in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date July 30, 2007 Issue IN-CW302007 CROP REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 29 Agricultural Summary Many areas of the state received significant rain during the week, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, conditions remain dry in some areas because of minimal precipitation in recent weeks, especially in some of the eastern regions of the state. Major crops and pastures have shown marginal improvement during the last couple of weeks. Spraying activities and scouting of fields continued, but many farmers took time off to visit county fairs. Baling of straw and second cutting of hay crops are winding up. Livestock producers are very concerned about hay shortage. Baling of hay has taken place on some CRP acreage released under FSA 's emergency haying and grazing provisions. Field Crops Report There were 5.3 days suitable for field work. Corn condition improved and is rated 50 percent good to excellent compared with 67 percent last year at this time. Ninety-four percent of the corn acreage has silked compared with 85 percent last year and 82 percent for the 5-year average. Twenty-seven percent of the corn acreage is in the dough stage compared with 20 percent last year and 19 percent for the average. Eighty-four percent of the soybean acreage is blooming compared with 72 percent last year and 73 percent for the average. Thirty-nine percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 27 percent last year and 32 percent for the average. Soybean condition improved and is rated 46 percent good to excellent compared with 66 percent last year at this time. Winter wheat harvest is virtually complete. The second cutting of alfalfa hay is 95 percent complete compared with 93 percent last year and 89 percent for the average. Major activities during the week included: hauling grain, cleaning out grain bins, maintaining irrigation equipment, scouting fields, spraying, cutting and baling hay, mowing roadsides and taking care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 0% excellent, 12% good, 29% fair, 33% poor, and 26% very poor. Livestock continues to benefit from the cooler temperatures. Crop Progress Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Silked 94 85 85 82 Corn in Dough 27 11 20 19 Corn in Dent 1 NA 2 2 Soybeans Blooming 84 70 72 73 Soybeans Setting Pods 39 19 27 32 Alfalfa Second Cutting 95 90 93 89 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 6 13 31 42 8 Soybean 6 13 35 40 6 Pasture 26 33 29 12 0 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table ---------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : ---------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 16 20 1 Short 36 35 9 Adequate 47 45 80 Surplus 1 0 10 Subsoil Very Short 28 28 1 Short 39 39 11 Adequate 33 33 79 Surplus 0 0 9 --------------------------------------- Days Suitable 5.3 5.0 5.0 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 NO SURPRISE, SPIDER MITES RESPONDING TO DRY CONDITIONS * Spider mites can now be found in droughty soybean fields. * Stressed areas of fields will show damage first. * Consider many factors before treating spider mites. * Ground applied applications, because crop dusters are booked, can actually do a better job because of the increased carrier used. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (), as of July 10, 80% of Indiana is abnormally dry, with 32% of that in the first stages of drought. Some area saw some relief with rains this week, but the rains unfortunately missed most of the driest counties in the north-eastern part of the state. It should come as no surprise that twospotted spider mites have begun to move into and colonize thirsty soybeans. Foliage damage from spider mite feeding is expressed initially as subtle stippling, which may progress to a bronzing and necrosis should dry conditions persist and mites are left unchecked. Bronzed foliage is irreversible, meaning the damage is done! Before considering control, it is very important that spider mites are identified as the source of yellowish or bronzed plants in a field. There are many other diseases, pathogens and nutrient defiencies that cause a similar appearance of foliage. To confirm the presence of mites, shake some discolored soybean leaves over a white piece of paper. Watch for small dark specks moving about on the paper. Also look for very tiny, fine webbing on the undersides of the discolored leaves. Once spider mites have been positively identified in the damaged areas of the field, it is essential that the portions of the entire field be scouted to determine the range of infestation spider mites are very patchy in colonizing fields and are often restricted to borders. Sample in at least five different areas of the field and determine how far the spider mites have moved into the field from the grassy borders by using the "leaf-shake" method. Stressed plants actually provide a more nutritious feast for spider mites than healthy plants do. Thus they thrive and quickly colonize large areas or whole fields. The best spider mite control is to eliminate plant stress, which is easier said than done. Sandy, high clay, or compacted soils will exacerbate moisture stress in plants, with or