NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 10/05/03 Issue NH-CW4003 Volume 23, Number 24 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) October 6, 2003 - 4 pm -- Agricultural Summary -- COLD WEATHER IS HERE For the week ending October 5, 2003, there were 5 days available for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 3% short, 68% adequate, 29% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 4% short, 88% adequate, 8% surplus. Pasture condition was rated as 2% very poor, 10% poor, 44% fair, 39% good, 5% excellent. Below average temperatures arrived last week and significant rainfall was received. Snow fell in some elevated northern locations. The first hard frost hit most areas of New England, halting some vegetable harvest. Major farm activities included: cutting haylage and making dry hay; harvesting potatoes, small grains, corn silage, apples, peaches, pears, cranberries and vegetables; finishing desiccating potato vines; spreading manure; applying lime; planting cover crops; monitoring fields; performing general farm maintenance. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ----------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ----------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 8 Short 3 6 26 Adequate 68 67 64 Surplus 29 27 2 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 0 1 16 Short 4 15 39 Adequate 88 76 44 Surplus 8 8 1 ----------------------------------------------- -- Field Crops Report -- Rainy days made dry hay making difficult, but some farmers still made baleage. Second crop hay harvest continued to wind down last week, while the third cut progressed to 85 percent complete. Growers harvested silage corn between showers; some farmers had difficulty getting into fields due to the wet conditions. Rhode Island growers finished harvesting potatoes, ahead of last year and the five-year average. Potato harvest in Maine and Massachusetts was ongoing when weather allowed. Maine farmers continued to wrap up small grain harvest; rain caused delays and made it difficult to get equipment into fields. Rain showers provided good conditions for tobacco damp in the Connecticut River Valley. -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report -- FRUIT: Apple, peach and pear harvest continued last week. Pick-your-own operations experienced good business on dry days, and apple sales in general went very well. Fall raspberry harvest continued to wind down and most growers finished harvesting plums. Cranberry harvest was ten percent behind normal last week; berry size was reported as small and growers were slow to harvest until berries gained more color. VEGETABLES: Harvesting continued for brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, lettuce, peppers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, zucchini and other vegetables. Sweet corn harvest was nearly complete by week's end, and harvested fields were cleaned up. Hard frost signaled the end of harvest for many vegetable growers. -- Crop Progress Tables -- FIELD CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ------------------------------------------------------- -- % Harvested -- Crop 2003 2002 5-yr Avg Condition ------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME 95 100 100 Good/Fair Oats, ME 95 100 95 Good/Fair Potatoes Maine 70 75 70 Good Mass 60 70 80 Good/Fair Rhode Isl 100 90 85 Good/Excellent Silage Corn 65 70 70 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 99 99 99 Good Dry Hay Second Cut 99 99 95 Good/Fair Third Cut 85 85 80 Good/Excellent --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- % Harvested -- Crop 2003 2002 5-yr Avg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Apples 70 70 70 Good/Fair Peaches 99 100 100 Good/Fair Pears 65 55 70 Good/Fair Cranberries,MA 20 25 30 Good -------------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary -- For the week ending Sunday, October 5, 2003 -------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 28 76 49 -2 0.70 5.83 NH 11 72 47 -5 0.57 2.27 VT 24 71 46 -6 0.45 2.59 MA 29 75 52 -4 0.03 4.50 RI 32 72 55 -3 0.20 0.46 CT 30 76 52 -6 0.22 4.22 -------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -- Weather Information Table -- Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. For the Period: Monday September 29, 2003 To: Sunday October 5, 2003 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 33 67 49 -6 1912 -219 704 -86 Allagash 28 69 47 -1 1365 +26 408 +85 Augusta_State_A 37 68 51 -3 2206 +151 903 +157 Bangor_Intl_Arp 37 69 52 -2 2181 +310 890 +268 Barnard 33 68 49 -1 1780 +193 610 +158 Bath 33 70 52 -3 1952 +21 724 +64 Bethel 33 69 49 -3 1909 +69 681 +85 Brassua_Dam 33 68 48 +0 1556 +245 512 +202 Brunswick_ME 33 76 52 -2 2123 +192 846 +186 Caribou_Municip 32 69 48 +1 1751 +309 622 +244 Corinna 34 68 50 -1 1977 +230 737 +197 Danforth 33 68 49 -1 1817 +130 672 +147 Dover-Foxcroft 33 63 48 -3 1596 +9 506 +54 Durham 32 70 50 -5 1917 -278 747 -94 East_Hiram 30 68 49 -4 1842 +10 655 +65 Eustis 30 67 45 -4 1447 +176 459 +176 Frenchville 33 66 48 +0 1602 +263 526 +203 Gray 37 71 52 -2 2233 +329 923 +286 Greenville_ME 34 63 47 -3 1715 +115 582 +119 Guilford 29 66 47 -4 1508 -79 485 +33 Hollis 30 68 49 -3 1951 +204 723 +191 Houlton 30 68 49 +2 1823 +316 670 +246 Kennebunkport 36 67 52 -5 1920 -429 653 -288 Livermore_Falls 33 73 50 +0 1971 +416 769 +340 Moosehead 30 67 46 -3 1485 +174 470 +160 New_Sharon 34 71 50 +2 1999 +444 769 +340 Patten 32 67 48 -2 1729 +222 589 +165 Portage 34 67 49 +1 1802 +360 642 +264 Portland_ME 37 71 52 -2 2164 +260 862 +225 Rangeley 32 65 46 -2 1505 +266 467 +203 Sebec_Lake 31 67 49 -1 1769 +169 610 +147 Vanceboro 33 69 50 +0 1786 +157 624 +146 Waterville 38 70 52 -3 2075 -56 799 +9 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 29 66 48 -6 2120 +65 852 +113 Benton 29 66 46 -6 1826 +145 643 +167 Berlin_AG 32 67 47 -4 1886 +204 679 +182 Bethlehem 30 66 46 -5 1709 +34 582 +106 Concord 31 71 50 -4 2447 +392 1087 +348 Diamond_Pond 29 62 44 -3 1320 +208 388 +183 First_Conn_Lake 30 63 44 -3 1371 +259 409 +204 Greenville 23 70 45 -8 1817 -44 671 +86 Keene_AP 28 66 47 -9 2340 +26 981 +65 Lakeport 33 69 50 -2 2386 +479 1028 +383 Marlow 27 67 45 -10 1708 -384 597 -150 Mount_Washingto 11 61 31 -5 246 +185 6 +6 North_Conway 32 68 49 -4 2130 +238 849 +216 Otter_Brook_Lk 30 67 48 -8 2145 -169 833 -83 Plymouth 31 66 47 -4 1857 +203 655 +178 Rochester 33 71 52 -4 2178 -41 873 +21 Weare 33 67 48 -6 2130 +38 815 +68 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 27 65 45 -8 1890 +98 677 +126 Bethel 27 67 47 -5 2134 +432 832 +328 Burlington_Intl 34 65 50 -3 2599 +416 1169 +328 East_Haven 29 66 45 -3 1752 +365 603 +266 Island_Pond 34 66 46 -3 1755 +375 608 +283 Montpelier 29 64 46 -6 1923 +212 697 +185 Morrisville_AG 31 62 46 -5 2030 +325 793 +277 Mount_Mansfield 24 47 35 -9 944 +228 199 +133 Northfield 29 64 46 -4 1905 +354 690 +268 Pownal 31 64 48 -5 2029 +231 707 +155 Rochester 30 63 48 -4 1966 +264 702 +198 Rutland_AG 30 65 47 -8 2096 -190 801 -96 Sunderland 28 65 46 -8 1888 -299 629 -191 Sutton 30 65 46 -3 1753 +366 587 +250 Townshend_Lake 31 66 47 -7 2155 -11 833 +10 Union_Vill_Dam 28 71 48 -7 2106 -74 834 +5 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 32 65 49 -4 2265 +407 920 +322 Boston/Logan_In 41 72 57 -3 2818 +96 1359 +140 Greenfield 31 68 49 -9 2472 -33 1052 +7 New_Bedford 37 72 55 -6 2543 -226 1149 -108 Otis_AFB 39 75 57 -1 2554 +322 1181 +319 Plymouth 31 75 53 -4 2443 +163 1073 +172 Walpole 32 73 53 -3 2576 +300 1170 +278 West_Medway 32 73 53 -3 2589 +313 1171 +279 Chicopee/Westov 30 66 49 -10 2574 -310 1143 -196 Worcester 35 68 51 -5 2396 +270 1011 +229 Worthington 30 66 46 -8 1948 +103 678 +103 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 37 71 55 -3 2810 +218 1345 +219 Woonsocket 32 72 53 -2 2544 +303 1139 +293 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 30 66 47 -11 2097 -656 769 -475 Bridgeport/Siko 37 70 56 -6 2913 +100 1434 +122 Hartford/Bradle 33 69 51 -7 2851 +106 1350 +114 Norfolk 31 66 47 -6 2049 +212 742 +169 Norwich 34 76 54 -4 2747 +163 1297 +195 Thomaston_Dam 30 68 50 -6 2538 +304 1094 +254 Willimantic 33 72 52 -5 2654 +372 1217 +344 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 2.37 +1.59 5 5.91 +2.87 12 Allagash 3.55 +2.78 3 4.60 +1.28 8 Augusta_State_A 3.02 +2.25 5 6.30 +3.34 14 Bangor_Intl_Arp 3.95 +3.20 5 5.60 +2.44 12 Barnard 3.51 +2.65 5 7.08 +3.49 12 Bath 1.82 +1.10 3 5.89 +3.07 8 Bethel 1.03 +0.26 2 5.17 +2.09 9 Brassua_Dam 2.22 +1.44 4 4.01 +0.68 9 Brunswick_ME 2.59 +1.87 4 4.68 +1.86 10 Caribou_Municip 1.24 +0.54 4 2.29 -0.81 12 Corinna 3.20 +2.43 4 6.35 +3.06 11 Danforth 3.30 +2.53 4 5.07 +1.83 11 Dover-Foxcroft 2.56 +1.70 4 4.26 +0.67 12 Durham 2.13 +1.36 4 4.82 +1.94 10 East_Hiram 0.79 +0.01 4 4.43 +1.50 12 Eustis 1.06 +0.37 4 3.88 +1.07 8 Frenchville 2.28 +1.51 4 3.19 -0.13 10 Gray 1.71 +0.94 4 5.74 +2.80 11 Greenville_ME 2.93 +2.07 5 4.09 +0.50 11 Guilford 3.13 +2.27 7 5.75 +2.16 15 Hollis 1.00 +0.23 4 4.33 +1.25 11 Houlton 1.95 +1.20 5 3.03 -0.20 12 Kennebunkport 0.80 +0.03 4 4.30 +1.35 17 Livermore_Falls 1.69 +0.90 3 4.86 +1.60 11 