new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 10/17/04 Issue NH-CW3704 Volume 24, Number 26 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) October 18, 2004 - 4 pm -- Agricultural Summary Harvest Season Nears Completion For the week ending October 17, 2004, there were 5.9 days available for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 4 percent short, 90 percent adequate, 6 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 4 percent short, 92 percent adequate, 4 percent surplus. Pasture condition was rated 2 percent very poor, 15 percent poor, 33 percent fair, 43 percent good, 7 percent excellent. A mostly dry week with seasonable temperatures enabled operators to continue with the last of fall harvest activities. Showers that fell across the six-State region on Thursday and Friday helped replenish soil moisture levels to mostly adequate conditions. Major farm activities included: seeding rye for cover on harvested fields; spreading manure; applying lime; chopping corn; haying; pruning blueberry bushes, harvesting apples, pears, cranberries, potatoes, performing general farm maintenance. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 0 Short 4 10 1 Adequate 90 83 65 Surplus 6 7 34 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 0 Short 4 10 2 Adequate 92 84 83 Surplus 4 6 15 --------------------------------------------- -- Field Crops Report Harvest of most crops is winding down for the season. Silage growers were busy chopping as there is still a good amount of standing corn to harvest. Growers reported having a quality crop in storage and good tonnage. The summer rains made for a tough season for making dry hay, however, there is plenty of hay available in most areas, although the quality is lower than normal. Only one percent of potatoes remain for harvest in Maine while Massachusetts potato harvest is not far behind with only ten percent of the crop left for harvest. -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Tree fruit harvest nears completion as late maturing varieties of apples are left to be picked along with the last of the pears. Only a few pick-your-own stands are still open. Cranberry harvest continued in Massachusetts. Some growers expressed disappointment with berry size but were still pleased with the color and quality of the crop. VEGETABLES: Vegetable growers were busy during the week trying to wrap up harvest of brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, and winter squash. Business at farm stands has been brisk throughout the Fall harvest season; pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks are still selling well. This is the final New England Crop Weather report for 2004. This weekly report would not have been possible without the voluntary efforts of our reporters. We wish to thank all of them for their help in making this a timely, accurate report. We look forward to their continued support next May, when the 2005 crop season begins. Although every report is important, special recognition is deserved by those who have been able to respond on a regular basis throughout the six-month growing season. Reporting is a significant commitment, and their faithful cooperation helps the New England Crop Weather release to be a consistent, high quality product. -- Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- Crop 2004 2003 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Potatoes: Maine 99 99 95 Good Mass 90 80 90 Good Silage Corn 85 95 90 Good/Excel Dry Hay: Second Cut 99 99 99 Good Third Cut 85 85 90 Good/Fair ----------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ----------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2004 2003 5-yr Avg Condition ----------------------------------------------------- Apples 