new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 09/22/02 Issue NH-CW3802 Volume 22, Number 22 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) September 23, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary SCATTERED SHOWERS WELCOMED For the week ending September 22, 2002, there were 6.0 days suitable for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 16% very poor, 34% poor, 35% fair, 15% good, 0% excellent. Scattered showers fell throughout New England last week, supplying much needed moisture to parched soil. Fruit, vegetable and field crop harvests continued on dry days. Pick-your-own operations and farm stands did good business over the warm weekend. Major farm activities included: harvesting shade tobacco, silage corn, potatoes, oats, barley, apples, peaches, pears and vegetables; applying vine desiccants to potatoes; cutting dry hay and chopping haylage; applying manure. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 22 32 25 Short 35 37 44 Adequate 43 31 28 Surplus 0 0 3 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 32 39 40 Short 33 32 28 Adequate 35 29 29 Surplus 0 0 3 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Second cut hay being wrapped up, with twenty percent of third cut remaining after last week. Some field corn is in milk stage, some in dough stage. Silage corn harvest progressed to 35 percent complete. Maine oat and barley crops have ten percent remaining to be harvested after last week. As Maine potatoes are being harvested, growers are finding that tuber size is larger than expected. Potato crops in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are over half harvested and are reported in good to fair condition. Connecticut shade tobacco harvest is winding down, a couple of weeks behind Massachusetts. Growers are starting to take tobacco out of sheds. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: The harvest of apples, peaches, plums and fall raspberries continued last week. Increased drop of apples has been reported throughout the region, due to previously high winds coupled with rain. The mostly sunny, warm weekend was favorable to pick-your-own customers, and businesses did well. Some dry harvesting of cranberries continued in Massachusetts, but harvest is expected to really pick up next week. VEGETABLES: Cucumbers, beans, cabbage, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, and other summer and fall vegetable crops were harvested last week. Lack of frost has extended vegetable harvest past normal. Fall crops and decorations were good sellers at farm stands during the nice weekend. Sweet corn has a mere five percent left to be harvested and remains in good to fair condition. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME 90 95 85 Good/Excellent Oats, ME 90 90 80 Good/Excellent Potatoes Maine 20 25 20 Good Mass 55 55 65 Good/Fair Rhode Isl 80 85 70 Good/Fair Silage Corn 35 50 35 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 95 95 90 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 99 100 100 Good/Fair Dry Hay Second Cut 99 95 90 Good/Fair Third Cut 80 70 65 Fair --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples 45 40 45 Good/Fair Peaches 95 95 95 Good/Fair Pears 40 45 40 Very Poor/Poor Cranberries,MA <5 15 5 Good/Fair ---------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, September 22, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 31 89 61 +7 0.30 3.55 NH 36 87 64 +9 0.75 2.43 VT 39 86 64 +9 0.68 3.26 MA 44 86 67 +8 0.45 3.53 RI 51 81 68 +6 0.83 1.96 CT 48 83 68 +7 0.55 2.71 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Weather Information Table Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. For the Period: Monday September 16, 2002 To: Sunday September 22, 2002 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 41 82 62 +4 1833 -221 698 -85 Allagash 31 86 57 +6 1291 -27 437 +114 Augusta_State_A 49 80 64 +6 2192 +207 980 +239 