in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 30, 2007 Issue IN-CW392007 Agricultural Summary Mid-week rains temporarily slowed harvest in some areas of the state, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, harvest resumed later in the week with good progress being made for both corn and soybeans. Farmers are concerned over stalk quality in corn and potential damage that could result from heavy winds. Soybeans are maturing very rapidly in most southern and central areas but have been slower to shed leaves in some northern areas. Recent precipitation has spurred re-growth of hay crops in some northern areas allowing one final cutting. Field Crops Report There were 5.3 days suitable for field work. Corn condition is rated 50 percent good to excellent compared with 73 percent last year at this time. Eighty-eight percent of the corn acreage is mature compared with 71 percent last year and 77 percent for the 5-year average. Thirty-one percent of the corn acreage has been harvested compared with 9 percent last year and 15 percent for the 5-year average. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 18 percent. Soybean condition is rated 46 percent good to excellent compared with 74 percent last year at this time. Ninety percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 73 percent last year and 84 percent for the 5-year average. Twenty-six percent of the soybean crop has been harvested compared with 5 percent last year and 19 percent for the 5-year average. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is averaging about 11.5 percent. Twelve percent of the winter wheat has been seeded at this time compared with 5 percent last year and 10 percent for the 5-year average. Tobacco harvest is now 82 percent complete compared with 73 percent last year and 84 percent for the 5-year average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 8% good, 20% fair, 25% poor, and 47% very poor. Livestock remain in mostly good condition at this time. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Mature 88 78 71 77 Corn Harvested 31 21 9 15 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 90 81 73 84 Soybeans Harvested 26 13 5 19 Winter Wheat Planted 12 4 5 10 Winter Wheat Emerged 1 NA 1 1 Tobacco Harvested 82 64 73 84 Crop Condition Table ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ----------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 6 13 31 40 10 Soybean 8 14 32 40 6 Pasture 47 25 20 8 0 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 27 38 0 Short 34 31 1 Adequate 38 31 75 Surplus 1 0 24 Subsoil Very Short 37 39 1 Short 30 28 4 Adequate 33 33 78 Surplus 0 0 17 Days Suitable 5.3 7.0 3.7 Contact information --Greg Preston, Director --Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other Agricultural Comments And News TAKE PRECAUTIONS WHEN HANDLING DRY PODS TO REDUCE SOYBEAN HARVEST LOSSES -9/28/07 EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Weather has not been kind to farmers this growing season, and though late summer rain has improved dry conditions, soybean producers should take extra precautions to reduce harvest losses this year as the beans and pods are very dry. "Dry pods are often brittle and that increases the potential for shatter losses at the header," says Mike Staton, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension educator and Soybean 2010 coordinator. "Shattering accounts for most of the losses that occur during harvest operations and make up as much as 75 percent of total harvest losses." Harvest losses of 10 percent of the total yield can easily occur and can reach 15 percent if combine operators don't pay close attention to equipment adjustments and operation. With careful management, harvest losses can be held to 3 percent or less. "The best way to prevent shatter losses is to harvest as much of your crop as possible before the moisture level in the beans falls below 13 percent," Staton says. "When soybeans undergo repeated wetting and drying cycles after initially drying below 13 percent moisture, the pods become more brittle and shatter easily." Mechanical damage and split beans are also more likely this year due to the low moisture levels in the beans. Check the clean grain hopper on the combine frequently, and make adjustments as necessary to reduce splits. The following recommendations will help you harvest and market more of your 2007 soybean crop. ** Keep knife sections sharp and tight and make sure that all guards, wear plates and hold-down clips are in good condition and properly adjusted. Consider replacing standard knife sections with narrow knife sections to reduce shatter losses. ** Operate the cutter bar as close to the ground as possible. ** Keep the ground speed at three to four miles per hour or less. ** Adjust reel to run about 25 percent faster than ground speed. For a 42-inch diameter reel, this is about 10 to 11 revolutions per minute per mile per hour of ground speed (i.e. 30 rpm for 3 mph). ** If the crop is standing well, position the reel axis about 6 to 9 inches ahead of the cutter bar, and adjust the reel height so that the tips of the fingers operate about 12 inches above the ground. If the plants are tangled or lodged, position the reel axis about 9 to 12 inches ahead of the cutter bar, and adjust the height so that the reel runs about 1 inch above the ground. Raise the reel if plants are riding over the top of the reel. ** Take advantage of conditions that create damp pods, such as dew, light rains or high humidity to reduce shattering. ** Maintain the slowest cylinder speed possible that produces complete threshing. ** Remember that you are losing one bushel per acre for every four beans per square foot you find on the ground. For more information about improving Michigan's soybean crop, visit the Soybean 2010 Web page at http://web1.msue.msu.edu/soybean2010/. Soybean 2010 was developed to help Michigan growers increase soybean yields and farm profitability by 2010. Funding is provided by MSU Extension; Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), the plant industry initiative at MSU; and the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee. Contact: Laura Probyn, ANR Communications-Media Relations/Promotions, Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 310 Agriculture Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824 or 517-432-1555, ext. 171. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WITH HARVEST IN SWING, SAFETY CONCERNS DEMAND EXTRA ATTENTION -Published: September 26, 2007 COLUMBIA, Mo. - With the harvest in full swing, a lot of grain must move from field to storage, demanding extra safety precautions. "The first rule is that the harvest is no place for children. There are really no safe play areas around harvesting equipment," said Bill Casady, University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineer. "Never allow children to climb into grain trucks or wagons. Children have been lost to grain-drowning or sucked into a stream of flowing grain. Just remember that neither a child nor an adult can escape from flowing grain," he said. Multiple injuries or fatalities also can occur in stored grain. The force required to free a trapped worker in grain is often as much as four times the weight of the person. It is worse with flowing grain. There is no footing to pull from, and the victim cannot hold on tightly enough to be freed from the grain. "Never enter a bin alone. Wear a full-body safety harness and an approved rope. Have an informed person on the ground who can get help. Lock out any controls that could start the equipment," Casady said. A portable auger and close quarters is an electrocution hazard. Electric utilities are often lower than surrounding bins and other structures. Multiple accidents or deaths can occur as a second person attempts a rescue. Public highways are another source of danger for farm machinery operators. Farm machinery travels slowly. Use flashing lights and a slow moving vehicle emblem. Replace old SMV signs with newer ones. They've been improved, and the older ones have probably faded. Run with lights on, he said. Never get out of the combine without shutting off the header. If a part needs repair, idle down and shut off the threshing components. Story Source: Bill Casady, Extension Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering, University of Missouri, 573-882-4370. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The INDIANA CROP & WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Second Class postage paid at Lafayette IN. For information on subscribing, send request to above address. POSTMASTER: Send address change to the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 110, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday September 30, 2007 ----------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN| Total|Days |Temp ----------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 90 44 67 +6 0.29 2 Francesville 91 45 66 +6 0.31 2 Valparaiso_AP_I 92 43 67 +7 0.44 1 Wanatah 93 41 64 +5 0.77 1 71 Winamac 91 45 66 +7 0.39 2 69 North Central(2) Plymouth 91 43 65 +4 0.36 3 South_Bend 92 44 67 +8 0.39 2 Young_America 93 46 68 +8 0.43 2 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 90 42 64 +6 0.17 2 67 Fort_Wayne 92 44 67 +7 0.29 3 West Central(4) Greencastle 90 46 68 +6 0.70 2 Perrysville 94 44 70 +9 0.18 3 77 Spencer_Ag 91 49 70 +9 2.38 3 Terre_Haute_AFB 90 47 71 +8 0.57 1 W_Lafayette_6NW 93 45 68 +8 0.64 3 73 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 91 50 72 +10 0.75 2 Greenfield 91 49 69 +8 0.59 2 Indianapolis_AP 92 53 73 +11 0.37 2 Indianapolis_SE 91 50 70 +8 0.77 2 Tipton_Ag 93 43 68 +8 0.40 2 72 East Central(6) Farmland 92 42 67 +7 0.39 2 70 New_Castle 92 47 68 +8 1.71 2 Southwest (7) Evansville 94 52 74 +9 1.01 3 Freelandville 92 53 72 +9 1.27 3 Shoals 95 46 70 +7 2.26 3 Stendal 96 53 74 +11 2.35 3 Vincennes_5NE 94 52 73 +11 1.30 4 80 South Central(8) Leavenworth 92 49 72 +10 0.82 3 Oolitic 94 48 70 +9 1.98 3 71 Tell_City 94 56 75 +10 0.71 1 Southeast (9) Brookville 95 46 70 +10 1.11 2 Greensburg 93 50 71 +10 1.38 3 Scottsburg 95 45 70 +7 2.31 3 ---------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday September 30, 2007 ------------------------------------------------ Accumulation -------------------------------- April 1, 2007 thru Station September 30, 2007 -------------------------------- Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF -------------------------------- | | | | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |20.12 -2.00 50 3231 +201 Francesville |24.31 +1.91 56 3087 +307 Valparaiso_AP_I |17.76 -6.29 46 3195 +428 Wanatah |23.25 +0.02 57 2936 +295 Winamac |24.07 +1.67 59 3121 +341 North Central(2)| Plymouth |28.90 +5.99 68 3027 +103 South_Bend |23.57 +1.31 56 3249 +508 Young_America |18.03 -3.66 58 3278 +402 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |17.97 -3.80 64 3015 +399 Fort_Wayne |21.69 +1.79 60 3282 +408 West Central(4) | Greencastle |19.65 -5.49 52 3275 +31 Perrysville |16.90 -6.67 52 3594 +577 Spencer_Ag |25.43 +0.20 51 3449 +406 Terre_Haute_AFB |21.31 -2.45 49 3611 +392 W_Lafayette_6NW |21.02 -1.09 58 3332 +471 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |16.42 -5.75 54 3798 +607 Greenfield |16.56 -7.67 64 3459 +389 Indianapolis_AP |14.65 -7.52 51 3879 +688 Indianapolis_SE |18.28 -4.34 55 3463 +278 Tipton_Ag |18.10 -4.41 63 3226 +452 East Central(6) | Farmland |20.20 -1.69 62 3116 +408 New_Castle |19.42 -3.75 48 3197 +421 Southwest (7) | Evansville |14.24 -8.14 48 4269 +571 Freelandville |17.70 -5.61 51 3842 +516 Shoals |19.32 -5.83 45 3614 +388 Stendal |18.37 -6.67 53 4255 +769 Vincennes_5NE |19.54 -3.77 54 4019 +693 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |18.57 -6.82 60 3929 +726 Oolitic |17.42 -6.63 45 3582 +502 Tell_City |20.89 -4.74 42 4179 +604 Southeast (9) | Brookville |14.71 -8.61 42 3682 +757 Greensburg |17.84 -5.72 50 3725 +734 Scottsburg |20.72 -3.27 47 3758 +445 ------------------------------------------------------------------ DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (Rainfall or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of .01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2007: Agricultural Weather Information Service, Inc. All rights reserved. The above weather information is provided by AWIS, Inc. For detailed ag weather forecasts and data visit the AWIS home page at: www.awis.com