in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date June 23, 2002 Issue IN-CW2502 Agricultural Summary Farmers had an excellent week for field activities, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Hot mid-summer like conditions with virtually no precipitation prevailed during the week. Most farmers were able to finish planting soybeans. Cutting and baling hay, side dressing corn and spraying for weed control also made good progress during the week. Winter wheat harvest is steadily gaining momentum in the southwestern area of the state. Field Crops Report There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 59 percent good to excellent compared with 56 percent last week and 76 percent last year at this time. Corn growth and development improved last week aided by warm temperatures and sunshine. Ninety-seven percent of the corn acreage has emerged compared with 100 percent a year earlier. Ninety-five percent of the intended soybean acreage is planted compared with 100 percent a year ago and 97 percent for the average. By area, 99 percent of the soybean acreage is planted in the north, 95 percent in the central regions and 86 percent in the south. Eighty-five percent of the soybean acreage has emerged compared with 99 percent a year earlier. Soybean condition is rated 61 percent good to excellent unchanged from last week compared to 65 percent a year earlier. Other activities during the week included replanting drowned out spots, cleaning up and repairing equipment, mowing roads, cultivating and taking care of livestock. Virtually all of the winter wheat acreage has headed. Winter wheat condition is rated 55 percent good to excellent compared with 52 percent last week and below the 70 percent a year ago. Wheat harvest is 28 complete compared with 23 percent last year and 16 percent for the 5-year average. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 16 percent excellent, 62 percent good, 20 percent fair and 2 percent poor. First cutting of alfalfa hay is 92 percent complete compared with 93 percent last year and 88 percent for the average. Transplanting of tobacco is 84 percent complete compared with 92 percent last year and 78 percent for the average. Livestock remain in mostly good condition, but were under some stress last week because of the hot weather. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Emerged 97 88 100 NA Soybeans Planted 95 86 100 97 Soybeans Emerged 85 70 99 NA Winter Wheat Harvested 28 2 23 16 Tobacco Plants Set 84 68 92 78 Alfalfa First Cutting 92 73 93 88 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 1 7 33 51 8 Soybean 1 7 31 55 6 Pasture 0 2 20 62 16 Winter Wheat 2002 3 12 30 47 8 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 3 0 1 Short 18 3 4 Adequate 71 64 75 Surplus 8 33 20 Subsoil Very Short 1 0 3 Short 7 1 13 Adequate 78 67 74 Surplus 14 32 10 Days Suitable 6.7 4.2 4.0 Contact information --Ralph W. Gann, State Statistician --Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm Other Agricultural Comments And News Japanese Beetles Emerging * Grub feeding is mostly over, now it's the beetle's turn * Watch for activity on soybean, and later on corn silks Larry Caplan, Vanderburgh County Extension Educator, has reported sightings of Japanese beetles around the greater Evansville area as of June 12. Within two weeks, most areas in the state should be seeing this notorious pest. The good news is that the grub stage of this species has, or soon will, stop feeding to pupate and later emerge as an adult. This year's adults are the result of eggs that were laid by female beetles last summer. After these eggs hatched in 2001, the grubs immediately began to feed on roots and decaying organic matter in the soil. They continued feeding until cold temperatures prompted them to move deeper in the soil profile to overwinter. Early this spring, the surviving grubs returned to near the soil surface to feed. Spring root feeding by the grubs can result in serious damage to early-planted crops, especially corn. With this year's delayed planting, we've not had near the calls concerning grubs feeding on roots as in years past. Japanese beetles will feed on more than 350 different species of plants, but are especially fond of roses, grapes, smartweed, soybeans, corn silks, flowers of all kinds, and overripe fruit. Beetle damage to cultivated crops is often minimal and defoliation (leaf removal) on soybean looks much worse than it is. The beetles often congregate in several areas of a soybean field, feeding on and mating in the upper canopy. The beetles' iridescent, metallic color catches the attention of those doing "wind-shield" field inspections. Closer inspections will often reveal that weeds such as smartweed have made fields even more attractive to the beetles. Look for more on this pest in future issues of Pest & Crop at: http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ ext/targets/p&c/P&C2002 . John Obermeyer, Rich Edwards, and Larry Bledsoe, Dept. of Entomology, Purdue University. Potato Leafhopper Management in Alfalfa (Continued) * Sample newly cut alfalfa fields for leafhoppers * If yellowing has already