90 90 90 Good/Excel Pears 90 95 90 Good Cranberries,MA 85 80 75 Good/Fair ----------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, October 17, 2004 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 28 74 51 +6 0.54 3.65 NH 22 72 50 +4 0.57 2.80 VT 25 71 48 +3 0.40 2.03 MA 30 74 54 +3 0.54 1.64 RI 39 72 56 +3 1.03 2.00 CT 33 73 53 +1 0.76 1.35 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -- Weather Information Table For the Period: Monday October 11, 2004 To: Sunday October 17, 2004 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 35 65 51 +2 1798 -369 567 -223 Allagash 29 63 46 +4 1187 -156 271 -52 Augusta_State_A 42 69 54 +6 2108 +23 728 -18 Bangor_Intl_Arp 37 68 55 +7 2015 +119 693 +71 Barnard 33 67 51 +7 1631 +36 460 +8 Bath 35 72 53 +5 1848 -111 580 -80 Bethel 33 70 51 +5 1876 +15 576 -20 Brassua_Dam 30 66 49 +6 1373 +56 313 +3 Brunswick_ME 37 70 54 +6 2090 +131 706 +46 Caribou_Municip 30 63 50 +7 1533 +85 446 +68 Corinna 36 70 54 +9 1864 +103 601 +61 Danforth 33 64 51 +6 1523 -174 394 -131 Dover-Foxcroft 34 70 52 +8 1534 -61 419 -33 Durham 36 68 52 +3 1811 -420 554 -287 East_Hiram 32 69 50 +4 1760 -91 518 -72 Eustis 28 62 46 +3 1240 -37 262 -21 Frenchville 30 63 49 +6 1416 +73 382 +59 Gray 43 72 55 +7 2189 +259 774 +137 Greenville_ME 37 63 49 +5 1967 +358 692 +229 Guilford 31 66 48 +4 1273 -322 288 -164 Hollis 31 70 51 +5 1879 +117 602 +70 Houlton 29 66 51 +7 1586 +72 490 +66 Kennebunkport 35 69 51 -1 1713 -686 483 -458 Livermore_Falls 32 72 52 +7 1945 +380 665 +236 Moosehead 28 65 47 +4 1351 +34 304 -6 New_Sharon 33 72 52 +8 1786 +221 529 +100 Patten 32 64 49 +5 1452 -62 364 -60 Portage 31 64 47 +5 1465 +17 407 +29 Portland_ME 39 71 55 +6 2097 +167 733 +96 Rangeley 29 65 46 +4 1385 +141 312 +48 Sebec_Lake 33 68 51 +7 1634 +25 467 +4 Vanceboro 33 64 51 +6 1549 -94 418 -60 Waterville 38 70 54 +5 1967 -200 654 -136 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 32 66 49 +1 1935 -147 657 -82 Benton 33 65 48 +2 1769 +68 523 +47 Berlin_AG 33 67 49 +4 1785 +86 543 +46 Bethlehem 28 71 49 +3 1607 -86 454 -22 Concord 34 71 54 +6 2488 +406 993 +254 Diamond_Pond 31 62 45 +3 1149 +31 201 -4 First_Conn_Lake 29 64 45 +3 1209 +91 241 +36 Greenville 40 69 53 +6 2471 +580 966 +381 Keene_AP 28 68 51 +1 2325 -30 862 -54 Lakeport 41 72 54 +7 2365 +436 901 +256 Marlow 30 64 47 -4 1585 -543 417 -330 Mount_Washingto 22 47 36 +6 159 +98 2 +2 North_Conway 36 70 52 +7 2076 +165 729 +96 Otter_Brook_Lk 33 67 50 +0 2165 -190 755 -161 Plymouth 32 69 50 +5 1810 +140 533 +56 Rochester 37 71 53 +3 2199 -61 807 -45 Weare 35 69 52 +3 2122 -6 732 -15 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 30 67 48 +2 1852 +35 545 -6 Bethel 25 68 46 -1 1950 +225 647 +143 Burlington_Intl 32 68 51 +4 2426 +210 977 +136 East_Haven 32 70 49 +7 1683 +287 496 +159 Island_Pond 29 69 47 +4 1645 +251 460 +135 Montpelier 33 66 49 +4 2004 +272 674 +162 Morrisville_AG 28 68 47 +2 1731 +7 546 +30 Mount_Mansfield 29 55 39 +1 800 +84 75 +9 Northfield 30 68 48 +4 1868 +300 592 +170 Pownal 37 63 48 +2 2087 +263 667 +115 Rochester 30 70 49 +3 1977 +252 634 +130 Rutland_AG 29 69 49 -2 2065 -267 694 -206 Sunderland 29 66 48 -2 1910 -314 580 -241 Sutton 33 67 47 +5 1606 +210 429 +92 Townshend_Lake 36 68 50 +2 2127 -75 710 -113 Union_Vill_Dam 27 70 49 +2 2040 -171 717 -112 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 37 67 52 +5 2305 +423 850 +252 Boston/Logan_In 46 69 57 +3 2894 +90 1293 +65 Greenfield 34 68 51 -2 2502 -61 989 -62 New_Bedford 40 68 55 -1 2573 -288 1037 -233 Otis_AFB 41 66 54 +2 2491 +202 1018 +153 Plymouth 41 68 56 +4 2499 +165 1015 +112 Walpole 39 70 54 +4 2647 +327 1104 +210 West_Medway 36 74 53 +3 2647 +327 1103 +209 Chicopee/Westov 30 70 52 -2 2790 -172 1209 -141 Worcester 39 67 