Moosehead 3.33 +2.55 5 5.11 +1.78 10 New_Sharon 2.09 +1.30 3 4.64 +1.38 10 Patten 4.24 +3.49 5 6.17 +2.94 14 Portage 3.76 +3.06 4 5.05 +1.95 10 Portland_ME 0.70 -0.07 2 3.71 +0.77 8 Rangeley 1.05 +0.42 5 4.26 +1.50 13 Sebec_Lake 4.11 +3.25 4 6.38 +2.79 10 Vanceboro 3.19 +2.39 4 4.86 +1.34 11 Waterville 3.17 +2.39 6 6.17 +3.13 13 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.82 +0.15 5 4.42 +1.83 16 Benton 1.27 +0.57 5 4.03 +1.16 10 Berlin_AG 1.06 +0.30 3 4.17 +1.18 8 Bethlehem 0.94 +0.24 5 3.57 +0.71 11 Concord 0.71 +0.04 5 4.12 +1.53 14 Diamond_Pond 1.41 +0.57 5 4.46 +0.88 15 First_Conn_Lake 0.89 +0.05 4 3.24 -0.34 10 Greenville 1.13 +0.40 2 5.30 +2.43 10 Keene_AP 1.22 +0.54 5 4.37 +1.65 13 Lakeport 1.05 +0.35 4 3.98 +1.24 11 Marlow 1.28 +0.51 5 4.34 +1.26 12 Mount_Washingto 2.27 +0.76 4 8.73 +2.13 14 North_Conway 0.88 +0.04 3 4.20 +1.00 11 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.34 +0.66 3 5.98 +3.26 13 Plymouth 0.85 +0.08 4 3.42 +0.52 12 Rochester 0.92 +0.10 2 6.04 +3.00 9 Weare 1.29 +0.52 5 5.28 +2.20 15 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 2.00 +1.16 5 5.43 +1.96 16 Bethel 1.84 +1.00 4 4.76 +1.32 13 Burlington_Intl 2.42 +1.75 5 3.55 +0.62 12 East_Haven 1.56 +0.86 5 4.32 +1.30 14 Island_Pond 1.38 +0.68 5 3.25 +0.28 14 Montpelier 2.34 +1.71 5 4.02 +1.44 13 Morrisville_AG 1.95 +1.23 3 3.18 +0.06 10 Mount_Mansfield 2.12 +0.88 7 8.45 +2.99 16 Northfield 1.71 +1.01 2 3.41 +0.50 9 Pownal 1.99 +1.15 5 5.57 +2.10 15 Rochester 2.11 +1.27 3 5.25 +1.81 11 Rutland_AG 1.53 +0.83 4 3.28 +0.13 12 Sunderland 2.30 +1.60 5 5.18 +2.09 12 Sutton 1.44 +0.74 5 4.15 +1.13 15 Townshend_Lake 2.59 +1.89 5 6.12 +3.18 14 Union_Vill_Dam 0.45 -0.30 3 3.42 +0.36 14 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.00 +0.30 5 4.88 +2.16 15 Boston/Logan_In 0.25 -0.45 3 2.03 -0.77 7 Greenfield 3.30 +2.53 5 8.61 +5.48 15 New_Bedford 0.60 -0.10 4 2.48 -0.54 11 Otis_AFB 0.86 +0.03 3 1.18 -2.02 7 Plymouth 0.27 -0.64 5 1.61 -2.16 12 Walpole 0.33 -0.51 3 2.53 -0.87 7 West_Medway 0.03 -0.81 1 3.02 -0.38 5 Chicopee/Westov 2.54 +1.76 5 9.06 +5.82 15 Worcester 0.42 -0.53 3 3.24 -0.53 12 Worthington 2.17 +1.35 4 6.91 +3.57 14 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 0.25 -0.52 4 1.19 -2.00 9 Woonsocket 0.20 -0.64 3 3.35 -0.13 9 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.28 +0.44 3 6.95 +3.47 12 Bridgeport/Siko 0.65 -0.05 2 2.52 -0.35 8 Hartford/Bradle 4.22 +3.38 3 8.49 +5.01 14 Norfolk 1.76 +0.86 5 7.69 +3.93 14 Norwich 0.26 -0.60 3 2.77 -0.80 8 Thomaston_Dam 1.48 +0.57 3 6.48 +2.79 13 Willimantic 0.54 -0.37 4 3.42 -0.24 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 2003: 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 - Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: For many it took most of the week to let soils dry out from the previous Sunday's rains. Silage harvest was slowed with many fields too wet to enter. In other locations trucks had to be pulled through fields to allow harvest to continue. Apple and pear harvest continued to progress past the half way point. Cabbage, peppers and tomatoes continued to be harvested. Sweet corn completed on many farms. Frost on Friday morning in isolated locations. Pumpkin yields ranged from very good to poor with significant acreage hurt by a new blight to the area. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Frost halted vegetable production. Pumpkin picking taking place. Field corn harvesting getting closer to being done with poor to average yields, smaller stalks and varying ear development. Apples looking good with 60% of harvest complete, evidence of summer diseases affecting apple quality, flavor is excellent. Nancy Welsh/Karen Vozarik (FSA), New Haven: A light frost has hit the area this week. Still harvesting silage corn. Loss adjusters out checking fields. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Rain and late maturing corn continues to hamper corn harvest. Fields were planted late in spring - summer was cool, now fields are late maturing. Some scattered frost in the area might help dry down some corn. Mud keeping some farms out on the sidelines. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: A few growers have completed harvesting their potatoes, however those who are not done are finding it a slow and difficult process due to wet soils. Some areas in the St. John valley have received as much as five inches of rain during the past week, this much rain can bring harvesting to a halt for a few days. A few days of warm, dry weather are badly needed. Still hearing complaints of small tuber size. For the most part small grain harvesting is completed. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Harvesting of potatoes continues. We have had some recent rain that has slowed harvesting a little. Most farmers only have 4-5 more days left to get their crop harvested. Canola is still being harvested - only 5-10 percent left to harvest. If showers would cease, all grains could be harvested and stored. Soil sampling taking place on already harvested grounds and liming applications for fall being applied. Steve London, Southern Aroostook: Some farmers are having trouble killing russet vines. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Harvesting of silage corn and potatoes still in full swing. Heavy rains have delayed harvesting. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Lots of crazy wet weather has slowed harvest. First really cold hard frost was this week. Hail and high winds made life interesting. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Fall pruning underway on blueberry fields. Many areas have had frost. Another day of steady rain helping the water table and wells. Silage corn harvest completed over the weekend. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: The week's weather was helpful for harvesting. Corn silage growers have been reporting a great crop; a few have told us the ears are short. Some potato producers have had water problems. The heavy rains dropped so much water that the rows were flooded and there is concern about rot. Pumpkins, squash and gourds are popular at the farm market. Harvest is winding down. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Some producers are finishing up corn harvest and some are finished chopping hay. The first widespread frost finished a lot of gardens, it's time to prepare for winter. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: This week's weather was cool and rainy. Some reports of frost have been received. Harvest has slowed due to ground conditions. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Our ground is still soggy with mud making it tough to get around some corn fields. Some folks still have not started chopping because corn stalks are still very green and ears haven't tipped down, but with first frost in the county beginning on the 2nd, the dry down has begun. Pumpkin producers have piled their crop in fields and yards along with other vine crops. If planted crops did get started, it was a good year. Lots of planted crops were adversely affected by damp, cold weather and did not produce a fair yield. A little liming and fall fertilization was done. Harvested sweet corn ground has been tilled and cover cropped. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Fall has arrived quickly. Many families out picking apples. Nice apple picking weather. Plums, blueberries and caneberries coming to a close. Cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts harvested. Some later sweet corn still standing in fields. Some vegetable fields being cleaned after final crops are picked. Third cutting hay still being cut and dried. The cooler weather making the hay take longer to dry. Silage corn continues being chopped for winter storage. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Harvest progressing very slowly. Everyone is waiting for better color. Crops have been very disappointing. Smaller size than expected due to insect damage, the drought from 2002, and the amount of ice sanding that was done in January. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Light frost hit the area this week. Farms stands report a brisk business over the weekend. Corn harvest well underway. Crop looks good. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Temperatures in the high 20's on Thursday morning brought an end to the 2003 season for many crops. Silage and potato harvest continues despite real tough field conditions. Brooks and streams are running at early spring levels and there's nowhere for fields to drain to. Don't bother asking farmers how field conditions are, they're liable to give you an answer you didn't need to hear. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: All crop fields are still saturated with the continued rainfall throughout the week. Three days of morning frost has ended the harvest of summer crops such as peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and cucumbers. The rainfall also brought a tobacco damp for the growers to take down tobacco. The wet conditions are making corn silage and potato harvest very difficult. Gary Guida, Worcester: Frosts on Thursday and Sunday night put an end to this farming season in Northern Worcester County. Had picked beans, zukes, fall raspberries, and grapes prior to first frost. All other crops had been picked and stored. Retail sales were brisk as consumers tried to get yard work done as well as decorate for fall. Pumpkins here not all orange but are turning in storage and display. Largest pumpkin - 49 pounds. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Picking fall raspberries and several varieties of high quality apples. Fruit size is large. There are still many vegetables available at farm stands. Growers are cleaning up the fields, spreading manure and sewing cover crops. Chopping corn... wishing the rain would hold off a bit. Pumpkin and mum sales are strong. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Some rain, some sun, some widespread frosts. Corn harvest is done on some farms, what remains is frosted. No more dry hay being made, though some are making baleage in between showers, and 4th cutting looks good. Apple harvest in full swing. Pumpkins are widely available. Farms are spreading manure on harvested ground and planting cover crops. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Frosts, hard freezes in county but not universal. Few locations appear to have escaped damage. Crop season about over now, however. Silage corn continues to be chopped but bulk of it now in silos. Out in field with FSA to check yields; seeing good yields on most farms, nice maturity. General problems observed: annual grasses, corn earworm damage, a few planter difficulties - too high corn populations. Bear and bird damage also in evidence. A little haying, pasturing as possible, fields still look pretty green for this time of year. Apples, cider, pumpkins, squash, mums, etc. available at local markets. About peak color in central part of county, fair numbers of visitors enjoying farm stand offers. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn harvest continues at a rapid pace. Fourth cut growth looks good to excellent. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Vegetables: Good demand for all vegetable continues. Harvesting wide array of vegetables, including warm season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. However, heavy frost on Thursday and Friday has brought the harvest of warm season vegetables to an end. Harvesting cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, lettuce, winter squash and pumpkins. Farmers kept busy disking, cleaning up and planting cover crops on harvested fields. Fruit: Pick-your-own apple and farm stand operations had a wonderful Sunday, rainy on Saturday. Apple harvest is in full swing with most growers concentrating on last picking McIntosh and Cortland. Continue harvesting varieties like Red Delicious, Macoun, Empire, etc. Fruit size is excellent, but bruising can be a problem. Peach and plum harvest over and the frost completed the fall raspberry harvest. Field Crops: Field corn harvest in full swing. Cover crops were being planted in harvested fields. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Apple harvest going well. Weekend rain reduced retail sales at roadside stands. Pumpkin and squash harvest and sales going well. Some storage rots appearing on pumpkins. Eighty percent of the silage corn harvested. Farmers trying to beat the frost. Some scattered frost reported. Good pasturing season; stock piling grasses for late fall grazing. Some fall planting of shrubs in nurseries. Growing degree days on Monday, October 6 in Boscawen is 2044. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: The week was cool with weekend rain showers. Fruit growers were busy harvesting apples. Apple sales were doing well. Vegetable growers were harvesting a wide variety of late vegetable crops. Pumpkin harvesting and sales were going well. Greenhouses and nurseries continued with fall mum sales, some were closing down for the season. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: The last of the sweet corn has been harvested, still chopping field corn. Winter squash and some tomatoes still in the field. Cover crops on potatoes look great and finishing up some haying. Pumpkins being harvested and did alright considering the summer. Roadside stands are absolutely stuffed with pumpkins, gourds and all the fall crops. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: Corn silage harvest is winding down and producers are reporting excellent yields with generally excellent quality. Soybeans have dried down and are ready for harvest; crop looks good and the yield looks great. Lamoille County has yet to experience a major killing frost this fall. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: A lot of rain showers this week slowed corn harvest. In spite of this most farms have completed their harvest. There is a little 3rd and 4th cut hay left to do. Most farms are spreading manure on their corn land to empty their manure storage for winter. A few of the higher elevations were white on Friday morning, but most of us just got rain. Lynette Hamilton/Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: Corn harvesting is almost completed in Windham County with excellent production. Winter rye being broadcasted on stubble ground along with manure. There is some late cut alfalfa to harvest. Most all veggie crops are harvested. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Harvesting corn silage. Frost this week dried leaves of corn. Alfalfa and grass hay still have good regrowth. Moderate to heavy rust disease on grass leaves. Some manure spreading on harvested hay fields, both grass and alfalfa. Some manure on corn stubble and some primary tillage - moldboard or chisel plow. New seedings one foot tall and strong. Many weeds and no seeding year harvest. Pasture growth slow. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Busy week of chopping corn for silage. Heavy showers/rain stopped the progress a couple of times. Spotty frost, still no freeze to end the growing season. Some people thinking of taking a 4th cut of grass, but there is a lot of feed around, so they might not harvest it. Fall colors seem a bit late. Some snow in higher elevations on Friday morning. Heather Darby (Ext), Franklin: Last week brought rain, hail, sleet and snow! Corn chopping was slowed down but will resume full force this week. Most farmers in this area reporting higher than normal yields. Manure being spread on chopped fields. Third cut is finished. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Received 1.905 inches of rain this week. Main crops all harvested. Pumpkins and squash all in storage. Still plenty of beets and carrots for market. Also cabbage, turnips and broccoli. No frost yet, it has been a great year. SEPTEMBER 2003 CROP WEATHER SUMMARY: Early September saw average temperatures with a mix of sun and rain. Growers were well into crop harvest at this point, most either behind or on schedule with average harvest progress. Hurricane Isabel pushed warm, humid air into New England near mid-September, and the above normal temperatures remained until the end of the month. Second crop hay harvest was nearly complete by month's end, and growers cutting a third crop were on schedule with 75 percent finished; some growers were able to take a fourth cutting this year. Silage corn harvest progress remained behind normal throughout the month and was rated in good to fair condition as of month's end. Potato harvest progress in Massachusetts was slightly behind normal as October approached, while Rhode Island growers were ten percent ahead of normal progress. Maine potato growers actively harvested and desiccated vines on later varieties; as of September 28, the crop was rated in good condition and nearly half of the crop was harvested. Maine oat and barley harvest was on schedule and the crops were in good to fair condition at month's end, though farmers expected low yields due to lodging from earlier heavy winds and rain. Both broadleaf and shade tobacco harvests were completed by September 21; rain during the last full week of September provided a few damp days for broadleaf growers to begin taking down the crop to be stripped and bundled. Only five percent of the peach crop was left to harvest by the end of the month, slightly behind last year and normal. Pear harvest progress was also behind at 45 percent picked, compared to an average of 60 percent. Apple harvest was on schedule, with 60 percent harvested as of the 28th. Crop specialists remarked that apple size might be smaller than average this year, but overall quality has remained good to fair. Growers completed the harvest of highbush blueberries by month's end; some locations had reported a poor highbush crop this year. White cranberry harvest was come and gone within a matter of two weeks, and growers began harvesting red berries during the last week of the month. -- 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, Dianne Johnson Stat Assistant: Wayne Colpitt 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 ***********************