in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date August 28, 2005 Issue IN-CW3505 Agricultural Summary Farmers are busy preparing equipment and grain bins for the upcoming harvesting season, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Harvesting of corn for silage continues. Early planted soybean fields are beginning to turn color with some fields starting to shed leaves. Sudden Death Syndrome is beginning to show up in some soybean fields. Cutting and baling of hay made good progress last week. Field Crops Report There were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 41 percent good to excellent compared with 78 percent last year at this time. Ninety-four percent of the corn acreage has reached the dough stage compared with 95 percent last year and 90 percent for the average. By area, corn in dough is 94 percent complete in the north, 95 percent complete in the central region and 96 percent complete in the south. Sixty-one percent of the corn acreage has reached the dent stage compared with 65 percent last year and 56 percent for the average. Eight percent of the corn is mature compared with 13 percent last year and 9 percent for the average. Ninety-nine percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared with 98 percent last year and 95 percent for the average. Soybean condition is rated 51 percent good to excellent compared with 72 percent last year. Third cutting of alfalfa hay is 84 percent complete compared with 76 percent for both last year and the average. Major activities during the week included cleaning grain bins, hauling grain to market, chopping silage, mowing, working on harvest equipment, and attending outlook meetings and field days. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 1 percent excellent, 20 percent good, 41 percent fair, 24 percent poor and 14 percent very poor. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table ----------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg ----------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn in Dough 94 87 95 90 Corn in Dent 61 43 65 56 Corn Mature 8 2 13 9 Soybeans Podding 99 96 98 95 Soybeans Shedding Lvs 4 NA 10 9 Alfalfa Third Cutting 84 67 76 76 Crop Condition Table ---------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent ---------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 6 16 37 35 6 Soybeans 4 11 34 44 7 Pasture 14 24 41 20 1 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable for Fieldwork Table -------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : : Week : Week : Year : -------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 12 12 0 Short 31 30 5 Adequate 56 56 75 Surplus 1 2 20 Subsoil Very Short 18 19 1 Short 39 39 10 Adequate 42 42 78 Surplus 1 0 11 Days Suitable 5.8 5.1 3.6 Contact information --Greg Preston, Director --Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Agricultural Comments And News SOYBEAN APHID, RECENT TREATMENT QUANDARIES BECOMING CLEAR * Most soybean aphid are white dwarves, their impact does not seem as great on later reproductive soybean. * Aphid populations seem to be dwindling, many possible reasons. * Winged aphids are moving, targeted location is unknown at this time. Phone calls and field visits have revealed a change in the soybean aphid, which bodes well for many soybean fields. We certainly seem to be over the hump in terms of infestation intensity, and with advanced soybean growth stages being prevalent in many fields, careful inspection and consideration should be given before further treatments are applied. The vast majority of aphids being found at this point are the small, white dwarves, as discussed in last week's Pest & Crop. Though this small morph of soybean aphid feed and reproduce, it does not seem to have equal impact as the "regular" sized "Mountain Dew" colored version. It is still uncertain what caused this change in the aphid, but considering the same thing happened in previous years (but only later in the season) it may due to the advanced growth stage of the soybean crop (most being R5 to R6) and/or hot, dry conditions through much of the season. Plants with over 250 white dwarf aphids/plants do not appear to be sticky with honeydew nor do they have their lower leaves darkened with sooty mold. Most white dwarves are being found lower in the canopy, and few if any aphids are colonizing new growth. Physiological changes in the later reproductive stages of the soybean plant are obviously contributing to reduced aphid growth and reproduction. Some pest managers from northern Indiana have reported that aphid numbers seem to be declining. Recent counts taken at a Pinney-Purdue soybean aphid research field in Porter County have confirmed this. This may attributed to a variety of factors, including winged aphid dispersal, predation, hard-rains, etc. Chris