's now prominent at garden stands and nurseries. Fall asters in bloom, honey bee on this now. Field corn continues to look good, some in dough stage although late planted. Corn on flooded fields still at blister stage. Hay continues to come in as weather permits, heavy rainfall in scattered locations. Apple scab harder to control this year. A bit of color now starting to appear in higher elevations amongst swamp maples. Steve Schmidt (FSA), Grafton: Corn harvest is underway. The crop looks good as a general rule. Many farms will not harvest for a couple more weeks in order to gain a little more maturity on later varieties. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Vegetables: Harvesting an array of vegetables: beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, greens, potatoes, radishes, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables. Some farmers are starting to clean up harvested fields and planting cover crops. Mildew has killed a lot of vines on pumpkins and winter squash, farmers are cutting and pickup fruit. Fruit Orchardists harvesting Marshall McIntosh, Ginger Gold, Gala and Honeycrisp apples, peaches, and fall raspberry. Field Crops: Farmers are chopping corn silage and hay cutting continued during the week with the second and third cuttings being made. Some spreading manure on hay fields. Sadie Puglisi (Ext), Merrimack: This week looked a lot like last week. We are enjoying beautiful days with cool nights. Peaches are done, fall raspberries are starting, and apples are looking good this year. Potatoes are a little behind schedule but quality is good. Weekend visitors are starting to buy pumpkins, corn stalks and mums. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Nice dry sunny week for outdoor activities. Corn harvesting is progressing rapidly with the good weather. Last cuts of dry hay are being done. PYO apple orchards are busy with reports of apple size being less than average due to lack of rain in spring. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: This was a hot and dry week. Hay making continued through the week. Forage corn looks good and farmers are starting to get ready for chopping. Fruit growers harvesting peaches, apricots, and early apples. High bush blueberry harvesting winding down. Vegetable growers harvesting an array of vegetable crops, weeding and irrigating fields. Mums are now available at most farm stands and garden centers. Garden centers offering sale price for trees and shrubs to move the remaining inventories. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Cutting and baling hay, harvesting all vegetables including gourds and winter squash. Digging potatoes is dusty work this year. Mums and fall decorations are filling roadside stands. Corn mazes and pumpkin festivals are getting busy. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: Corn silage harvest and second/third cut of grass took center stage last week. Conditions were great for all kinds of field work. Pumpkins are ripening and there are definitely signs of autumn all around. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: A very nice week allowed farmers to harvest a lot of third cut hay. There is a wide range of yields from excellent to poor depending on the soil moisture. Corn is nearly mature and we should start to see some harvesting this coming week. Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: Corn harvesting began the end of last week, still some finishing 3rd cut. Terence Bradshaw, Univ of Vermont: Apple harvest is underway with early varieties picked out. Growers are picking Mac, Galas, and Honeycrisp. Some reports of low color and small size are coming in. More rain and cooler days would be welcome. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Warm sunny week, about a half inch of rain. Lots of hay and haylage going in this week. Foggy mornings make drying difficult. Forecast of frost Saturday night, am not aware of any frost however. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. -- Contact Information To receive this report, send an e-mail message to listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type subscribe usda-new-eng-crop-weather Statistician: Travis Averill Stat Assistant: Deirdre Davis Deputy Director: Gerald Tillman New England Agricultural Statistics National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Aubrey R. Davis, Director 22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor PO Box 1444 Concord, NH 03302-1444 Phone: (603) 224-9639 Fax: (603) 225-1434 Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov ****************** end of report*********************