State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 06/02/02 Issue NH-CW2202 Volume 22, Number 6 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) June 3, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary THUNDERSTORMS AND FROST HIT NEW ENGLAND For the week ending June 2, 2002, there were 5.5 days suitable for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 1% very short, 14% short, 73% adequate, 12% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 5% very short, 25% short, 68% adequate, 2% surplus. Pasture condition was rated as 0% very poor, 3% poor, 13% fair, 72% good, 12% excellent. Warm, dry conditions prevailed at the beginning of the week, but then wet weather arrived and interrupted planting. Once again heavy frost hit parts of New England, damaging fruit crops in particular. Near week's end, hail from thunderstorms caused localized damage. Germination has improved with warmer weather. Major farm activities included: planting field corn, vegetables, sweet corn, tobacco, potatoes, oats and barley; harvesting spinach, asparagus and rhubarb; cutting hay; spreading manure; applying fertilizer; liming and disking fields; irrigating orchards and cranberry bogs for frost protection. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 1 1 3 Short 14 8 12 Adequate 73 80 64 Surplus 12 11 21 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 5 5 0 Short 25 22 27 Adequate 68 69 64 Surplus 2 4 9 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Harvest of first cut haylage and dry hay is now well underway throughout the region. Favorable weather at the start of the week allowed Maine farmers to make good progress with planting potatoes, oats and barley. Emergence of potatoes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island is now past the half-way mark. Farmers continued to plant field corn when the weather permitted. Tobacco growers set their plants out in the fields last week; broadleaf transplanting is about on schedule, while shade transplanting is well behind both last year and normal. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Frost damage to fruit crops has been observed throughout the region, as well as localized damage caused by hail that arrived with last week's thunderstorms. Strawberries, cranberries and fruit tree crops were affected by the harsh weather conditions. Peaches and pears are both in petal fall stage, with apples not too far behind. Wild blueberry growers applied sprays to control spanworm populations; blight has also been a problem this spring due to the recent wet conditions. Frost damage occurred to some cranberry beds in Massachusetts last week. Cranberry weevil counts are high in some areas. VEGETABLES: The planting of sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and other vegetables was active during the week. Warmer weather arrived for at least part of the week, improving germination in vegetable fields. Some progress was made with the planting of sweet corn, and the crop was 35 percent emerged as of June 2. Asparagus, spinach, and rhubarb were harvested during the week. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- Crop 2002 2001 5-yr Avg %Emrg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Planted -- Barley, ME 90 99 85 45 Good Oats, ME 90 99 85 40 Good Potatoes Maine 85 95 80 <5 Excellent/Good Mass 95 95 99 55 Good Rhode Isl 100 100 95 70 Excellent/Good Silage Corn 70 90 75 30 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 65 75 65 35 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 55 85 85 -- Good Broadleaf 30 30 35 -- Good/Fair Dry Hay -- Percent Harvested -- First Cut 20 10 20 -- Good --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage Fruit Set Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples PF/FB Avg/B.Avg Fair/Good Peaches PF B.Avg/Avg Fair Pears PF B.Avg/Avg Poor/Fair Blueberries Highbush FB Avg Good/Fair Wild, ME FB/EB Avg