without the presence of spider mites. Other stresses on soybean include pests such as soybean cyst nematode or nutritional imbalances, such as manganese deficiency. Obviously the best plant stress reliever under dry conditions is rain. Significant rain doesn't control spider mites but helps the soybean plant become more vigorous and healthy, which in turn makes the "juices" of the plant less nutritious to the mites, and makes mites less likely to reproduce as quickly. The most severe damage occurs when the infestation starts in the early stages of plant growth and builds throughout the season (extended drought). Before applying controls carefully consider that, depending when damage is noted, multiple insecticide/miticide applications may be necessary. This is because surviving spider mites are able to repopulate a field much more quickly than their natural predators, which are usually also wiped out by these chemical applications. If extensive leaf discoloration is apparent, spider mites are positively identified as the culprit, and hot, dry conditions are expected to persist, it is recommended that a control be considered. If a control is warranted, two pesticides are recommended for use. These include dimethoate (Dimethoate 400 and 4 EC) and chlorpyrifos (Lorsban 4E and generics). Dimethoate is the most efficacious of these compounds for mite control. If soybean aphid is also present in the field, then chlorpyrifos would be a good choice to suppress both pests. Neither of these products will control spider mite eggs, however, and each will provide a maximum of 7 days of residual activity. Proper placement of these pesticides is the key to successful control results. Nozzle pressures of 40 psi with fine to medium droplet size and 30-40 gallons of water per acre for ground application helps distribute the pesticide throughout the foliage. Christian Krupke, John Obermeyer, and Larry Bledsoe, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054. This article also contains some photos, which can be viewed at: http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/ pestcrop/2007/issue17/index.html, pages 1 and 2. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 July 29, 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 85 53 71 -4 0.88 2 Francesville 83 52 70 -3 1.55 1 Valparaiso_AP_I 84 55 72 -2 0.52 1 Wanatah 83 51 70 -3 1.12 1 78 Winamac 83 55 70 -3 4.00 1 75 North Central (2) Plymouth 83 55 71 -4 2.70 1 South_Bend 83 58 72 -2 2.41 3 Young_America 86 54 71 -3 1.71 3 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 83 52 71 -2 0.86 3 71 Fort_Wayne 85 54 72 -3 0.66 2 West Central (4) Greencastle 84 52 70 -7 0.56 2 Perrysville 87 52 72 -3 0.54 2 79 Spencer_Ag 86 55 72 -3 0.43 1 Terre_Haute_AFB 84 53 71 -5 0.56 1 W_Lafayette_6NW 85 55 70 -4 0.89 3 77 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 86 59 74 -2 1.02 3 Greenfield 85 58 71 -4 0.54 3 Indianapolis_AP 86 59 74 -2 0.95 3 Indianapolis_SE 84 54 71 -5 0.85 2 Tipton_Ag 84 48 70 -4 0.72 3 74 East Central (6) Farmland 83 46 69 -4 0.28 2 73 New_Castle 83 53 70 -4 1.81 2 Southwest (7) Evansville 91 56 76 -3 0.33 1 Freelandville 87 59 73 -4 0.40 1 Shoals 89 52 72 -4 0.99 2 Stendal 92 56 75 -3 0.51 2 Vincennes_5NE 91 58 74 -3 0.05 1 South Central (8) Leavenworth 88 59 73 -3 0.86 2 Oolitic 87 53 72 -4 0.57 1 76 Tell_City 88 59 75 -4 1.29 1 Southeast (9) Brookville 86 56 73 -2 0.53 3 Greensburg 85 55 72 -3 0.55 3 Scottsburg 87 52 72 -5 0.55 1 -------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday July 29, 2007 ------------------------------------------------ Accumulation -------------------------------- April 1, 2007 thru Station July 29, 2007 -------------------------------- Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF -------------------------------- | | | | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) Chalmers_5W 13.05 -1.89 37 1879 +46 Francesville 14.86 -0.15 40 1792 +109 Valparaiso_AP_I 7.86 -7.94 29 1869 +222 Wanatah 13.08 -2.27 38 1729 +156 Winamac 16.84 +1.83 40 1809 +126 North Central (2) Plymouth 15.83 +0.11 43 1754 -1 South_Bend 13.21 -1.52 33 1910 +280 Young_America 11.66 -2.80 41 1897 +178 Northeast (3) Columbia_City 9.86 -4.92 43 1749 +194 Fort_Wayne 9.53 -4.11 41 1926 +215 West Central (4) Greencastle 13.63 -3.45 38 1862 -84 Perrysville 12.32 -3.99 36 2083 +261 Spencer_Ag 18.67 +1.20 39 1927 +100 Terre_Haute_AFB 15.16 -1.39 39 2079 +136 W_Lafayette_6NW 14.19 -0.81 41 1937 +218 Central (5) Eagle_Creek_AP 10.34 -5.04 42 2178 +254 Greenfield 10.84 -6.02 47 1974 +137 Indianapolis_AP 9.63 -5.75 42 2213 +289 Indianapolis_SE 13.00 -2.99 43 1973 +69 Tipton_Ag 11.53 -3.63 44 1834 +169 East Central (6) Farmland 10.65 -4.37 43 1797 +177 New_Castle 11.77 -4.72 35 1838 +183 Southwest (7) Evansville 11.03 -5.03 37 2432 +172 Freelandville 10.72 -5.90 39 2207 +196 Shoals 14.94 -3.04 37 2049 +116 Stendal 12.90 -4.87 39 2443 +329 Vincennes_5NE 13.57 -3.05 40 2293 +282 South Central (8) Leavenworth 14.19 -3.98 42 2226 +298 Oolitic 13.30 -3.74 35 1988 +145 Tell_City 16.84 -1.21 29 2402 +259 Southeast (9) Brookville 11.46 -4.93 33 2061 +326 Greensburg 13.66 -2.83 39 2109 +308 Scottsburg 15.99 -0.86 38 2152 +158 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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