Week ending date 05/05/02 Issue NH-CW1802 Volume 22, Number 2 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) May 6, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary COOL, WET CONDITIONS DELAY SPRING PLANTING For the week ending May 5, 2002, there were 4.8 days available for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 3% very short, 9% short, 82% adequate, 6% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 9% very short, 25% short, 65% adequate, 1% surplus. Pasture condition was rated as 3% very poor, 13% poor, 23% fair, 54% good, 7% excellent. Cool, rainy weather prevailed last week, delaying most field activities in New England. Reports of frost damage to early fruit and vegetable crops have surfaced. Major farm activities included: planting field corn, early vegetables, sweet corn, potatoes and berries; spreading manure; seeding; applying fertilizer; disking; plowing and harrowing; laying plastic; fixing fences; and setting up irrigation systems for frost protection. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 3 4 21 Short 9 12 38 Adequate 82 74 38 Surplus 6 10 3 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 9 11 16 Short 25 32 16 Adequate 65 51 66 Surplus 1 6 2 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Field and sweet corn were planted on the days when weather allowed field activities. Potato planting in Rhode Island remains well ahead of last year and normal, and some of the crop has already emerged. Massachusetts potatoes continued to be planted last week, and Maine farmers are gearing up for their planting. Maine oat and barley growers are just getting started planting their crops; planting should pick up once fields have had a chance to dry out. Silage corn planting is behind last year and normal. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Fruit trees, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries were planted last week. Apple growers pruned and sprayed orchards, and monitored for disease and insects. Frost caused damage to some fruit crops. Pruning of wild blueberry fields in Maine was about finished last week, and growers continued to apply pre- emergence herbicide and fungicide for mummyberry disease. Massachusetts cranberry growers also applied herbicides and fungicides last week. VEGETABLES: Planting of early sweet corn, peas, onions, carrots, beans, lettuce and cabbage continued. Asparagus, fiddleheads and spinach are being harvested. Frost last week damaged some crops of sweet corn. Tomatoes continue to be transplanted into high tunnels. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- Crop 2002 2001 5-yr Avg %Emrg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Planted -- Barley, ME <5 5 10 -- Good Oats, ME <5 5 10 -- Good Potatoes Maine 0 5 5 -- -- Mass 30 40 50 0 Good/Fair Rhode Isl 85 30 40 15 Good Silage Corn <5 10 5 -- Fair/Good Sweet Corn 10 25 15 5 Fair/Good Tobacco Shade 0 0 0 -- -- Dry Hay -- Percent Harvested -- First Cut 0 0 0 -- Good/Fair --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ------------------------------------------------------- Crop Stage Fruit Set Condition ------------------------------------------------------- Apples Bud/Early Bloom Avg/B.Avg Good/Fair Peaches Full Bloom B.Avg/Avg Fair/Good Pears Full Bloom/PF B.Avg/Avg Poor/Fair Blueberries Highbush Bud -- Good/Fair Wild, ME Bud -- Good Cranberries,MA Bud -- Good/Fair Strawberries Bud -- Good/Fair ------------------------------------------------------- *PF = Petal Fall Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, May 5, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 19 67 40 -7 0.00 1.74 NH 11 72 40 -9 0.96 3.28 VT 22 66 40 -9 0.76 2.28 MA 27 72 46 -6 0.95 1.92 RI 36 69 48 -4 0.73 2.28 CT 30 70 47 -7 1.24 2.67 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Weather Information Table Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. for the week ending Sunday, May 5, 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 28 61 40 -11 29 +1 0 +0 Allagash 19 55 37 -7 3 -1 0 +0 Augusta_ME 32 62 43 -7 39 +16 1 +1 Bangor 29 61 43 -6 25 +11 0 +0 Barnard 27 59 40 -7 13 +4 0 +0 Bath 28 65 42 -8 27 +15 4 +4 Bethel 29 64 40 -9 51 +36 8 +8 Brassua_Dam 23 53 37 -7 10 +9 0 +0 Brunswick_ME 30 65 44 -6 27 +15 3 +3 Caribou 27 54 41 -5 11 +2 0 +0 Corinna 29 61 42 -7 26 +12 0 +0 Danforth 27 58 40 -7 8 +0 0 +0 Dover-Foxcroft 25 59 38 -9 9 +0 0 +0 Durham 30 65 42 -9 41 +18 7 +7 East_Hiram 29 64 40 -9 53 +38 13 +13 Eustis 26 54 36 -8 19 +16 0 +0 Frenchville 25 52 39 -5 4 +0 0 +0 Gray 30 64 42 -7 43 +31 6 +6 Greenville_ME 27 53 37 -9 18 +6 4 +4 Guilford 24 59 37 -10 11 +2 0 +0 Hollis 29 65 42 -7 65 +54 15 +15 Houlton 28 56 41 -5 16 +7 0 +0 Kennebunkport 33 67 44 -8 32 +3 9 +9 Livermore_Falls 26 60 41 -7 32 +23 5 +5 Moosehead 22 57 37 -7 10 +9 0 +0 New_Sharon 30 63 42 -5 31 +22 3 +3 Patten 27 53 38 -8 3 -6 0 +0 Portage 26 55 40 -6 5 -4 0 +0 Portland_ME 33 65 44 -6 44 +32 3 +3 Rangeley 26 56 36 -8 14 +11 0 +0 Sebec_Lake 26 59 40 -7 13 +1 0 +0 Vanceboro 29 57 40 -6 7 +0 0 +0 Waterville 29 62 42 -9 24 -4 0 +0 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 32 72 43 -8 81 +51 20 +20 Benton 31 61 39 -10 75 +47 24 +24 Berlin_AG 30 61 41 -7 48 +27 8 +8 Bethlehem 29 60 38 -11 63 +37 14 +14 Concord 29 67 43 -8 124 +94 40 +40 Diamond_Pond 22 54 37 -6 17 +12 0 +0 First_Conn_Lake 26 54 36 -7 17 +12 0 +0 Greenville 30 70 40 -10 95 +67 24 +24 Keene_AP 28 64 42 -11 138 +90 45 +43 Lakeport 33 66 43 -6 90 +68 25 +25 Marlow 27 64 39 -13 98 +62 26 +26 Mt_Washington 11 36 23 -7 2 +2 0 +0 North_Conway 30 64 42 -8 70 +48 18 +18 Otter_Brook_Lk 31 66 42 -11 107 +59 34 +32 Plymouth 28 64 40 -9 70 +56 19 +19 Rochester 30 68 43 -9 91 +54 23 +23 Weare 26 64 42 -10 91 +55 26 +26 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 31 65 41 -8 107 +81 33 +33 Bethel 26 65 41 -8 96 +75 31 +31 Burlington_VT 30 65 43 -9 119 +75 40 +38 East_Haven 25 62 38 -8 53 +44 14 +14 Island_Pond 27 58 38 -8 55 +42 12 +12 Montpelier 27 61 40 -9 98 +72 33 +33 Morrisville_AG 26 61 39 -9 71 +50 17 +17 Mount_Mansfield 22 53 32 -8 47 +47 9 +9 Northfield 27 64 40 -8 87 +69 26 +26 Pownal 32 65 43 -7 116 +86 42 +42 Rochester 29 65 40 -8 86 +65 26 +26 Rutland_AG 29 65 41 -12 103 +44 29 +23 Sunderland 28 62 40 -13 106 +46 32 +29 Sutton 30 60 38 -8 56 +47 18 +18 Townshend_Lake 34 65 42 -9 115 +76 41 +41 Union_Vill_Dam 30 63 41 -11 89 +49 27 +27 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 33 67 43 -7 118 +97 34 +34 Boston 36 68 48 -6 164 +102 43 +43 Greenfield 30 72 45 -9 135 +76 48 +48 New_Bedford 37 65 48 -6 161 +96 38 +38 Otis_AFB 37 63 49 -2 117 +94 16 +16 Plymouth 33 68 47 -5 121 +95 28 +28 Walpole 35 66 46 -7 145 +104 47 +47 West_Medway 33 71 46 -6 163 +122 58 +58 Westover 30 68 46 -10 191 +91 70 +64 Worcester 32 64 44 -7 137 +106 43 +43 Worthington 30 63 41 -9 118 +91 42 +42 RHODE ISLAND Providence 38 68 48 -5 170 +120 47 +47 Woonsocket 36 69 47 -6 155 +118 51 +51 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 30 68 44 -11 156 +66 61 +55 Bridgeport 39 66 51 -4 168 +100 44 +42 Hartford_AP 37 69 47 -8 211 +129 79 +73 Norfolk 34 64 45 -4 128 +105 47 +47 Norwich 35 68 48 -7 173 +102 64 +61 Thomaston_Dam 34 66 47 -6 163 +115 58 +58 Willimantic 31 67 46 -7 181 +136 63 +63 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ------ ----- ---- ------ ----- ---- MAINE Albion 1.44 +0.63 4 4.93 +1.68 12 Allagash 0.59 -0.09 3 1.76 -0.72 11 Augusta_ME 1.20 +0.29 4 4.61 +1.06 12 Bangor 1.08 +0.29 5 4.61 +1.51 13 Barnard 1.27 +0.43 4 3.49 +0.14 15 Bath 1.05 +0.17 6 3.70 -0.07 13 Bethel 1.73 +0.89 4 5.56 +2.20 10 Brassua_Dam 1.43 +0.68 4 4.31 +1.38 14 Brunswick_ME 1.74 +0.86 4 3.67 -0.10 11 Caribou 0.38 -0.27 4 2.00 -0.36 15 Corinna 1.07 +0.23 3 4.20 +0.84 11 Danforth 0.89 +0.05 5 3.52 +0.36 17 Dover-Foxcroft 0.87 +0.03 3 2.81 -0.54 13 Durham 1.22 +0.35 4 4.97 +1.28 12 East_Hiram 1.60 +0.69 4 4.18 +0.52 12 Eustis 1.40 +0.68 5 4.88 +2.01 14 Frenchville 0.56 -0.12 4 2.23 -0.25 14 Gray 1.20 +0.30 3 4.34 +0.54 12 Greenville_ME 1.04 +0.20 4 3.30 -0.05 15 Guilford 1.55 +0.71 4 3.51 +0.16 13 Hollis 1.56 +0.63 3 4.83 +0.94 12 Houlton 0.58 -0.12 5 2.86 +0.32 17 Kennebunkport 1.57 +0.66 3 3.86 +0.02 12 Livermore_Falls 1.47 +0.60 