Fair/Good Cranberries,MA Bud -- Good Strawberries FB/PF B.Avg/Avg Fair/Good ---------------------------------------------------------- * PF = Petal Fall, FB = Full Bloom, EB = Early Bloom Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, June 2, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 32 86 61 +5 0.00 2.40 NH 32 86 64 +6 0.59 3.30 VT 34 86 64 +7 0.26 3.63 MA 46 87 66 +6 0.19 2.42 RI 52 85 65 +6 0.33 0.64 CT 49 88 67 +5 0.34 2.30 ---------------------------------------------- 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 May 27, 2002 To: Sunday June 2, 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 79 62 +2 182 -43 22 -6 Allagash 32 81 57 +3 75 -16 19 +19 Augusta_ME 45 81 64 +5 220 +20 39 +17 Bangor 40 80 60 +3 170 +13 19 +7 Barnard 37 80 61 +5 145 +24 17 +9 Bath 41 83 61 +3 154 +3 21 +11 Bethel 37 82 62 +5 201 +32 35 +19 Brassua_Dam 35 77 58 +4 79 +5 5 +5 Brunswick_ME 43 84 61 +4 176 +25 24 +14 Caribou 43 79 60 +4 122 +4 21 +12 Corinna 40 83 63 +6 197 +38 36 +23 Danforth 32 79 60 +4 124 -1 17 +9 Dover-Foxcroft 34 77 58 +3 99 -22 6 -2 Durham 42 82 63 +3 196 -11 40 +20 East_Hiram 45 82 64 +6 226 +57 48 +33 Eustis 35 79 59 +5 108 +27 9 +9 Frenchville 41 78 58 +4 93 +2 20 +20 Gray 40 82 63 +6 226 +81 45 +39 Greenville_ME 42 76 61 +5 137 +5 26 +15 Guilford 38 77 59 +3 102 -19 5 -3 Hollis 46 84 65 +8 251 +111 57 +51 Houlton 35 79 61 +6 157 +37 28 +18 Kennebunkport 47 85 61 +0 172 -68 27 +1 Livermore_Falls 38 83 62 +6 177 +55 31 +23 Moosehead 35 80 59 +5 100 +26 6 +6 New_Sharon 41 82 64 +8 222 +100 42 +34 Patten 38 77 58 +3 90 -30 6 -4 Portage 42 79 59 +4 104 -14 19 +10 Portland_ME 46 83 62 +5 202 +57 27 +21 Rangeley 36 78 59 +6 94 +18 10 +10 Sebec_Lake 37 81 61 +5 138 +6 15 +4 Vanceboro 38 76 60 +4 120 +10 13 +10 Waterville 43 80 63 +3 182 -43 30 +2 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 50 86 66 +7 289 +68 67 +36 Benton 42 85 64 +7 225 +36 63 +40 Berlin_AG 41 81 63 +7 198 +31 37 +18 Bethlehem 39 79 63 +5 185 -2 40 +17 Concord 48 84 67 +8 358 +137 117 +86 Diamond_Pond 34 76 59 +6 100 +24 10 +10 First_Conn_Lake 36 77 59 +6 92 +16 9 +9 Greenville 48 80 64 +6 279 +75 60 +34 Keene_AP 50 82 66 +5 355 +61 111 +54 Lakeport 50 83 67 +9 308 +118 84 +60 Marlow 47 82 65 +5 245 -7 64 +22 Mt_Washington 34 55 46 +7 2 +2 0 +0 North_Conway 46 82 66 +7 256 +62 67 +42 Otter_Brook_Lk 50 82 66 +5 297 +3 84 +27 Plymouth 40 81 64 +7 222 +69 53 +38 Rochester 49 85 67 +7 318 +64 88 +46 Weare 42 80 64 +4 282 +30 71 +29 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 45 81 65 +8 274 +85 75 +52 Bethel 36 84 66 +9 270 +102 82 +63 Burlington_VT 41 81 68 +7 331 +63 112 +61 East_Haven 38 81 62 +8 168 +49 38 +27 Island_Pond 34 78 62 +8 178 +57 42 +31 Montpelier 37 78 64 +7 256 +72 79 +57 Morrisville_AG 34 80 61 +4 171 +2 38 +19 Mount_Mansfield 34 78 56 +6 101 +62 14 +14 Northfield 36 81 64 +8 241 +95 62 +47 Pownal 44 80 64 +6 260 +65 70 +43 Rochester 39 86 64 +7 217 +49 61 +42 Rutland_AG 38 82 65 +4 262 -45 73 +6 Sunderland 40 79 63 +2 236 -53 58 +3 Sutton 38 80 63 +8 189 +70 46 +35 Townshend_Lake 45 82 66 +6 308 +61 89 +46 Union_Vill_Dam 41 85 66 +6 252 -6 73 +27 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 50 80 66 +8 324 +143 90 +72 Boston 54 86 68 +6 450 +127 134 +89 Greenfield 48 85 66 +4 375 +49 110 +51 New_Bedford 55 82 66 +5 404 +82 101 +57 Otis_AFB 52 77 66 +7 335 +145 70 +55 Plymouth 54 81 67 +7 358 +148 95 +75 Walpole 51 84 67 +6 407 +151 129 +94 West_Medway 49 83 68 +7 426 +170 135 +100 Westover 55 86 69 +6 471 +55 170 +79 Worcester 54 81 66 +7 353 +129 102 +76 Worthington 47 80 64 +7 285 +95 79 +56 RHODE ISLAND Providence 56 84 67 +7 436 +149 125 +87 Woonsocket 52 85 68 +8 409 +157 130 +102 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 50 84 66 +2 365 -28 113 +26 Bridgeport 56 80 66 +4 437 +99 117 +51 Hartford_AP 55 88 69 +6 506 +120 183 +99 Norfolk 49 83 66 +8 329 +143 97 +77 Norwich 52 85 68 +6 430 +91 137 +73 Thomaston_Dam 