State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 09/09/01 Issue NH-CW3601 Volume 21, Number 19 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) September 10, 2001 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary Weather - Good for Harvest, Poor for Crops For the week ending September 9, 2001, there were 6.8 days available for fieldwork across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 18% very poor, 35% poor, 38% fair, 7% good, 2% excellent. Major farm activities included: irrigating; cutting hay and chopping haylage; desiccating potato vines; harvesting oats, barley, silage corn, potatoes, tobacco, apples, peaches, pears, raspberries, highbush blueberries, sweet corn and other vegetables; and spraying for weeds, disease and insects. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 25 27 6 Short 39 42 14 Adequate 36 31 73 Surplus 0 0 7 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 29 28 0 Short 39 42 18 Adequate 32 30 76 Surplus 0 0 6 --------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report More scattered shower activity appeared across New England last week, but not enough to slow harvest or help moisture starved crops that were still in the ground. Potato harvest continued last week and growers continued to desiccate vines. Field corn harvest is ahead of normal. The silage corn crop is very light and hay yields are low, due to drought conditions and armyworm damage. The third cut hay crop remains in fair to poor condition, as the dry weather continues to parch fields. Oat and barley crops in Maine are in good condition and harvest is running ahead of normal. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Growers continued to harvest apples, pears, highbush blueberries and raspberries last week. Peach harvest is nearing completion, and is right in line with last year and the five year average. Now that Maine's wild blueberry harvest is complete, it is apparent that the period of dry weather before harvest drastically reduced yields, and final production figures will be lower than earlier predictions. Massachusetts cranberries continue to be in good to fair condition as growers prepare for the red harvest. VEGETABLES: Sweet corn, pumpkins, winter squash and other vegetables were harvested last week, with above average yields being reported for most crops. Both the yield and quality of most vegetable crops have fared well despite the lack of rain this year. Growers scouted fields for weeds, insects and disease, and applications were made where necessary. Sweet corn continues to be a favorite at farmers' markets, and the crop remains in good to fair condition as harvest progresses. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2001 2000 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- Potatoes Maine 5 10 5 Good Mass 40 55 55 Good/Fair Rhode Isl 70 50 40 Good Oats, ME 65 40 50 Good Barley, ME 75 40 60 Good Silage Corn 20 <5 10 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 85 75 80 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 90 100 99 Good/Fair Broadleaf 95 90 95 Good/Fair Dry Hay Second Cut 90 85 85 Fair Third Cut 50 50 50 Fair/Poor ----------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2001 2000 5-yr Avg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Apples 20 20 20 Good/Fair Peaches 85 85 85 Fair Pears 35 30 25 Poor Cranberries,MA <5 -- -- Good/Fair Blueberries Highbush 95 99 99 Good/Fair -------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the Week ending Sunday, September 9, 2001 --------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ----- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 30 94 61 +2 0.00 1.72 NH 30 92 61 +1 0.00 0.64 VT 30 90 61 +1 0.01 0.70 MA 39 90 65 +1 0.00 0.31 RI 44 87 67 +1 0.00 0.06 CT 41 88 65 +0 0.00 0.41 -------------------------------------- Weather Information Table 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 88 61 -2 1874 -53 755 -2 Allagash 32 85 56 +0 1376 +109 422 +100 Augusta_ME 46 89 65 +4 2178 +311 984 +266 Bangor 40 89 64 +3 2079 +374 895 +293 Barnard 39 90 61 +3 1798 +322 676 +230 Bath 40 84 61 -3 1833 +86 730 +88 Bethel 39 89 62 +2 1836 +149 694 +114 Brassua_Dam 38 83 59 +3 1490 +263 468 +160 Brunswick_ME 45 81 63 +2 1964 +217 819 +177 Caribou 39 87 62 +5 1726 +362 626 +250 Corinna 39 89 62 +3 1969 +350 798 +266 Danforth 30 87 57 -2 1629 +54 578 +58 Dover-Foxcroft 39 84 61 +3 1696 +220 591 +145 Durham 40 89 