Bangor_Intl_Arp 47 79 63 +7 2053 +242 875 +255 Barnard 40 83 60 +7 1718 +168 625 +173 Bath 45 73 62 +4 1805 -58 670 +10 Bethel 43 86 63 +7 1939 +153 769 +173 Brassua_Dam 36 84 59 +7 1499 +214 514 +204 Brunswick_ME 49 74 63 +6 2042 +179 857 +197 Caribou_Municip 37 83 59 +8 1591 +173 589 +211 Corinna 42 83 61 +7 1830 +126 679 +139 Danforth 35 84 60 +6 1549 -102 516 -9 Dover-Foxcroft 41 79 59 +6 1551 +1 515 +63 Durham 44 82 63 +5 1975 -141 804 -32 East_Hiram 45 80 63 +8 1911 +133 735 +145 Eustis 36 85 59 +8 1421 +175 451 +168 Frenchville 35 82 58 +7 1461 +143 539 +216 Gray 50 83 65 +8 2281 +444 1048 +411 Greenville_ME 42 82 60 +6 1681 +118 615 +152 Guilford 37 82 58 +5 1471 -79 466 +14 Hollis 42 82 64 +9 2059 +359 859 +327 Houlton 36 82 60 +8 1631 +149 596 +172 Kennebunkport 46 76 62 +1 1830 -419 686 -243 Livermore_Falls 40 86 63 +10 1991 +471 835 +406 Moosehead 36 89 58 +7 1463 +178 472 +162 New_Sharon 42 81 61 +8 2114 +594 908 +479 Patten 39 82 58 +6 1584 +102 567 +143 Portage 38 84 59 +7 1659 +241 631 +253 Portland_ME 49 80 65 +7 2155 +318 931 +294 Rangeley 40 83 60 +8 1463 +250 457 +193 Sebec_Lake 41 85 61 +7 1703 +140 607 +144 Vanceboro 40 81 60 +5 1633 +46 566 +88 Waterville 47 83 63 +5 2019 -35 840 +57 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 47 81 65 +9 2243 +255 971 +234 Benton 44 78 62 +8 1896 +263 737 +261 Berlin_AG 42 82 62 +8 1820 +179 675 +178 Bethlehem 42 80 61 +7 1675 +44 590 +114 Concord 45 82 67 +11 2448 +460 1160 +423 Diamond_Pond 42 76 60 +9 1290 +197 382 +177 First_Conn_Lake 41 81 59 +9 1289 +196 359 +154 Greenville 40 86 66 +9 2115 +316 903 +319 Keene_AP 46 81 67 +8 2366 +137 1071 +165 Lakeport 46 82 66 +10 2427 +574 1133 +488 Marlow 40 77 63 +5 1792 -227 670 -72 Mount_Washingto 36 64 51 +13 305 +244 14 +14 North_Conway 45 84 64 +8 2237 +397 1007 +374 Otter_Brook_Lk 46 80 66 +7 2195 -34 939 +33 Plymouth 44 81 64 +10 1915 +301 740 +263 Rochester 47 87 67 +8 2378 +242 1095 +252 Weare 50 78 65 +7 2178 +159 930 +188 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 44 82 64 +8 2034 +300 813 +264 Bethel 47 83 66 +11 2127 +480 904 +403 Burlington_Intl 48 81 66 +9 2475 +360 1174 +338 East_Haven 39 80 61 +8 1682 +325 608 +271 Island_Pond 42 76 61 +8 1686 +340 597 +272 Montpelier 45 79 63 +8 1957 +296 767 +256 Morrisville_AG 47 86 66 +11 1763 +106 643 +127 Mount_Mansfield 45 68 56 +9 1053 +347 259 +193 Northfield 43 86 64 +10 1977 +466 772 +350 Pownal 48 78 64 +8 2011 +271 788 +238 Rochester 43 79 64 +9 1969 +322 781 +280 Rutland_AG 45 80 64 +5 2076 -125 853 -31 Sunderland 45 80 64 +6 1944 -165 745 -62 Sutton 43 78 61 +9 1755 +398 641 +304 Townshend_Lake 47 82 66 +9 2247 +158 975 +161 Union_Vill_Dam 45 81 65 +7 2107 +2 898 +77 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 48 79 66 +11 2334 +533 1039 +441 Boston/Logan_In 59 83 70 +7 2977 +391 1572 +385 Greenfield 51 83 69 +8 2555 +157 1209 +182 New_Bedford 49 79 67 +3 2664 +42 1269 +50 Otis_AFB 52 79 67 +7 2550 +423 1198 +352 Plymouth 51 80 66 +6 2544 +364 1205 +318 Walpole 50 81 68 +10 2654 +465 1300 +421 West_Medway 49 84 69 +10 2682 +493 1311 +432 Chicopee/Westov 48 81 69 +6 2813 +60 1424 +116 Worcester 56 79 67 +9 2465 +422 1157 +388 Worthington 45 80 65 +8 2080 +302 861 +290 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 54 81 69 +7 2965 +498 1555 +456 Woonsocket 51 80 67 +8 2628 +472 1269 +432 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 48 78 65 +4 2365 -272 1047 -173 Bridgeport/Siko 58 80 71 +6 3029 +365 1596 +325 Hartford/Bradle 53 83 70 +9 2998 +366 1571 +355 Norfolk 50 80 66 +9 2352 +576 1041 +470 Norwich 53 82 68 +6 2785 +318 1396 +317 Thomaston_Dam 48 82 67 +8 2587 +448 1215 +391 Willimantic 50 80 67 +8 2663 +479 1288 +430 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.89 +0.16 2 1.91 -1.18 7 Allagash 0.30 -0.54 2 2.45 -1.09 8 Augusta_State_A 0.96 +0.23 2 1.91 -0.93 6 Bangor_Intl_Arp 1.03 +0.24 2 1.94 -1.26 10 Barnard 1.64 +0.73 2 2.66 -0.95 9 Bath 1.70 +1.00 2 3.14 +0.31 