4 4.89 +1.29 11 Moosehead 1.15 +0.40 4 3.58 +0.65 13 New_Sharon 0.98 +0.11 3 3.06 -0.54 11 Patten 0.85 +0.15 5 3.04 +0.50 16 Portage 0.72 +0.07 4 2.77 +0.41 15 Portland_ME 1.14 +0.24 3 3.31 -0.49 12 Rangeley 1.20 +0.57 5 3.37 +0.98 14 Sebec_Lake 1.15 +0.31 5 3.64 +0.29 16 Vanceboro 0.99 +0.15 5 3.31 -0.05 14 Waterville 1.47 +0.66 4 4.10 +0.85 12 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.48 +0.78 4 3.97 +1.19 14 Benton 1.03 +0.33 4 4.63 +1.97 11 Berlin_AG 1.48 +0.70 4 4.92 +1.71 10 Bethlehem 0.96 +0.26 5 4.11 +1.32 13 Concord 1.56 +0.86 3 3.03 +0.25 12 Diamond_Pond 1.09 +0.30 5 4.60 +1.64 17 First_Conn_Lake 1.19 +0.40 6 4.78 +1.82 18 Greenville 2.01 +1.17 3 3.68 +0.32 9 Keene_AP 1.85 +1.03 5 4.35 +1.30 15 Lakeport 1.57 +0.78 3 3.86 +0.75 11 Marlow 1.49 +0.58 4 3.59 -0.01 12 Mt_Washington 3.28 +1.54 5 10.69 +3.25 17 North_Conway 1.64 +0.72 4 6.18 +2.33 13 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.21 +0.39 3 3.52 +0.47 12 Plymouth 1.45 +0.61 3 3.45 +0.24 10 Rochester 1.61 +0.65 3 3.72 -0.24 9 Weare 2.36 +1.45 4 4.24 +0.64 10 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.83 +0.78 5 4.44 +0.33 15 Bethel 1.67 +0.69 3 5.77 +2.15 9 Burlington_VT 1.12 +0.44 5 2.99 +0.36 12 East_Haven 0.93 +0.20 5 3.11 +0.32 14 Island_Pond 1.20 +0.48 5 4.27 +1.63 14 Montpelier 1.25 +0.61 6 3.97 +1.61 14 Morrisville_AG 1.65 +0.88 6 3.86 +0.79 17 Mount_Mansfield 2.28 +1.02 5 7.01 +1.81 19 Northfield 1.52 +0.75 3 4.57 +1.78 11 Pownal 1.48 +0.43 5 3.88 -0.23 15 Rochester 1.90 +0.92 3 6.68 +3.06 10 Rutland_AG 0.87 +0.16 3 5.09 +2.48 10 Sunderland 1.33 +0.57 5 4.13 +1.35 14 Sutton 1.66 +0.93 5 3.61 +0.82 14 Townshend_Lake 1.86 +1.08 4 4.38 +1.29 13 Union_Vill_Dam 0.76 -0.01 4 2.98 +0.18 11 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.61 +0.83 4 3.30 +0.13 12 Boston 1.03 +0.24 3 2.08 -1.23 10 Greenfield 1.76 +0.88 5 3.99 +0.54 17 New_Bedford 1.22 +0.35 5 3.28 -0.47 13 Otis_AFB 1.34 +0.44 3 3.06 -0.57 8 Plymouth 0.98 +0.00 4 2.98 -0.97 11 Walpole 1.19 +0.32 4 2.66 -1.19 13 West_Medway 1.54 +0.67 4 3.01 -0.84 11 Westover 1.63 +0.72 5 3.44 -0.20 15 Worcester 1.51 +0.54 5 3.12 -0.58 15 Worthington 1.37 +0.32 5 3.50 -0.40 17 RHODE ISLAND Providence 1.30 +0.39 5 2.68 -1.11 14 Woonsocket 2.28 +1.31 5 3.67 -0.24 13 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 2.67 +1.76 4 5.27 +1.63 16 Bridgeport 2.56 +1.65 4 4.03 +0.47 14 Hartford_AP 1.46 +0.55 5 3.40 -0.24 16 Norfolk 1.66 +0.61 5 4.76 +0.56 16 Norwich 1.76 +0.69 4 2.90 -1.36 10 Thomaston_Dam 1.50 +0.45 5 3.88 -0.15 15 Willimantic 1.24 +0.26 5 2.52 -1.40 16 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 busy plowing corn land and spreading manure. Heifers have been put out to pasture. Heavy frost may have harmed fruit crops. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Rain during week totaled about one inch which helped in most cases. Sweet corn, strawberries and tree fruit showed significant damage from frost for previous week. Seeding oats and hay fields. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Despite the drought, rain has slowed planting. Farmers were still spreading manure on the drier areas but little corn went in. Well fertilized grass - pasture or hay land looks full and lush, while fields that were not as well maintained are coming on much slower. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Fields continue to be dry despite recent rains. Spring started out very hot at 90 degrees and then has slipped back to cold and damp with Friday (5/3) bringing high winds. Farmers continue to plant vegetables and field corn, prune and spray orchards, spread manure, seed grassland, and harvest asparagus. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: Brown fields look beautiful against the emerging green leaves. Ready for planting all over. Great weather coming. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: When is spring going to arrive in northern Maine? Cold, showery weather delayed any field activity. Some lime being spread. A few acres of small grains have been planted. Several growers have begun cutting potato seed. Cold soil temperatures are discouraging growers from planting potatoes. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Soils are still too wet and cold for crop planting. Some potato seed is starting to be cut. If temperatures improve and weather cooperates, some grains could start to be planted by Friday (5/10). Basically, another week before much planting happens. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: Field conditions improved with the rain we received. Not much could be done out in the fields because of the wet conditions, but farmers should be moving ahead with planting this coming week. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Pastures are not quite ready for grazing. Soil moisture is good. Farmers have been spreading manure. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Manure spreading and plowing have been the week's activities. Janet King (FSA), Somerset: With the recent rain everything is starting to grow. Land is still very dry, hope the rains this coming week will help. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Cold, wet weather has slowed field work. Some manure spreading has taken place with some tillage work. Warmer weather will get things going this week. Soil temperatures are still in the 40's. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Some sweet corn is in the ground, but not up yet. Most activity is in greenhouses. Trees, shrubs and seedlings are now available. Blueberry field burning is winding down. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Pruning finished on most fields. Pre-emergence herbicide and fertilizer being applied. Fungicide being applied to protect plants from mummyberry disease. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: And now we are complaining about rain! I guess we agricultural folks are never satisfied. My Dad always told me that if a farmer isn't complaining about the weather he is probably retired and in Florida. A few people have put some seeds in the ground, but not many. Many producers have been slinging manure and preparing land for planting. We're off to a damp start but the weatherman says the weather will warm up. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Still wet and cold but some crops are being planted - sweet corn, silage corn, oats and early vegetables. The lakes and rivers have rebounded from the drought, but ground water levels are still low. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Let the sun shine! Soils need to warm up. Some grass land seedings done. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Producers are busy getting the ground ready to plant and manure is being spread. Tractors are all gassed up and ready to plant. Greenhouses have been busy preparing for Mother's Day with beautiful arrays of flowers. Seedlings ready for the gardener to pick up and plant. Cool and windy days have been the usual - come on spring! MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Very little field work due to wet conditions. Some plowing in heated cabs. It was a cold, wet week. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: Received some much needed rain which filled most reservoirs, but ground water is still down. Cranberry growers are running sprinkler systems to protect from frost, growers are spreading fertilizer. Vegetable growers are planting all crops and dairy farmers are planting field corn. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Cranberry vines continue to emerge from dormancy and to initiate new upright growth. Some areas in beds are off-color due to various factors. Some leaf drop due to last year's drought rather than oxygen deficiency in the winter flood. Many beds could not be flooded through the winter months, but fortunately the temperatures were not severe to cause vine injury. Adequate rainfall this spring so far. A couple of close frost nights this week. Herbicides and fungicides for root rot currently being applied. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Recently fixing fences and doing repairs from wind damage. Finished pruning blueberries and peaches, and fungicides are now being applied. Plowed land for early crops. Expecting a great crop season. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Everyone continues to get fields ready for planting. Last week was very cool with 2 days of rain. Planting is going very slow at this point. Fruit crops look pretty good at this time. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Producers have reported crop losses with asparagus and many of the early varieties of sweet corn. Hot weather followed by two weeks of scattered frost have affected all but the most hardy crops. Frosts this past week have also affected early strawberries. Much of the sweet corn that wasn't under row cover has been harrowed and replanted. Tree fruit has been hurt by frost, but we're not sure about the total damage yet. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: A mostly cool and rainy week. Farm activities were at a very slow pace due to the wet week. Planting potatoes, sweet corn and some cabbage. Harvesting fiddleheads and spinach. The asparagus was not growing because of the cold temperatures. Sunday (5/5) was the best day of the week and greenhouse flower sales were excellent. Gary Guida, Worcester: Plowing, planting corn and laying plastic (not on Friday!) keeping everyone busy. Greenhouse sales of perennials and annuals had strong sales weekend. Hanging baskets appearing everywhere. Soil here already drying up fast as subsoil water table is very low. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Wet conditions slowed field work. Soil temperature as low as 39 degrees reported mid-week. Early corn seeded and transplanted in warmer soils. Garden centers reported slow business due to strong winds on Friday and Saturday. Beautiful weather on Sunday resumed business. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Grasses and forage crops growing well. Soil temperature slowly warming, now in the low 40's. Corn planting continues slowly but should pick up this coming week. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Field Crops: Fixing pasture fences during raining weather. Spreading manure, plowing, disking fertilizing and planting corn. Liming and fertilizing hayfields. Vegetables: Early season vegetables are being planted, along with sweet corn and potatoes. Laying down plastic and drip irrigation. Weed spraying sweet corn fields. Fruits: Made sure bees were in apple orchards beginning of week. Peaches were in petal fall stage and apples are nearing full bloom in the Hollis area as of Sunday (5/5). Planting fruit trees, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. With all the rain during the week, orchardists are making sure to have protective fungicide sprays applied. Weather: Still evaluating if damage occurred and the amount of damage due to freezing temperatures over the week of April 22. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Some manure spreading, but mostly put on hold due to wet field conditions. Orchardists making dormant oil applications at tight cluster stage and applying fungicides during scab infection periods. Fruit growers applying fertilizer to tree fruits, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Apple and blueberry pruning about finished. Spotty frost injury to stone fruits. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Liming and fertilizing hayfields; spreading manure, plowing and disking field corn fields. Seeding new pastures and hayfields. Preparing vegetable fields by liming, disking and fertilizing. Planting some early vegetables in fields and high tunnels. Planting strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes and fruit trees. A good percentage of the peach blossoms have been killed during last week frost. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Somewhat cold, wet and windy week ending with better weather this weekend. Corn fields beginning to dry up for planting, but still some ponds forming in scattered locations. April flooding causing some washing, banks have collapsed on areas of the Connecticut River. Manure hauling in preparation for corn planting. Dormant oil on apples. Fields and pastures starting to green up, orchard grass growth fairly noticeable at this point. Bud break of fruit, no flowering yet. General observation that plants seem to have made it through a relatively mild winter in good condition. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: The temperatures were still low for people to start planting. However some people started to transplant tomatoes into greenhouses. Nurseries were busy getting ready for the bedding plant season. Apple growers were monitoring for signs of scab and for insect pests such as leaf miners and tarnish brown bugs. Bruce Clement (Ext), Cheshire: Cool, wet weather has prevailed this week. Early warm weather in late April pushed an early bloom of plums, pears and some apples. Too early to tell if cold nights that followed have hurt fruit set. Farm activities include: manure spreading, fence repair, plowing and harrowing, seeding, corn planting, vegetable raised bed forming, plastic laying, spraying, and some early vegetable transplanting and seeding. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Rain kept some field work from being done, but was welcomed. Potatoes almost finished being planted, manure still being spread. Haying stopped due to wet weather - good sun over the weekend will resume that activity. Sweet corn being planted, cole crops going strong. Roadside stands very active over the weekend. Greenhouses are bursting. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Plowing, harrowing, harvesting asparagus. Some orchards reporting frost damage. Trees bloomed extra early. Temperatures dropped to mid-20's over last weekend. Frost damage seems minimal to moderate, depending on location. Asparagus also affected. Hail reported in one orchard on 4/24/02. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: There was still snow in the air last week, but that didn't stop the progress of spring fieldwork. Manure spreading and harrowing kept many dairy farmers busy last week. When it gets a little warmer, some seed will start hitting the ground. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Spring activities of spreading manure and fertilizer. Ground preparation for corn planting. New seeding of hay land in progress. Fence fixing and turning out of cattle. Cold week with snow on two days with the ground white in higher elevations above 1300 feet. Spring work still ahead of schedule. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Rain, snow and cold weather slowed field work and grass growth this week. Some animals are now out on pasture. Some manure being spread over the weekend. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: A large sweet corn grower has 4 leaves on his sweet corn under plastic. Most all fruit growers have report some frost damage on the buds. Farmers are planting field corn, and some alfalfa will be ready to cut in about two with a little warmer temperatures. George Cook (Ext), Lamoille: Cold and wet through Friday. Nice weekend weather with good drying air and sunshine. Many fields too wet to work yet. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Good week with plenty of rain. Snow, too. Farmers spreading manure, harrowing ground, fixing fence. A number of water supplies were recharged over the winter. Forage inventory very low. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: Cool and damp in Franklin County. Manure being spread and tillage work ongoing. Some field corn planted Sunday on some sandy soils. Vegetables planted under plastic. Ground kind of cool as of yet! Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Plowing under a nice crop of winter rye. Commercial fertilizer being harrowed in for special crops. Asparagus beds are waiting for some warm weather. Good frost for three days. Early in the week it was too cold for seeds to germinate. Put in second planting of sweet corn and peas. 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 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 ***********************