DiFonzo, Michigan State Extension Entomologist, has reported fungal diseases becoming obvious in many Michigan locations. Certainly the recent heavy dews and fog are conducive for a disease outbreak within the aphid population. Soybean aphid is certainly on the move, however. Winged aphids are still being found on plants, but more apparent are the numbers being captured in suction traps placed six Indiana locations, see graphs at the website mentioned at the end of this article. What is uncertain is whether these winged aphids are seeking new plants/areas to colonize or buckthorn for overwintering. Note that the numbers of winged aphids captured in suction traps do, in fact, reflect the intensity of infestation a given region of the state has endured. Though the infestation has been significant throughout the northern counties of Indiana, the Northeast region seems to have taken the hardest hit, thus the highest winged aphid counts from the Northeast Purdue Agricultural Center. In order to view the graphs associated with this article, go to: http://125.210.99.160/entomology/ext/ targets/p&c2005/p&c21_2005.pdf, page 2. John Obermeyer, Christian Krupke, and Larry Bledsoe, Department of Entomology, Purdue University. 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 B105, 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 B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table Week ending Sunday August 28, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|------------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days |Temp ----------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |88 50 69 -2 0.01 1 Valparaiso_AP_I |82 51 68 -3 0.00 0 Wanatah |84 51 67 -2 0.01 1 76 Wheatfield |83 54 69 +0 0.24 3 Winamac |85 54 69 +0 0.07 1 75 North Central(2)| Plymouth |84 53 69 -3 0.00 0 South_Bend |84 54 69 -1 0.00 0 Young_America |84 52 68 -2 0.02 1 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |85 48 68 -2 0.02 1 74 Fort_Wayne |86 52 69 -2 0.06 1 West Central(4) | Greencastle |86 56 71 -2 1.71 4 Perrysville |87 54 71 +1 1.09 3 77 Spencer_Ag |87 49 71 -1 1.71 3 Terre_Haute_AFB |87 57 73 +1 0.90 4 W_Lafayette_6NW |86 50 69 -1 0.01 1 81 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |86 58 72 +0 0.69 3 Greenfield |87 55 71 -1 0.35 4 Indianapolis_AP |87 59 74 +2 0.65 4 Indianapolis_SE |86 56 71 -2 0.90 3 Tipton_Ag |84 53 69 -1 0.34 2 79 East Central(6) | Farmland |85 52 69 -1 0.00 0 71 New_Castle |87 52 70 +0 0.09 1 Southwest (7) | Evansville |92 63 78 +4 2.52 2 Freelandville |89 59 74 +2 0.27 3 Shoals |90 60 75 +3 0.45 2 Stendal |91 60 77 +3 1.14 3 Vincennes_5NE |94 59 75 +4 0.65 2 80 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |90 62 75 +4 1.13 4 Oolitic |88 59 74 +3 0.18 2 79 Tell_City |90 66 78 +4 1.28 2 Southeast (9) | Brookville |90 55 73 +3 0.35 1 Milan_5NE |87 57 72 +2 0.61 4 Scottsburg |89 54 73 +1 1.04 3 ----------------------------------------------------- Weather Information Table (Continued) Week ending Sunday August 28, 2005 ------------------------------------------------ Accumulation -------------------------------- April 1, 2005 thru Station August 28, 2005 -------------------------------- Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF -------------------------------- | | | | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |13.28 -5.52 48 2699 +202 Valparaiso_AP_I |12.44 -7.01 43 2552 +272 Wanatah |13.88 -5.07 52 2463 +281 Wheatfield |18.67 +0.18 92 2571 +336 Winamac |15.81 -2.94 54 2608 +304 North Central(2)| Plymouth |12.77 -6.19 52 2519 +105 South_Bend | 9.88 -8.40 50 2618 +349 Young_America |17.01 -0.93 49 2590 +223 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |14.60 -3.48 52 2458 +295 Fort_Wayne |12.94 -3.99 52 2587 +217 West Central(4) | Greencastle |23.62 +2.44 47 2593 -71 Perrysville |16.70 -3.48 49 2806 +319 Spencer_Ag |21.63 -0.09 54 2629 +116 Terre_Haute_AFB |17.56 -2.51 49 2869 +218 W_Lafayette_6NW |12.01 -6.75 52 2660 +303 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |15.83 -3.16 50 2889 +259 Greenfield |21.91 +1.04 61 2663 +143 Indianapolis_AP |15.74 -3.25 51 2902 +272 Indianapolis_SE |16.66 -2.97 52 2687 +72 Tipton_Ag |19.46 +0.40 55 2475 +184 East Central(6) | Farmland |15.46 -3.02 50 2504 +268 New_Castle |18.44 -1.70 47 2365 +75 Southwest (7) | Evansville |17.22 -1.89 47 3173 +120 Freelandville |17.23 -2.72 50 2968 +230 Shoals |18.19 -3.47 59 2964 +315 Stendal |17.75 -3.72 47 3146 +269 Vincennes_5NE |22.47 +2.52 53 3078 +340 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |18.58 -3.64 50 3027 +390 Oolitic |17.98 -2.92 54 2741 +207 Tell_City |19.11 -2.81 40 3311 +388 Southeast (9) | Brookville |16.84 -3.45 50 2801 +396 Milan_5NE |19.19 -1.10 75 2752 +347 Scottsburg |18.93 -1.65 56 2914 +190 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 2005: 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