7 Bethel 1.10 +0.33 4 1.51 -1.74 8 Brassua_Dam 1.03 +0.19 3 2.10 -1.30 9 Brunswick_ME 2.41 +1.71 2 4.32 +1.49 7 Caribou_Municip 0.49 -0.29 3 3.07 -0.29 12 Corinna 1.73 +0.89 2 2.24 -1.25 5 Danforth 1.16 +0.32 2 2.37 -1.12 8 Dover-Foxcroft 0.46 -0.45 3 1.83 -1.78 6 Durham 1.97 +1.27 2 3.23 +0.43 7 East_Hiram 2.95 +2.25 3 4.11 +1.13 8 Eustis 1.68 +0.98 3 2.41 -0.53 7 Frenchville 0.37 -0.47 4 2.74 -0.80 14 Gray 1.81 +1.10 2 3.50 +0.69 6 Greenville_ME 1.39 +0.48 3 2.76 -0.85 10 Guilford 2.01 +1.10 3 3.27 -0.34 12 Hollis 1.74 +0.97 2 3.53 +0.53 6 Houlton 1.09 +0.25 2 3.10 -0.41 9 Kennebunkport 1.89 +1.17 2 3.20 +0.37 6 Livermore_Falls 1.07 +0.23 3 1.75 -1.72 8 Moosehead 1.19 +0.35 3 2.79 -0.61 8 New_Sharon 1.29 +0.45 3 2.07 -1.40 7 Patten 1.04 +0.20 2 2.97 -0.54 8 Portage 0.49 -0.29 3 2.29 -1.07 10 Portland_ME 1.24 +0.53 2 2.81 +0.00 7 Rangeley 1.54 +0.84 3 2.04 -1.06 10 Sebec_Lake 1.45 +0.54 2 2.28 -1.33 8 Vanceboro 1.18 +0.27 2 2.58 -0.98 8 Waterville 0.70 -0.03 2 1.55 -1.54 7 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.52 +0.89 3 2.88 +0.20 8 Benton 2.18 +1.48 3 3.19 +0.05 6 Berlin_AG 1.54 +0.80 2 2.32 -0.96 6 Bethlehem 1.91 +1.21 3 2.90 -0.34 8 Concord 2.03 +1.40 2 3.50 +0.82 7 Diamond_Pond 2.12 +1.21 4 3.94 -0.06 9 First_Conn_Lake 2.27 +1.36 3 3.42 -0.58 5 Greenville 0.80 +0.10 2 2.61 -0.45 4 Keene_AP 1.96 +1.26 2 3.35 +0.38 5 Lakeport 1.54 +0.90 2 2.96 +0.12 6 Marlow 1.30 +0.53 1 2.82 -0.34 4 Mount_Washingto 1.83 +0.14 3 4.44 -2.75 9 North_Conway 1.49 +0.72 3 2.12 -1.16 7 Otter_Brook_Lk 2.43 +1.73 3 3.98 +1.01 10 Plymouth 2.20 +1.50 3 3.19 +0.19 6 Rochester 1.20 +0.44 2 2.41 -0.58 5 Weare 1.46 +0.69 2 2.98 -0.18 6 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.92 +1.05 4 3.65 -0.01 11 Bethel 2.85 +2.01 2 3.65 -0.06 7 Burlington_Intl 1.11 +0.36 2 2.88 -0.40 7 East_Haven 1.33 +0.56 3 3.03 -0.43 8 Island_Pond 2.62 +1.88 3 4.88 +1.43 7 Montpelier 1.75 +1.12 3 2.47 -0.40 8 Morrisville_AG 2.54 +1.77 3 4.22 +0.66 9 Mount_Mansfield 1.58 +0.19 2 8.18 +2.06 11 Northfield 1.39 +0.66 2 2.33 -0.79 6 Pownal 2.76 +1.89 2 4.38 +0.72 7 Rochester 3.26 +2.42 2 4.22 +0.51 6 Rutland_AG 2.19 +1.38 2 3.40 -0.08 4 Sunderland 1.53 +0.74 3 3.03 -0.39 5 Sutton 1.15 +0.38 3 3.10 -0.36 7 Townshend_Lake 1.66 +0.90 2 3.27 +0.04 7 Union_Vill_Dam 2.22 +1.45 3 3.20 +0.08 7 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.98 +0.33 2 2.57 -0.22 9 Boston/Logan_In 0.45 -0.25 2 2.60 -0.31 8 Greenfield 1.16 +0.39 2 3.26 +0.05 9 New_Bedford 1.14 +0.37 3 2.79 -0.58 10 Otis_AFB 0.88 +0.11 2 2.72 -0.38 8 Plymouth 0.62 -0.34 3 2.75 -1.15 11 Walpole 1.72 +0.88 2 3.55 +0.02 7 West_Medway 1.14 +0.30 2 3.53 +0.00 8 Chicopee/Westov 1.07 +0.23 3 2.48 -0.88 7 Worcester 0.91 -0.03 2 2.80 -0.87 8 Worthington 1.31 +0.47 3 3.59 +0.10 10 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 1.96 +1.16 2 3.78 +0.46 8 Woonsocket 1.50 +0.62 2 3.97 +0.36 7 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.63 -0.25 2 2.59 -1.00 7 Bridgeport/Siko 1.82 +1.12 2 6.40 +3.53 8 Hartford/Bradle 0.55 -0.33 2 2.52 -1.07 7 Norfolk 1.61 +0.65 3 3.86 -0.13 8 Norwich 2.71 +1.80 2 7.67 +4.03 8 Thomaston_Dam 0.55 -0.36 2 3.17 -0.65 9 Willimantic 1.42 +0.49 2 3.81 +0.15 8 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 2002: 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: Farmers are starting to cut field corn. Early corn harvest looks good. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Corn silage harvest continues with some finished. Some dry hay taken in. Vegetable harvest continues and apple harvest in full swing. Some tobacco ready to be taken down. Sowing rye seed for cover crop. 'Celebrating Agriculture' in Woodstock had a great day and super turn out on Saturday the 21st. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: One-third of silage corn and apple crop harvested. Chopping grass. Peaches almost done. Pumpkins and vegetables being harvested. Unusual mac drop, apples are smaller. Fall bringing leaves tumbling down as harvest approaches its end. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Humid weather continues with cool, dewy nights. Apples being picked and silage chopping continues. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Potato harvest has begun in earnest. Good soil conditions for harvesting with sufficient soil moisture to carry soil in harvesting equipment. Vine desiccation continues, also last of small grains being harvested. Some growers have chosen to let late season varieties grow a little longer than usual to get maximum tuber size. Crop quality is very good with tuber size a little larger than expected. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Harvesting continues for small grains. Harvesting of potatoes has begun full swing. The scattered showers lately are welcomed. Crops are looking good. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Two inches of rain last Monday was welcomed. It did slow harvest down. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Corn silage harvesting has started. Sweet corn harvest is about at the end. Vegetable farms have started harvesting their pumpkins and winter squash. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Corn harvest continues. Rain again on Sunday night helping to keep the dust down. Apples in good shape. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Pumpkin, squash and corn stalks for sale at roadside stands. Harvest of silage corn has begun. Eighty-degree weather over the weekend, great for working outdoors! Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: It has been a good week for harvesting. I've seen some of the silage corn and it runs from terrible to pretty good. It appears as if there is more of the marginal silage than the good silage. A late surge of summer-like weather will bring out the "pick your own" folks and those that enjoy the market garden atmosphere. We see some schools taking students to the apple orchard and barnyard for visits. Everything helps and the students get a sense of the farming community. Soon they will be out in the pumpkin patch. I've also seen manure spreading pick up as the fields are harvested and prepared to go again next year. At least the dry weather is good for field work. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Weekend showers are good for the crops, but bad for u-pick operations. Still harvesting apples, corn, pumpkins, and some hay. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Harvest is in full swing. Pastures have improved some. Ground water keeps dropping. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Sunday and Monday's rain did little to relieve the dry conditions. Silage and potato harvest in full swing. Farm stands are an array of fall colors with pumpkins, squash, and mums displayed. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Harvesting corn going in high gear. Sweet corn nearly done as well as some veggies. Tomatoes slow to turn red. Still meat is some sweet corn, no known problems in other crops. Some light showers twice this week; no mud for the corn harvesting yet. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Third cutting of hay underway. Some areas won't get a third cutting. Some areas of field corn looking good, in others it's not quite as good as past years. Considering the lack of rain when needed most, it is holding its own. Sweet corn is nearing completion. In some areas, the sweet corn has not fully matured. Harvesting of most vegetables is coming to an end. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: A little dry harvesting in places, but the real fall harvest begins this week. As I write this on Monday morning (9/23), a nice rain is falling. This will certainly help to bolster the water supplies, a major concern for many growers. We have not had a single frost night so far! Nonetheless, color looks good at this point. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Fall crop harvest continues. Silage harvesting is going at a rapid pace. Pumpkin and hard squash are also being harvested at this time. Apples and peaches, as well as pears look good right now. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Two rainy nights caused tobacco damps so a few farmers took down tobacco to get ready to bundle. All farm stands have a great display of fall crops for sale. Dairy farmers are harvesting silage corn and vegetable growers are harvesting all their fall crops. Gary Guida, Worcester: Finished picking last of sweet corn this weekend. Harvesting of pumpkins, gourds, winter squash and tomatoes continuing. Big pumpkins and fall decorations good sellers this week along with - surprise - perennials! Hot weather has been slowing sales of mums. No appreciable rain, as my well has run out for the 6th time this year. Local fruit sales good. Harvest season coming to a close. Happy fall!? What we need is a merciful killing frost to end this awful season. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Harvesting McIntosh and Gala apples, plums, fall raspberries, pumpkins, and winter squash this week. Large amount of dropped apples this year. Tomato and pepper harvests winding down. Cover crops are being planted with hopes of rain for germination. Third cutting of hay continues. Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Recent rains have brought a bit of green to pastures and lawns. Some corn silage fields have spotty drought damage, some have just slightly reduced yields. All in all, harvest is going well and most corn looks good. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Most farms growing field corn are busy chopping - maturity is about « milk line. Areas showing severe drought stress are relatively small, but many farms are noticing somewhat lower yields. Haying continues with favorable weather. Orchards are busy with PYO and harvesting. Lack of frost has enabled vegetable growers to continue harvesting tomatoes, beans, and corn considerably later than normal. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Corn silage harvest begins in southern half of Coos County and Canada Geese are back. Generally nice weather for fieldwork. Last of second cut hay being put up. Heavy rains at weekend. Pumpkins and sweet corn available from local farms. Having looked at more corn fields this week, would say a lot still in milk stage. Could use more time to reach soft dough. Hoppers in one alfalfa field planted this spring in high numbers. Seeing curly top in corn fields under water this spring, very spotty but attention getting. Crop insurance agents out checking corn maturity. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn silage harvest moving quickly. Quality varies from poor to good. Much of the corn affected by dry weather in August. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Apple harvest continues with most growers concentrating on McIntosh and Gala apples - second picking, and Cortland and Macoun apples - first picking. Fall raspberry and pear harvest continued, along with peaches and plums. Blueberry harvest is nearly completed. Pick-your-own apple operations had a wonderful weekend. Vegetables: Harvesting wide array of summer and fall vegetable crops. Farmers kept busy irrigating crops not harvested and starting to clean up harvested fields. Pumpkin crop and winter squash yields vary from field to field and within a given field. Good demand for all vegetables continues. Field Crops: Hay cutting continued, along with making haylage. Farmers continuing corn silage harvest. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Some rain this week with cooler temperatures has improved conditions slightly. Silage corn harvesting continues with varying yields due to too much rain in the spring and then the drought. Apple picking is continuing with reports of apple size smaller than normal. Spreading of manure is ongoing as the corn comes off. Same with hay fields as the final cutting is being completed. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Potato harvest continues amid clouds of dust, crop is definitely down. Sweet corn, pumpkins, gourds, squash and cabbage being harvested. Raspberries and peaches look better than you would think, however the peaches are smaller. Some rain at the beginning of the week helped, but not enough to save some of the summer crops. Field corn being chopped, the crop is definitely shorter, total yields remain to be seen. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Apple harvest is well underway. Cider making is up and running now that there are a variety of apple types. Strong winds mixed with rain knocked many first quality apples to the ground. The apples split open from rapid growth before the windstorm. They are unmarketable, even for cider! Pumpkins aren't curing well in this wet weather. At farm stands, decorative items are as popular as edible ones. Painted squash are a new hot item with the old standbys of corn stalks, gourds and pumpkins. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Corn silage harvest is progressing nicely. Growing conditions remain generally favorable for this time of year. Haven't come even close to frost yet and the weather looks good for at least another week. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Corn silage harvest now in full swing. Some farms waited for moisture levels of the corn to drop. Another good rain on Sunday will help keep the dust down. No frost yet, which is late for this area. Trees are starting to turn in the higher elevations. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Farmers have begun to chop corn. Conditions are still dry which makes chopping corn easier. Corn crop overall looks good. Ears are in the dough stage. Most of third crop hay has been harvested. Hay quality appears to be good but quantity is low. Two days of rain showers have helped ease the drought, but it is still really dry. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: Another dusty week in Windham County. We received more moisture from the fog than we did from rain. Corn harvest is in full swing and it looks like the yields will be OK. Apple producers are reporting that the crop is smaller in size than in past years and the color is late developing. They also report that the overall production is not as bad as had been predicted. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Corn silage harvest. Immature ears and dry stalks. Some manure spread on harvested land. Richard Noel, Franklin/Grand Isle: Excellent week to harvest corn silage. First planted corn ready to harvest, but 2nd planted, 1st week of July, still in milk stage. But farmers missed the frost on the full moon, so they're good until the next moon hopefully! On some farms with heavy soils corn looks pretty poor. Grasses are doing better with last week's rain. All sorts of field work going on, conditions are good for working in the fields. Time to get wood in the wood shed - winter's coming! Chris Benedict (Ext), Chittenden: This past week was good overall. We had good, prolonged periods of rain with good sunshine. It is the middle of picking season with good quality apples coming off the trees. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Still seeding winter rye, digging potatoes and picking good sweet corn from late varieties. Local farmers chopping corn. Frosts holding off good, but watch out for the full moon. Received 1.672 inches of rain. "New gauge works great." Crops left benefitted a lot from it. Still picking summer squash and cukes. Lots of tomatoes and cole crops. Winter squash and pumpkins ripening now and we have them in the market. Late cabbage looks good. Have a nice week. 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 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 ***********************