61 -3 1859 -123 756 -56 East_Hiram 38 89 61 +0 1801 +122 702 +128 Eustis 36 85 58 +2 1350 +159 401 +121 Frenchville 37 84 61 +5 1571 +304 531 +209 Gray 42 90 66 +4 2181 +459 1003 +384 Greenville_ME 39 86 62 +4 1738 +251 659 +202 Guilford 39 86 59 +0 1795 +319 716 +270 Hollis 38 92 62 +2 1934 +325 811 +285 Houlton 33 87 61 +5 1688 +263 621 +200 Kennebunkport 42 78 61 -4 1788 -308 695 -198 Livermore_Falls 39 94 62 +5 1957 +507 831 +407 Moosehead 35 88 59 +3 1472 +245 467 +159 New_Sharon 40 89 64 +6 2110 +660 929 +505 Patten 38 85 59 +2 1487 +62 468 +47 Portage 40 86 61 +5 1759 +395 658 +282 Portland_ME 45 86 64 +3 2021 +299 868 +249 Rangeley 36 83 58 +1 1387 +231 403 +141 Sebec_Lake 37 90 60 +2 1750 +263 654 +197 Vanceboro 38 86 60 +2 1704 +201 611 +141 Waterville 42 89 63 +1 2060 +133 883 +126 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 44 87 62 +1 2104 +230 925 +207 Benton 39 87 61 +3 1765 +215 652 +184 Berlin_AG 38 88 61 +2 1794 +233 670 +180 Bethlehem 32 88 59 -1 1648 +99 568 +100 Concord 38 92 64 +3 2174 +300 984 +266 Diamond_Pond 39 80 57 +3 1254 +204 341 +136 First_Conn_Lake 35 83 56 +2 1172 +122 303 +98 Greenville 38 86 64 +4 1877 +181 756 +188 Keene_AP 39 90 63 -1 2182 +90 969 +93 Lakeport 46 90 66 +6 2297 +542 1080 +448 Marlow 33 85 58 -5 1668 -231 599 -121 Mt_Washington 31 64 48 +6 234 +173 10 +10 North_Conway 40 87 62 +2 2141 +397 947 +326 Otter_Brook_Lk 41 84 61 -4 1990 -102 803 -73 Plymouth 35 90 60 +1 1732 +196 627 +156 Rochester 42 91 64 +1 2164 +160 982 +166 Weare 43 86 61 -3 1875 -24 734 +14 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 30 87 56 -5 1467 -168 463 -70 Bethel 39 87 61 +2 1932 +378 778 +293 Burlington_VT 43 87 66 +4 2361 +360 1110 +296 East_Haven 31 88 58 +2 1553 +257 519 +188 Island_Pond 34 85 60 +3 1607 +325 557 +239 Montpelier 37 87 61 +3 1807 +232 706 +209 Morrisville_AG 36 88 59 +0 1576 +5 543 +41 Mount_Mansfield 39 75 58 +7 977 +299 218 +152 Northfield 36 90 61 +4 1795 +360 673 +261 Pownal 42 82 61 +1 1872 +231 703 +169 Rochester 39 87 61 +2 1767 +213 646 +161 Rutland_AG 39 84 61 -3 1896 -173 726 -127 Sunderland 36 85 59 -5 1665 -318 575 -203 Sutton 39 86 60 +4 1655 +359 585 +254 Townshend_Lake 40 86 62 -2 1973 +9 814 +27 Union_Vill_Dam 37 90 62 -2 1903 -77 750 -45 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 45 85 63 +3 2138 +436 928 +343 Boston 54 86 69 +2 2614 +220 1332 +209 Greenfield 46 90 66 +0 2301 +62 1077 +91 New_Bedford 47 80 65 -4 2361 -58 1098 -47 Otis_AFB 50 81 66 +2 2329 +360 1106 +298 Plymouth 46 82 65 +0 2257 +229 1025 +173 Walpole 44 85 66 +3 2458 +407 1184 +335 West_Medway 42 87 65 +2 2436 +385 1163 +314 Westover 41 86 65 -3 2521 -42 1230 -14 Worcester 50 82 66 +3 2243 +329 1010 +265 Worthington 39 86 61 +0 1794 +124 665 +112 RHODE ISLAND Providence 51 84 67 +0 2610 +326 1307 +265 Woonsocket 44 87 67 +4 2586 +567 1312 +502 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 42 86 64 -3 2115 -351 903 -266 Bridgeport 54 82 69 -1 2719 +261 1395 +202 Hartford_AP 45 86 67 +1 2624 +165 1318 +152 Norfolk 46 83 63 +3 2065 +392 872 +317 Norwich 47 84 65 -2 2580 +286 1267 +239 Thomaston_Dam 41 82 63 -2 2264 +267 1016 +226 Willimantic 44 84 65 +1 2567 +530 1252 +429 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.71 -0.06 1 2.32 -0.96 8 Allagash 0.15 -0.76 2 3.06 -0.66 8 Augusta_ME 0.35 -0.35 2 1.20 -1.73 8 Bangor 0.52 -0.29 2 2.30 -0.82 9 Barnard 0.62 -0.29 2 2.22 -1.26 12 Bath 0.27 -0.43 1 1.77 -1.19 10 Bethel 0.14 -0.67 1 1.93 -1.58 8 Brassua_Dam 0.14 -0.73 1 4.06 +0.67 12 Brunswick_ME 0.27 -0.43 1 1.42 -1.54 6 Caribou 0.24 -0.60 1 2.16 -1.39 13 Corinna 0.09 -0.80 1 2.67 -0.85 7 Danforth 0.66 -0.23 1 3.80 +0.14 9 Dover-Foxcroft 0.45 -0.46 1 1.41 -2.07 10 Durham 0.38 -0.32 1 1.57 -1.23 7 East_Hiram 0.21 -0.55 1 1.51 -1.74 8 Eustis 0.00 -0.77 0 1.72 -1.35 7 Frenchville 0.54 -0.37 1 3.27 -0.45 13 Gray 0.00 -0.70 0 1.09 -1.60 6 Greenville_ME 0.57 -0.34 1 3.00 -0.48 9 Guilford 0.35 -0.56 1 1.89 -1.59 10 Hollis 0.11 -0.63 1 1.31 -1.56 7 Houlton 0.60 -0.31 1 3.71 +0.02 10 Kennebunkport 0.58 -0.12 1 2.61 -0.21 8 Livermore_Falls 0.29 -0.58 1 2.14 -1.55 8 Moosehead 0.23 -0.64 1 3.91 +0.52 11 New_Sharon 0.32 -0.55 1 3.48 -0.21 8 Patten 1.72 +0.81 1 4.89 +1.20 11 Portage 0.31 -0.53 1 2.10 -1.45 10 Portland_ME 0.15 -0.55 1 1.18 -1.51 8 Rangeley 0.00 -0.78 0 2.54 -0.96 10 Sebec_Lake 0.83 -0.08 1 2.41 -1.07 11 Vanceboro 0.61 -0.30 1 3.09 -0.17 10 Waterville 0.28 -0.49 1 1.48 -1.80 8 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.16 -0.54 1 1.56 -1.34 7 Benton 0.05 -0.74 1 1.67 -1.81 7 Berlin_AG 0.11 -0.72 1 1.39 -2.32 6 Bethlehem 0.17 -0.65 1 2.20 -1.62 8 Concord 0.16 -0.54 1 0.94 -1.96 7 Diamond_Pond 0.03 -0.99 1 4.29 -0.15 13 First_Conn_Lake 0.05 -0.97 1 4.28 -0.16 13 Greenville 0.48 -0.29 1 1.54 -1.91 5 Keene_AP 0.22 -0.53 1 0.99 -2.32 4 Lakeport 0.56 -0.14 1 2.34 -0.82 6 Marlow 0.31 -0.49 1 2.31 -0.98 4 Mt_Washington 0.09 -1.74 1 4.81 -2.69 10 North_Conway 0.17 -0.67 1 1.43 -2.10 6 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.44 -0.31 1 1.65 -1.66 5 Plymouth 0.34 -0.43 1 2.15 -1.17 6 Rochester 0.10 -0.65 1 2.20 -0.91 9 Weare 0.20 -0.60 1 1.68 -1.61 7 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.32 -0.59 1 1.50 -2.33 12 Bethel 0.28 -0.66 1 1.81 -2.23 7 Burlington_VT 0.28 -0.56 1 3.71 +0.13 11 East_Haven 0.01 -0.87 1 3.59 -0.42 11 Island_Pond 0.15 -0.73 1 3.69 -0.38 10 Montpelier 0.18 -0.55 1 1.69 -1.63 9 Morrisville_AG 0.13 -0.78 1 2.70 -1.42 11 Mount_Mansfield 0.26 -1.31 2 6.61 -0.05 14 Northfield 0.28 -0.49 1 1.77 -1.55 6 Pownal 0.12 -0.79 1 2.36 -1.47 9 Rochester 0.20 -0.74 1 1.71 -2.33 8 Rutland_AG 0.36 -0.55 1 2.19 -1.56 7 Sunderland 0.25 -0.62 1 2.20 -1.40 5 Sutton 0.03 -0.85 1 3.76 -0.25 10 Townshend_Lake 0.33 -0.49 1 1.94 -1.56 7 Union_Vill_Dam 0.28 -0.49 1 1.05 -2.20 9 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.09 -0.61 1 1.49 -1.48 8 Boston 0.10 -0.64 1 1.99 -1.01 8 Greenfield 0.27 -0.57 2 1.03 -2.28 5 New_Bedford 0.02 -0.83 2 2.63 -1.11 9 Otis_AFB 0.03 -0.74 1 3.59 +0.49 8 Plymouth 0.31 -0.67 4 3.33 -0.47 13 Walpole 0.08 -0.83 1 2.36 -1.28 7 West_Medway 0.15 -0.76 1 2.88 -0.76 6 Westover 0.02 -0.82 1 2.32 -0.97 11 Worcester 0.06 -0.85 1 0.95 -2.60 9 Worthington 0.09 -0.80 1 1.31 -2.32 4 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.06 -0.78 1 3.66 +0.30 9 Woonsocket 0.05 -0.86 1 4.09 +0.45 7 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.07 -0.84 1 1.95 -1.54 8 Bridgeport 0.02 -0.70 1 4.39 +1.55 11 Hartford_AP 0.01 -0.90 1 3.17 -0.32 8 Norfolk 0.00 -0.99 0 2.09 -2.05 6 Norwich 0.01 -0.90 1 3.03 -0.61 8 Thomaston_Dam 0.02 -0.96 1 4.21 +0.29 10 Willimantic 0.13 -0.78 2 4.26 +0.69 11 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 2001: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Other Agricultural Comments and News CONNECTICUT - Howard Rood (FSA), Fairfield/Litchfield: Weather continues to be very dry. Pasture conditions are poor. Ears on field corn are not completely filled out because of this summer's drought. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Corn silage harvest started in parts of the counties. A beautiful week for making dry hay. Early apple harvest continues where there are apples. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Hot, very dry, parched soil. Field corn rapidly drying down. Chopping has begun in full force. Vegetables in various stages of winding down. Pumpkins are coming. Mums selling. End-of-season flowers with bountiful color. Too dry for fall seedings. Hay looks thirsty. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Weather conditions are dry. Looks like a good year for mums. Apples, peaches, pears are being picked. Some stands have gourds. Producers will be chopping next week. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: Corn looks great, best some farmers have seen for a long time. Beautiful haying weather once the dew dries off the hay. New sweet corn varieties tasting real 'sweet.' MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Grain harvest continues, fungicides being applied to late varieties. More potato vines being desiccated. Lime is being applied to fields where grain has been harvested. A few potatoes being harvested. Potato yields vary considerably from area to area depending on where rain showers fell. Dee Potter (Ext), Northern Aroostook: Some showers midweek. Top killing potatoes. Some harvesting of potatoes and small grains underway. Pastures responding to the rain and cooler weather. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Vine desiccant applications are being sprayed on potatoes. Some farmers have started to harvest their fields. Crops look good. Rain would be welcomed for later varieties. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Crops continue to look very good. There doesn't seem to be too many pests around. There are some aphids and leaf hoppers, spotty in places. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: One and nine-tenths inches of rain in some areas. Grass responded and more green is apparent. Janet King/Jennifer Zweig (FSA), Somerset: Dry conditions still persist, although some localities got some moisture in the form of severe thunderstorms. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Despite some rain, the dry conditions prevail. Corn chopping is in full gear with some fields showing stress from drought and others looking fine. Apple harvest is in full swing. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Some Fall crops being harvested. Weeds are a major problem due to dry weather conditions. One farmer commented that he had never seen his pasture so bad. Conditions are extremely dry. One-half inch of rain fell this past week. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberry crop harvest completed. Lack of moisture and warm temperatures have reduced crop from previous 110.6 million pound average to 65 million pounds, 10 million pounds under the 5-year average. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: Many silage corn producers are out in the fields chopping away. I have had reports from several telling me that the crop is very dry and light. Reports from market gardeners are mixed. Some crops fared ok with the dry weather, others produced nothing. Everything from sweet corn to pumpkins have "paw prints" from the dry weather. Some dairy farmers aren't sure where to find the feed for the cows. What little their land produced has been fed as fast as it was cut. Some corn producers will finish earlier than in past years. They will have more time to prepare for next season. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Still very dry, sunny, and hot. Good for harvest, but bad for crops. U-Pick apple signs are showing up and farm stands are showing off all fall vegetables. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Conditions are very dry; we need rain. Silage corn is being harvested as well as third crop hay. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Dry weather continues with little or no rain in sight. The river valleys have received more moisture than other areas of the county. Apple crop looks of good quality, though somewhat in small in size. Producers have reported shortages on hay harvest due to armyworms and drought. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Silage chopping nearly in full swing, yields seem good. Making hay. Vegetable harvest is growing close to the end. Sweet corn ear worms weren't a problem this year. Some areas had two inches of rain in the last 25 days, crops are dry. Chopping season coming and then we will get heavy rain. Temperature has been down to 37/39 degrees six times lately. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: Cranberry growers will start harvesting this week, a few growers picked some white fruit for the new white cranberry juice last week. Vegetable growers are wrapping up their harvest and most crops are producing record yields. Quahogs still continue to grow slow, but growers are receiving record prices. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: The end of the harvesting is approaching rapidly. The weather has been cooperating this past week. The picking weather has been very pleasant. Silage corn in the southern part of the county is looking up. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Several Stevens beds harvested for white berries. Looks pretty strange to see the berries in such a condition. Everything being readied for the real harvest of red berries to begin in two weeks. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Harvest continues. Corn mazes opening. Corn chopping underway. Fruit crops look good, apples being harvested, peaches winding down. It is getting dry, we could use some rain. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Except for scattered showers on Tuesday, drought conditions continue in Franklin county. Most hay farmers are reporting yield losses as a result of armyworms followed by dry weather. The silage crop still looks okay except for knolls and high ground. The potato harvest continues, with most farmers reporting very good yields. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: It's still very dry. No rain all week. Fall crop yields are reported lower than normal, but have good quality. Applying cover crop on harvested fields. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Bruce Clement (Ext), Cheshire: Silage chopping started this week. Yields are down, but crop is still decent. Occasional showers have helped to green things up a bit, but no significant regrowth of grass. Apples, Fall raspberries, pumpkins, winter squash, and a full array of other vegetables being harvested. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Weather continues to be warm and dry, with increasing concerns over water levels in wells. Losing ground again regarding re-growth of hay and pasture lands. Farmers assessing whether there is enough that's worth cutting. Field corn generally looks quite good; some at dough stage. Some chopping expected to begin shortly. Vine killing of potatoes also about due. Plenty of vegetables at farm stands and markets. Pumpkin and winter squash displays beginning to pop up. Substantially better year for pumpkins and sweet corn than in 2000. Fall mums also being offered at stands and garden centers. Flowering seems earlier. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Dry weather continues to limit growth. Corn ear size is small, and on drier soils there tend to be fewer or no ears present. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Starting McIntosh and Gala apple harvest. Peach, pear, plum and fall raspberry harvest continues. Vegetables: Harvesting wide array of vegetables. Farmers kept busy irrigating crops not harvested and starting to clean up harvested fields. Field Crops: Hay cutting continued. Farmers making new forage seedings. Farmers starting corn silage harvest, many corn fields showing drought stress. Weather: Drought conditions throughout the county with localized thundershowers mid-week and cooler temperatures giving some relief. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Hay is being cut. Second and third cut yields are low due to lack of rain. Small ear size on field corn is a result of drought. No frost reported in Merrimack County. Irrigation necessary on nursery stock, sod, fruits and vegetables. Apple size affected by drought on some sites. Some field corn was cut early. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Rain last week helped remaining crops along. Could use more. Pumpkins being harvested and looking good. Apple picking is in full force. Early signs show a good crop. Lack of rain affected the size of the apples a little. The last of the vegetable harvesting being done. The remaining second and third cut of baled hay being done, as well as the third cut of alfalfa haylage. Harvesting of silage corn has begun. Steve Schmidt (FSA), Grafton: Things are still very dry. The small shower that we received on the 31st of August was too little, too late. Water systems are continuing to fail. Many of the worst fields are showing a tinge of green as a result of the shower; however, there will, in all probability, be little to no yield off the most severely damaged fields this year. Many of these "burned" fields will need re-seeding. There is a shortage of available hay and grass for livestock in the county. Drought emergency funding is available in the county to provide for livestock water at the farm and in pastures, where supplies have become inadequate or gone dry. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Potato harvest going well, some third cut hay being done. Field corn looks great, summer vegetables still strong. Tomatoes, peppers, corn and beans plentiful. Mums and fall decorative items are filling up farm stands. Pastures are showing some signs of stress due to lack of rain, but otherwise the weather has been beautiful. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: A sunny week with temperatures above average during the daylight hours. One overnight was very cold with reported temperatures in the mid-30s. The sugar pumpkins have great color and nice size. Field grown mums are starting to bloom. Apples seem to be maturing a little earlier than normal. Still no corn chopping reported in Rhode Island. The hay crop is extremely poor in quality and quantity. Northern RI farm stands were doing brisk business over this past gorgeous weekend! Many communities hosted festivals which aided the traffic counts, bringing buyers and producers together 'out on the farm.' VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Some areas missed most of last week's needed rain. Those that benefitted from the rain saw crops "perk up" for the first time in awhile. Some started corn silage harvest last week on fields that were looking particularly dry. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Little to no rain this past week has aggravated drought conditions. Farmers are harvesting silage corn. Most all of second cut hay is harvested and half of third cut hay is done. Yields are low county-wide for hay. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: I took my Sunday drive around southern Windham County and the sad fact is that we are still in the dust bowl and farmers are cutting corn at a fever pace to get what moisture they can. Some of the corn harvested has little or no ears. Apple growers say the apples are turning red right before their eyes and they don't understand it with no water. 'All the kids will have pumpkins for Halloween,' reported one of the county's pumpkin producers. They are looking really good with thick shells and good color. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Corn silage harvest proceeding quickly, good dry soil conditions, stalks very dry, ears fully developed. Little regrowth on grass hay. Alfalfa and clover doing better and in full bloom. Most of third cut is finished, newly seeded fields harvested once, four-cut fields of alfalfa regrowth are excellent. Soybeans nearly ready to harvest, some yellow color. Pasture is in good to fair condition. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: Well, it didn't rain as much as was predicted, only 0.65 in. in Franklin county Wednesday, but that's alright - a lot of corn and hay were harvested. Farmers are trying to beat the fall rains. Dust is flying and rain will be needed! Third cut alfalfa is high in quality, but short on quantity. Grass was almost nonexistent, but it's starting to green up with the previous week's rain . All types of field activities going on, this is the season. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Another very dry week here. About a tenth of an inch of rain. Also hot, up near 90 twice. Nothing is growing, some rootworm beetles seen feeding on silage corn. People continuing to run out of water. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. August 2001 Crop Weather Summary: Drought conditions prevailed in New England throughout the month of August. The lack of moisture caused damage to hay crops, which had already been ravaged by severe armyworm infestations in July. Farmers had cut their second hay crops quickly to stay ahead of the armyworm attack in July and as a result, the harvest remained ahead of normal throughout August. Regrowth for third crop hay has been slow, with fair to poor crop ratings as harvest got underway in mid-August. Silage corn harvest was just getting underway at month's end, and the crop was greatly in need of moisture. Potato harvest was active in Rhode Island and Massachusetts during August, with good to fair yields expected. Maine potato growers were irrigating if equipment was available to combat drought conditions; yields were expected to be lighter than normal, but no problems from disease had surfaced as growers prepared for harvest. Maine oat and barley harvest was ahead of normal as of the 26th, and both crops were in excellent to good condition. The harvest of both shade and broadleaf tobacco was nearly complete by the end of the month. Some late planted shade and broadleaf tobacco fields were discovered to be infected with blue mold as the last of the crop was picked, and acreage was destroyed at some locations. Peach harvest was active during August, and apple and pear harvest was getting underway at month's end. Tree fruit size was generally below average due to lack of moisture regionwide. Cranberries in Massachusetts sized up nicely during August; however, damage from fireworm and weevil infestations was expected to reduce crop potential. Maine's wild blueberry harvest neared completion by month's end; the crop suffered great losses from the ill- timed dry weather and yields were much lower than expected on non-irrigated fields. Contact Information To receive this report every Monday evening, send an e-mail message to listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type subscribe usda-new-eng-crop-weather Statisticians: Emily McAllister, Robin Helrich Stat Assistant: Wayne Colpitt Deputy: David Luckenbach New England Agricultural Statistics Service 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 ***********************