occurred, it is too late to prevent damage this cutting * Management guidelines are given Potato leafhoppers are small, wedge-shaped, yellowish-green insects that remove plant sap with their piercing- sucking mouthparts. Leafhopper feeding will often cause the characteristic wedge-shaped yellow area at the leaf tip, which is referred to as "hopper burn." Widespread feeding damage can cause a field to appear yellow throughout. Leafhopper damage reduces yield and forage quality through a loss of protein. If left uncontrolled for several cuttings, potato leafhoppers can also significantly reduce stands. Spraying alfalfa with an insecticide is preventative, not curative. Thus, to effectively prevent economic losses, treatments must be applied before yellowing occurs. Usually the best results are obtained when treating recently cut alfalfa, so be sure to sample the alfalfa regrowth. The need to treat for leafhoppers can be determined prior to the appearance of damage if fields are surveyed on a regular basis. To assess leafhopper populations and the potential for damage, take at least 5 sets of 20 sweeps with a 15" diameter sweep net in representative areas of a field. Carefully examine the contents of the sweep net, count the number of adults and nymphs, and calculate the number of leafhoppers per sweep. Use the guide-lines given below to determine the need for treatment. For insecticides see Extension Publication E-220, Alfalfa Insect Control Recommendations 2002 ((Rev. 4/02) which can be viewed at: ). Management Thresholds for Potato Leafhoppers Average Number Stem Height Leafhoppers (Adults & in Inches Nymphs) Per Sweep under 3 0.2 4 - 6 0.5 7 - 12 1.0 greater than 12 1.5 John Obermeyer, Rich Edwards, and Larry Bledsoe, Department of Entomology, Purdue University. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday June 23, 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |98 53 76 +4 0.00 0 Valparaiso_AP_I |95 61 77 +7 0.20 2 Wanatah |98 53 76 +6 0.07 2 77 Wheatfield |94 54 75 +6 0.00 0 Winamac |92 55 74 +4 0.00 0 81 North Central(2)| Plymouth |92 54 74 +3 0.12 2 South_Bend |93 52 75 +5 0.08 2 Young_America |92 55 75 +5 0.00 0 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |92 53 73 +4 0.42 3 71 Fort_Wayne |93 53 74 +3 0.25 1 West Central (4)| Greencastle |91 48 71 -3 0.00 0 Perrysville |91 54 74 +2 0.00 0 75 Spencer_Ag |90 50 71 -2 0.00 0 Terre_Haute_AFB |92 51 73 +0 0.00 0 W_Lafayette_6NW |94 56 76 +5 0.00 0 77 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |90 55 74 +1 0.00 0 Greenfield |91 51 73 +2 0.00 0 Indianapolis_AP |91 51 75 +2 0.00 0 Indianapolis_SE |90 53 72 -1 0.00 0 Tipton_Ag |93 53 73 +2 0.00 0 74 East Central (6)| Farmland |92 50 73 +4 0.00 0 73 New_Castle |88 49 70 -2 0.00 0 Southwest (7) | Evansville |93 54 75 -2 0.26 1 Freelandville |92 57 75 +2 0.00 0 Shoals |93 49 72 +0 0.02 1 Stendal |91 56 74 -1 0.00 0 Vincennes_5NE |94 52 74 +1 0.00 0 72 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |89 53 73 +1 0.00 0 Oolitic |92 50 73 +2 0.00 0 75 Tell_City |93 57 75 +1 0.00 0 Southeast (9) | Brookville |93 49 72 +2 0.00 0 Milan_5NE |89 47 69 -3 0.00 0 Scottsburg |91 49 72 -2 0.20 1 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2002 thru Station | June 23, 2002 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Chalmers_5W |10.11 -0.32 40 905 -65 Valparaiso_AP_I |10.68 -0.38 33 897 +61 Wanatah |10.98 +0.56 37 832 +49 Wheatfield | 9.64 -0.69 31 869 +55 Winamac |10.73 +0.33 38 844 -27 North Central(2)| Plymouth |11.72 +0.87 39 795 -115 South_Bend | 9.86 -0.31 38 841 +26 Young_America |11.77 +1.69 35 944 +67 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |11.01 +0.73 39 793 +24 Fort_Wayne |12.12 +2.55 34 911 +51 West Central (4)| Greencastle |16.72 +5.45 36 925 -113 Perrysville |17.04 +5.91 39 985 +33 Spencer_Ag |18.20 +6.34 40 982 +32 Terre_Haute_AFB |24.69 +13.67 39 1124 +93 W_Lafayette_6NW |15.60 +5.20 42 971 +87 Central (5) | Eagle_Creek_AP |15.02 +4.71 38 1068 +48 Greenfield |17.16 +6.27 41 1000 +45 Indianapolis_AP |15.22 +4.91 35 1125 +105 Indianapolis_SE |15.92 +5.36 34 1002 +8 Tipton_Ag |12.32 +1.96 36 898 +57 East Central (6)| Farmland |11.87 +1.33 40 932 +121 New_Castle |14.63 +3.13 32 801 -32 Southwest (7) | Evansville |16.23 +4.79 31 1375 +126 Freelandville |17.42 +5.67 30 1178 +100 Shoals |18.72 +6.26 32 1104 +72 Stendal |19.11 +6.26 30 1247 +96 Vincennes_5NE |18.69 +6.94 33 1214 +136 South Central(8)| Leavenworth |16.61 +4.03 29 1195 +160 Oolitic |19.91 +8.05 38 1059 +91 Tell_City |17.48 +4.76 25 1447 +279 Southeast (9) | Brookville |17.88 +6.67 33 1054 +169 Milan_5NE |21.48 +10.27 39 904 +19 Scottsburg |18.68 +7.21 36 1110 +38 ------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2002: AWIS, 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 or call toll free at 1-888-798-9955. The INDIANA CROP WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is issued weekly April through November by the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 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 Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. Source: Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service