50 84 68 +8 405 +133 131 +88 Willimantic 52 85 67 +7 432 +159 144 +102 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.48 -0.36 2 2.81 -0.55 8 Allagash 0.64 -0.06 4 2.07 -0.76 14 Augusta_ME 0.35 -0.49 1 2.97 -0.44 9 Bangor 0.29 -0.50 3 1.97 -1.28 9 Barnard 0.77 -0.07 4 2.49 -0.77 11 Bath 0.69 -0.15 3 3.87 +0.54 10 Bethel 0.68 -0.19 3 3.60 +0.26 10 Brassua_Dam 2.40 +1.56 5 4.07 +0.92 12 Brunswick_ME 0.85 +0.01 3 3.85 +0.52 11 Caribou 0.62 -0.08 5 3.30 +0.50 17 Corinna 0.37 -0.47 2 2.68 -0.54 10 Danforth 0.66 -0.19 3 2.93 -0.44 12 Dover-Foxcroft 0.35 -0.49 2 1.52 -1.74 8 Durham 0.50 -0.34 2 3.48 +0.20 7 East_Hiram 0.75 -0.11 2 4.05 +0.64 9 Eustis 1.33 +0.56 3 2.78 -0.22 11 Frenchville 1.39 +0.69 5 3.50 +0.67 17 Gray 0.51 -0.26 2 3.67 +0.47 8 Greenville_ME 1.27 +0.43 5 3.01 -0.25 15 Guilford 0.99 +0.15 5 2.94 -0.32 15 Hollis 0.71 -0.13 3 4.73 +1.34 10 Houlton 1.20 +0.43 4 3.32 +0.26 15 Kennebunkport 0.87 +0.01 5 5.09 +1.59 13 Livermore_Falls 0.99 +0.08 2 3.88 +0.45 10 Moosehead 1.61 +0.77 4 3.31 +0.16 14 New_Sharon 0.80 -0.11 3 3.56 +0.13 11 Patten 1.36 +0.59 4 3.45 +0.39 13 Portage 0.84 +0.14 5 2.20 -0.60 17 Portland_ME 0.60 -0.17 2 3.85 +0.65 8 Rangeley 1.35 +0.53 4 3.65 +0.64 12 Sebec_Lake 0.84 +0.00 4 2.50 -0.76 11 Vanceboro 0.83 +0.06 3 2.85 -0.40 13 Waterville 0.40 -0.44 1 3.39 +0.03 10 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.13 +0.39 6 4.46 +1.62 13 Benton 1.12 +0.28 6 3.69 +0.53 17 Berlin_AG 1.10 +0.21 4 4.03 +0.75 15 Bethlehem 0.82 -0.02 5 3.86 +0.81 17 Concord 0.70 -0.04 5 3.64 +0.80 13 Diamond_Pond 3.30 +2.31 4 5.97 +2.31 16 First_Conn_Lake 2.11 +1.12 3 4.78 +1.12 15 Greenville 0.83 -0.06 3 5.50 +2.08 10 Keene_AP 1.67 +0.80 5 4.35 +0.92 14 Lakeport 0.74 -0.10 3 4.10 +0.82 11 Marlow 0.88 -0.03 6 3.92 +0.25 16 Mt_Washington 1.16 -0.59 5 7.44 +0.65 19 North_Conway 0.85 -0.06 3 3.92 +0.29 11 Otter_Brook_Lk 2.49 +1.62 6 5.78 +2.35 14 Plymouth 0.59 -0.31 3 3.49 -0.14 12 Rochester 0.98 +0.14 4 4.51 +1.04 10 Weare 2.15 +1.24 4 5.47 +1.80 10 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.17 +0.12 4 5.61 +1.47 13 Bethel 0.80 -0.16 2 3.84 -0.06 9 Burlington_VT 0.71 -0.05 4 3.33 +0.47 12 East_Haven 2.22 +1.30 5 6.13 +2.77 17 Island_Pond 2.44 +1.50 5 5.24 +1.80 18 Montpelier 0.33 -0.48 4 2.93 -0.09 15 Morrisville_AG 0.66 -0.23 4 3.77 +0.45 15 Mount_Mansfield 1.34 -0.05 4 8.57 +3.47 18 Northfield 0.38 -0.39 3 3.79 +0.63 11 Pownal 3.63 +2.58 7 7.48 +3.34 19 Rochester 1.30 +0.34 4 5.20 +1.30 13 Rutland_AG 1.39 +0.57 4 4.43 +1.24 14 Sunderland 2.22 +1.38 6 6.04 +2.78 17 Sutton 2.45 +1.53 5 5.36 +2.00 17 Townshend_Lake 0.96 +0.19 5 5.09 +1.89 15 Union_Vill_Dam 0.50 -0.29 5 3.33 +0.10 17 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.95 +0.13 5 4.73 +1.53 12 Boston 1.03 +0.32 3 4.69 +1.79 10 Greenfield 1.65 +0.74 6 5.70 +2.17 17 New_Bedford 1.58 +0.74 3 5.68 +2.36 9 Otis_AFB 0.61 -0.18 3 3.97 +0.66 8 Plymouth 1.03 +0.19 3 5.16 +1.64 11 Walpole 1.25 +0.46 4 5.74 +2.63 12 West_Medway 1.01 +0.22 4 5.69 +2.58 10 Westover 0.75 -0.23 6 4.10 +0.36 15 Worcester 1.56 +0.60 6 5.07 +1.17 13 Worthington 2.42 +1.44 6 6.72 +2.59 17 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.44 -0.37 3 4.50 +1.15 11 Woonsocket 0.64 -0.27 3 5.16 +1.51 10 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 2.30 +1.39 3 6.38 +2.65 10 Bridgeport 0.69 -0.15 3 4.42 +0.90 11 Hartford_AP 1.74 +0.83 4 4.86 +1.13 12 Norfolk 0.96 -0.09 4 4.50 +0.36 11 Norwich 0.97 +0.08 2 4.94 +0.99 8 Thomaston_Dam 1.41 +0.43 3 5.09 +1.10 13 Willimantic 0.89 -0.02 4 4.69 +0.93 12 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: Heavy frosts during the week may have damaged fruit tree crops and strawberry production. Violent hail storms at the end of the week caused some damage to fruit crops. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Most have finished planting field corn and starting to chop grass. A few made dry hay on Sunday (6/2). Sweet corn pushing up row cover. New forage seedings taking off. Scattered hail with thunderstorms Friday evening. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Planting corn and vegetables, cutting hay, and fixing equipment to keep planting and harvest going. Light rains made some fields slick, but still very dry subsoil conditions. Bedding and vegetable plants selling well. Wild turkey and crows in corn fields nibbling on insects or seeds? Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Hot, humid weather brought up the corn. Rain intermittently, then severe thunderstorms on Friday night. First cutting of hay is in the process along with scouting fields. Warm weather will help sell bedding plants. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: Pastures growing quickly, with animals rotating from paddock to paddock to keep up with growth. First cutting orchard grass has headed, with quality appropriate for lower producing animals. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Rainy weather during the latter part of the week prolonged the planting process with a few growers needing two to three more days to finish. Growers who have completed planting are getting ready for herbicide applications. Due to cold soil temperatures, potatoes are slow to emerge. Seed in the ground looks good. Small grains look very good. Frost predicted for tonight, June 2. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: The beginning of the week was good planting weather. Farmers were able to plant several acres. Some farmers are done planting, while others need a few more warm days to finish. If the chillier weather continues, emergence will be slow. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Farmers were able to work in the fields Monday through Wednesday. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Very windy weather for good pollination. Petals blew off fruit trees early. Janet King (FSA), Somerset: Spring is slow in coming. Planting of corn, oats, potatoes and home gardens continues. Need rain (still very dry) and some more warm days. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Good weather continues with only two days of rain. Corn is starting to finally come out of the ground. Some farms almost completed first cutting of grass, while others have yet to begin. Cold rainy Sunday. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: We had a good week for field work. A good portion of silage and sweet corn has been planted. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Cool weather delaying bloom on many clones, so pollination is expected to be uneven. Spanworm at large instar stage with small instars emerging and are wide-spread on the blueberry barrens. Insecticide applications being applied to control the outbreak. Blight symptoms from mummyberry disease severe on many fields despite fungicide applications; the wet weather provided for a long infection period. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: The mad rush has been on all week. Planting is going full speed ahead. Some producers are still spreading manure. Animals have been turned out on green grass. Weather has been good all week. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: In spite of the cold, most crops are progressing well. Last week's frost destroyed not only strawberry blossoms but some plants as well. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: This week was warm and windy! Farmers were busy getting crops in the ground and starting to cut haylage. Manure is being spread and gardens are being planted with a flurry! Orchards are being mowed and spray activities are the norm. Friday's storm of high winds damaged buildings and left trees down. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Another wet, cold week. A few dry fields were planted to corn. Some haylage (both round bales with plastic covers and silage in long plastic bags) harvested. Chemicals were getting washed off and more has to be sprayed. Over two inches of rain this week and high winds, blowing away dandelion blossoms. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Lots of pre-hook and hook means that open blossoms will be seen this upcoming week. Some evidence of frost injury last week in some beds. Sprays going out primarily for fireworm, but cranberry weevil counts are off the chart in some spots. Major growth of weeds this past week. Good dose of rain Friday evening. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Farmers continue to plant, some hay being made. Rhubarb being harvested along with asparagus. Re-planting of frost damaged crops. Weather was warmer last week, crops beginning to grow. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: People are cutting haylage and straw. Weather too unpredictable to cut baled hay. Corn emerging with warmer weather. Apple crop looks very poor because of late freeze. Asparagus crop has recovered from two periods of hard freeze. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Dairy farmers were harvesting hay and planting corn silage. Vegetable growers were planting cucumbers, winter squash, tomatoes, peppers and many other summer crops. Harvesting rhubarb and asparagus. Tobacco growers started setting their plants out in the fields. The bedding plant and flower growers reported a great sales week. Gary Guida, Worcester: Sweet corn planted on May 7 finally emerged. Transplanting summer crops to fields. Another busy sales week with annual, perennial and vegetable plants selling out. Fruit trees here all without fruit, strawberries were in flower when frost hit - many black ones now. Surprise thunderstorm hit on Sunday when farmers were working hay fields. Still plowing fields. I'm about three weeks behind. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Almost all fields have dried enough for planting. Things are about one week behind due to wet field conditions. All frost sensitive crops are being planted. High winds have shredded some spun-bonded row covers over corn. Farm stand and garden center sales are steady. Several reports of frost killed king berries of strawberry plantings. Spraying for apple scab and plum curcilio. Pastures green and wet. Bruce Clement (Ext), Cheshire: Heavy thundershowers three nights this week limited haylage and hay making. Soils are warming up. Germination has improved. Crops are about 10-14 days behind usual. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Generally good weather for field work early in week with soaking rains by weekend. Still cool temperatures. Field corn looks to be all in at this point, latest seen in a number of years. Some first cut hay being taken for haylage. Beginning to see some growth in early season vegetables. Bee hives being moved to apple orchards and highbush blueberries. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn planting and first cutting continue between rain events. Grasses continue to flower (head out), but alfalfa just beginning to bud. Excellent quality along with good yields on improved fields. Weather making it more difficult to dry hay. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Weather: Rain on and off for most of the week, along with windy conditions. Thunderstorms on Friday and Sunday produced hail, causing some damage in localized areas. Fruit: Orchardists deciding whether or not to apply thinning sprays to apple orchards. Apple bloom is almost completed. Fruit growers applying sprays for pest control, but is difficult due to windy conditions. Field crops: Planting and weed spraying corn fields. Some farmers starting to make haylage, but is difficult due to wet weather. Vegetables: Finished plowing, disking and fertilizing fields. Planting vegetables and laying plastic mulch and drip irrigation. Planting tomato transplants in fields, harvesting asparagus, rhubarb and spinach. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Relatively warmer week highlighted by very strong winds, torrential rains and hail on Friday. Scattered showers on Saturday evening and Sunday. A good soaking rain is needed. Harvesting strawberries grown under plastic. Liming, fertilizing and disking vegetable fields. Planting a whole array of vegetables. Weeding and cultivating vegetable fields. Spraying protective fungicides in orchards. Preparing and planting corn fields. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Some vine crops being planted and struggling to get some hay in. Potatoes just love this weather; cool nights and some rain. Winds don't seem to be letting up. Planting sweet corn and some summer crops. Strawberries are looking near ready. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Warm weather this week is helping the potato crop. Rains earlier in the season caused some washouts. Fertilizing with nitrogen to compensate for leaching. Weather damage reports from berry producers keep arriving. Mowing activities taking place in orchards and fields. Manure is selling well when advertised for homeowner use! Farmers markets were busy over the weekend selling vegetable and flower seedlings. The weather was "farmer friendly" this past week. Hopefully that will continue! VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Never seen grass grow so fast as it did last week. Easily doubled in height. First cut harvest also started last week. Corn planting made good progress last week. The month of May brought over five inches of rain to northern areas. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Haylage harvesting started during the week. Early reports showed yield below normal for the calendar date. Rainfall and high temperatures increased the yield during the last couple of days. Early report of armyworms found underneath stored round bales. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Landowners were planting corn last week. Most farms have completed planting. Some corn has emerged and looks good. A few farms have begun first cut of hay. A lot of rain over the weekend will help soil moisture levels. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: We have received about two inches of rain over the past week in heavy thunderstorms that rolled through late last week. Farmers are trying to cut haylage, but everyday showers has slowed that progress. Apple producers have had large amounts of frost damage to their crops - some are reporting more than 60% loss. Sweet corn growers report everything looks good. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Planting corn, harvesting first hay crop. Rain again. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: A wild week in Franklin County. There was four inches of rain in Sheldon, two inches in Highgate and hardly any in Fairfax as of Thursday night. Heavy erosion and washouts acquired. Planting and crop work has come to a halt in some areas, some fields have standing water in them! Some mowing of hay happening on drier ground. We need some sunshine to bring things along. Weather is still pretty cool. Rain in May means barnful of hay, but you have to be able to get it in the barn! Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: It has finally warmed up. Grass is really growing. Most of the corn is in, I have not seen any up yet. Heavy scattered thundershowers on Friday and Saturday. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Still planting late varieties of sweet corn. Many of the vine crops planted last week. Germination on all crops much better with warm weather. Peas look real good. All small vegetables beginning to show in the rows. Warm weather gave a big boost to asparagus, now back to good normal daily cutting. Rhubarb doing great. Just a few very light showers last week. Have a good 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 ***********************