53 +3 2522 +352 999 +215 Worthington 34 72 49 +2 2011 +132 638 +63 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 42 69 56 +3 2917 +254 1294 +160 Woonsocket 39 72 54 +5 2621 +342 1083 +237 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 36 67 49 -4 2184 -633 749 -504 Bridgeport/Siko 47 70 58 +3 3212 +306 1522 +194 Hartford/Bradle 36 71 54 +2 2991 +186 1371 +129 Norfolk 35 59 48 +2 2164 +300 745 +172 Norwich 37 73 54 +2 2841 +193 1239 +130 Thomaston_Dam 37 68 52 +0 2773 +485 1192 +346 Willimantic 33 70 53 +3 2706 +372 1128 +252 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 1.38 +0.52 4 1.55 -1.69 6 Allagash 0.89 +0.19 3 0.89 -2.17 3 Augusta_State_A 1.87 +1.01 4 2.03 -1.18 9 Bangor_Intl_Arp 2.33 +1.59 5 2.45 -0.52 7 Barnard 1.80 +0.99 3 1.95 -1.47 7 Bath 2.03 +1.20 4 2.29 -0.72 7 Bethel 2.56 +1.71 5 2.85 -0.35 7 Brassua_Dam 1.96 +1.21 4 2.02 -1.12 5 Brunswick_ME 2.11 +1.28 4 2.46 -0.55 7 Caribou_Municip 1.35 +0.67 4 1.43 -1.43 7 Corinna 0.73 -0.05 3 1.03 -2.14 6 Danforth 1.77 +1.00 4 1.88 -1.20 6 Dover-Foxcroft 0.54 -0.27 4 0.59 -2.83 5 Durham 2.02 +1.17 3 2.29 -0.81 6 East_Hiram 1.67 +0.77 6 1.96 -1.28 10 Eustis 1.81 +1.11 4 2.07 -0.68 8 Frenchville 1.14 +0.44 4 1.28 -1.78 8 Gray 1.28 +0.43 3 1.49 -1.68 6 Greenville_ME 3.65 +2.84 4 3.84 +0.42 6 Guilford 1.54 +0.73 4 1.76 -1.66 7 Hollis 1.74 +0.88 4 2.02 -1.21 7 Houlton 1.87 +1.17 4 2.02 -0.93 7 Kennebunkport 1.78 +0.91 5 2.53 -0.68 8 Livermore_Falls 2.17 +1.33 5 2.41 -0.85 7 Moosehead 2.16 +1.41 4 2.25 -0.89 6 New_Sharon 2.16 +1.32 5 2.35 -0.91 7 Patten 1.82 +1.12 4 1.94 -1.01 10 Portage 1.98 +1.30 4 2.02 -0.84 6 Portland_ME 1.69 +0.84 4 2.06 -1.11 7 Rangeley 1.44 +0.74 4 1.74 -0.98 7 Sebec_Lake 1.59 +0.78 3 1.68 -1.74 6 Vanceboro 1.75 +0.98 4 1.85 -1.41 6 Waterville 1.52 +0.66 4 1.71 -1.53 7 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.28 +0.58 3 1.69 -1.00 7 Benton 0.91 +0.18 4 0.97 -1.86 6 Berlin_AG 1.42 +0.62 3 1.61 -1.41 6 Bethlehem 1.17 +0.44 4 1.68 -1.15 7 Concord 1.26 +0.56 2 1.92 -0.77 5 Diamond_Pond 1.49 +0.65 5 1.99 -1.40 9 First_Conn_Lake 0.89 +0.05 4 1.99 -1.40 10 Greenville 1.15 +0.33 2 2.91 -0.10 6 Keene_AP 0.57 -0.13 2 1.30 -1.42 6 Lakeport 1.58 +0.81 3 1.83 -1.06 6 Marlow 1.37 +0.53 3 2.16 -1.01 6 Mount_Washingto 2.80 +1.26 5 3.32 -2.84 7 North_Conway 1.76 +0.85 3 1.82 -1.57 6 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.15 +0.45 3 2.18 -0.54 6 Plymouth 1.52 +0.68 3 1.67 -1.40 6 Rochester 1.50 +0.55 2 2.06 -1.35 5 Weare 1.50 +0.66 3 2.61 -0.56 7 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.27 +0.43 3 2.56 -0.78 11 Bethel 0.74 -0.10 4 0.78 -2.58 6 Burlington_Intl 0.56 -0.07 4 1.12 -1.52 7 East_Haven 1.10 +0.33 5 1.41 -1.54 8 Island_Pond 1.02 +0.32 5 1.26 -1.54 9 Montpelier 0.79 +0.16 4 0.85 -1.67 8 Morrisville_AG 0.80 +0.03 4 0.96 -2.02 8 Mount_Mansfield 2.03 +0.84 5 2.75 -2.21 9 Northfield 0.89 +0.19 3 0.99 -1.81 4 Pownal 0.95 +0.11 3 2.45 -0.89 9 Rochester 0.87 +0.03 3 0.97 -2.39 4 Rutland_AG 0.67 +0.04 3 0.96 -1.82 6 Sunderland 0.74 +0.11 4 2.18 -0.57 9 Sutton 0.97 +0.20 4 1.28 -1.67 7 Townshend_Lake 1.28 +0.55 3 2.91 +0.07 8 Union_Vill_Dam 1.03 +0.27 3 1.32 -1.67 6 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.11 +0.38 3 3.26 +0.48 8 Boston/Logan_In 1.31 +0.60 4 4.05 +1.24 8 Greenfield 1.56 +0.79 3 3.97 +0.89 10 New_Bedford 1.64 +0.87 4 4.94 +1.97 12 Otis_AFB 0.79 -0.06 5 4.39 +1.05 9 Plymouth 1.19 +0.29 6 4.25 +0.66 14 Walpole 1.32 +0.46 3 5.06 +1.68 8 West_Medway 0.91 +0.05 2 4.85 +1.47 5 Chicopee/Westov 0.54 -0.25 2 3.04 -0.09 6 Worcester 1.29 +0.31 2 3.97 +0.08 7 Worthington 1.45 +0.61 4 4.90 +1.61 9 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 1.24 +0.40 3 4.69 +1.54 9 Woonsocket 1.03 +0.12 3 3.66 +0.19 9 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.35 +0.58 2 4.70 +1.46 7 Bridgeport/Siko 0.76 +0.06 3 3.53 +0.78 8 Hartford/Bradle 0.89 +0.12 2 4.05 +0.81 8 Norfolk 1.23 +0.37 3 4.31 +0.79 7 Norwich 1.27 +0.36 3 4.48 +0.93 8 Thomaston_Dam 1.06 +0.19 3 3.88 +0.34 8 Willimantic 1.24 +0.33 3 3.70 +0.06 9 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 2004: 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: Nearly all of the silage corn has been harvested. Farmers are reporting good yields of grain corn. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Many have completed corn silage harvest while a few are still at it. Vegetable growers were boxing winter squash for market and shipping pumpkins to retail outlets. Cover crop seeded and harrowed in. Starting to take down and bundle broadleaf tobacco. Grain corn close to combining. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Pick your own apples still doing well with adequate apples hanging on for great weekends. Fall foliage spectacular brought people out to orchards, greenhouses, and Quinebaug- Shetucket Heritage Corridor Walking Weekends on several farms. Corn winding down with some fields left for later picking. Vine crops like squash and pumpkin production range from good to poor. Grapes finished light, peaches varied by area. Nice fall to finish up field work. Haying, applying rye cover, manure spreading, and putting equipment away till spring. Karen Vozarik (FSA), New Haven: Silage harvest stopped for two days from the rain. Pear harvest was poor this year. Apples and pumpkins yields are very good. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Still picking some high moisture ear corn, and waiting for a little grain corn to finish drying. Majority of field crop farmers are finished with harvest. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes and small grains: All crops have been harvested. Most Fall work completed, great weather for getting field work done. Rain has improved soil moisture; makes Fall tillage easier. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Excellent weather for harvesting. Over an inch and a quarter of rain Friday night and Saturday. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Another pretty good week weather wise. One inch plus of rain will make the last of the corn silage harvest a little messy and make manure spreading a little slick.Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Silage corn harvest completed in this area. Corn stalks and pumpkins for Fall decorating are at farm stands. Plenty of apples and cider. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: This week's weather was helpful for harvesting. Nearly all silage corn growers have completed harvesting with a quality crop in storage. Wide array of vegetables, including cabbage, brussels sprouts, winter squash, pumpkins and potatoes being picked. Fall foliage is at its peak, a pretty sight. Sandy Truslow (FSA), Cumberland/York: Harvest activities are winding down, as corn growers are finishing silage harvest this week. Time to start preparing for the upcoming winter. Fire wood dealers are having a hard time keeping up with demand. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Harvest of most crops is done. It is very hard to dry hay now unless there is a stiff wind. Some topsoil conditions are very wet. Grain corn and soybeans left to go. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: This has been a busy week for getting in corn. Producers are trying to complete harvest of corn, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, and other vegetables. Several areas have reported rain on Friday night of 2-3 inches. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Cloudy and cool week. Farmers are finishing up corn chopping. Doing more second third cutting; some dry & some haylage. Most vine crops harvested, good yields but some veggies are rotting in bins. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Harvesting continues, with dry harvesting impeded by dew deposition or rainfall of several days. Crop reports are still good ones, although size of berries has disappointed some growers. Color and quality are still excellent. Many growers finished with harvest are putting things away for the season. Jay Otto (FSA), Bristol: Some scattered showers during the week slowed the corn chopping down. Looks like the weekend turned out better. Fall like temperatures were around over the weekend brought out people for farm stand activities. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Wet field conditions are delaying the final harvest on silage and potato acreage. Grain corn is drying down nicely and harvesting should begin this week. Roadside stand sales have been good but pumpkins are breaking down quickly. Squash and pumpkin losses are much higher than normal. Farmers are also reporting moisture damage to the tobacco crop during the curing process. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Harvesting potatoes, apples, and corn for grain. Farmers are pruning blueberry bushes, applying rye cover crop, picking up irrigation pipe and liming fields. Rain showers at the end of the week brought a tobacco damp. Growers then started taking down their crop for stripping. Gary Guida, Worcester: Well, so ends another year! Winterizing equipment and some chopping of corn going on. Farm stands wrapping up with final fall sales. Very challenging year for me with many trials and tribulations. Have a warm, safe, winter and enjoy the company of your family and friends. Take time to appreciate the winter and have a well deserved rest. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Another growing season draws to a close. The last of the fall lime applications are going down, and home gardens are being put to bed for the winter. Foliage past peak. Pumpkins and mums still selling well at farm stands. See you all in the spring! Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Cool fall conditions prevailed for most of the week - a little sun, a little rain, a little frost. A few farms chopping the last remaining corn, but most are done and are spreading manure and/or putting down winter rye. A few farms taking fourth cut on alfalfa and grass. Still plenty of apples and some pumpkins for sale, other local produce limited to kale, brussel sprouts and the like. All in all, not a bad season. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Cool rainy end of week for what has been a long stretch of dry weather. Most of the field corn now in, is being packed in bunk silos. Still a fair amount of standing corn to come in; now drying down quickly after successive frost freeze periods we have been experiencing. General late season clean up. Manure hauling. Cows still finding some pasture in what has been a long Fall season. Pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks are available for sale. Autumn colors still holding well. Geese are flying. See you next year. Steve Schmidt (FSA), Grafton: Corn harvest is nearly completed. Some last minute alfalfa and haylage is being chopped. Everything considered, this summer was a good crop year for most farmers. It was tough to make dry hay, but if haylage was an option, you could more easily work around the showers. Bunker silos are full, and there is no shortage of feed this year. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Apple harvest winding up. Harvesting Red Delicious, Rome and other late maturing apple varieties. Only the final picking of Golden Delicious and Fuji remains. Pear harvest is done. Cleaning up drops apples and putting orchard equipment away. Farm stands and Pick-Your-Own apple operations had a busy weekend! Vegetables: Continued harvesting pumpkins, squash, and cool season crops like cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, lettuce and greens. Farmers kept busy pulling plastic mulch & tomato stakes, mowing and disking fields, cleaning up fields, planting cover crops, and putting away equipment. Field Crops: Corn silage cutting is coming to an end and seeding cover crops on harvested fields. Some manure spreading and incorporating in soil is taking place. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: A soaking rain with some high winds stalled some of the last field corn chopping. Winter cover crops look good. Cole crops still in fields along with some winter squash and root crops. Corn mazes, roadside stands, apple picking and cider making are the favor of the hour. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: End of week brought about an inch of much needed rain. Corn and grass harvest is winding down. Soybean harvest is progressing nicely. Lots of manure being spread on harvested corn fields. Most of the vegetable crops are in now except for the frost tolerant root crops. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Almost all cropping is done for the season. There is still a little corn out there to be chopped. Farmers are spreading manure, tilling corn fields and plowing grassland in preparation for next spring. All and all it has been a good season for quantity of feed however quality of hay suffered form all of the rain we got during the summer. The nice fall allowed corn to mature so most farmers are happy with their corn yields and quality. Dry hay is at a premium this year due to the bad weather. Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: Most all corn silage harvest is completed. Third cut alfalfa for haylage is in progress along with some balelage. Manure spreading has started on corn land and on hay fields. Apple harvest is just about finished with only a few pick-your-own stands still open. Fall raspberries are in all farm markets along with some late sweet corn. Here in Windham county we have not had a killing frost yet. Goodbye for another year and hope everybody has a good winter. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: It is about the end of the season. Nearly all of the corn is chopped and in the bunkers; looks pretty good. Just about all of the hay that can be harvested is done. Could be better, quite a lot of it, but the quality isn't so good, especially that first cut. Forage supply is sufficient to get through to green grass, but quality is not the best. Farmers now working on getting those manure pits emptied. It seems as though pits were made to hold a certain amount. Now herd sizes have crept up, and high producing cows eat more than they used to, so manure quantity per cow has crept up. It is real important to get those pits as empty as possible to avoid those full pit problems in the late winter. I guess Columbus Day was about peak foliage, lots of leaves came down over the weekend. I would have appreciated more reds and red-orange in the leaves. Next year will be a dandy. Heather Darby (Ext), Franklin: Corn silage harvest continues. Cover crops being planted and manure being spread. Some fall tillage. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. -- Contact Information To receive this report, send an e-mail message to listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type subscribe usda-new-eng-crop-weather Statistician: Dianne Johnson Stat Assistant: Lynne Arsenault Deputy Director: Joe Samson 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 ***********************