in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date September 2, 2001 Issue IN-CW3501 Agricultural Summary Most farmers continue to prepare for the upcoming fall harvest while some producers are harvesting corn in southwestern areas. Warm, sunny weather helped corn and soybeans advance toward maturity. Ears are turning down in many corn fields and yellowing of plants is evident in many soybean fields. Silage harvest continued. Recent showers in most areas have improved pastures and forage crops. Field Crops Report There were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 70 percent good to excellent compared with 72 percent last week and 76 percent last year at this time. Twenty-four percent of the corn acreage is mature compared with 20 percent last year and 14 percent for the average. Ninety-three percent of the corn acreage is in the dent stage compared with 85 percent last year and 61 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 90 percent of the corn acreage is in the dent stage in the north, 95 percent in the central regions and 96 percent in the south. Soybean condition is rated 68 percent good to excellent compared with 67 percent last week and 66 percent last year. Twenty percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared with 25 percent last year and 15 percent for the average. Two percent of the soybean acreage is mature compared with 4 percent last year and 4 percent for the average. Other activities during the week included, preparing equipment for the fall harvest, baling hay, mowing roads, cleaning grain bins and care of livestock. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 3 percent excellent, 36 percent good, 35 percent fair, 18 percent poor and 8 percent very poor. Third cutting of alfalfa hay is virtually complete and some farmers have completed their fourth cutting of alfalfa. Tobacco harvest is 46 percent complete compared with 33 percent for the average. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Dough 100 97 100 94 Corn Dent 93 71 85 61 Corn Mature 24 13 20 14 Soybeans Shedding Lv 20 8 25 15 Soybeans Mature 2 NA 4 4 Tobacco Harvested 46 25 43 33 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn 2 6 22 52 18 Soybeans 2 6 24 53 15 Pasture 8 18 35 36 3 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 3 4 7 Short 18 19 23 Adequate 72 71 61 Surplus 7 6 9 Subsoil Very Short 9 11 8 Short 28 27 27 Adequate 61 59 59 Surplus 2 3 6 Days Suitable 4.8 4.7 6.2 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 Remember: Roundup Ready Corn Must Be Segregated In some areas of the southern Corn Belt, producers have already begun harvest efforts, and before you know it, harvest will hit the bulk of the Belt. Now is the time to gear up for harvest, making sure all plans are in place if segregation is a requirement for your operation. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) says that situation applies to Roundup Ready corn. The product has not been approved in all export markets, therefore, must be handled appropriately, making sure it's channeled into an approved market. Roundup Ready corn is approved in the U.S. and Japan, but has not received approval in the EU. "Our intent is to protect Iowa's farmers and the corn industry," said Ron McCartney, member of the Iowa Corn Biotech Task Force. "We simply can't afford to have any more market disruptions. Farmers and grain handlers must all work together to keep unapproved products out of export channels." ICGA says the key is communication. "We encourage dialogue," said McCartney. "There must be open, honest communications between growers and grain merchandisers. That's why the ICGA recommends that farmers who planted Roundup Ready corn contact their local elevator or grain handler now, prior to combines rolling, to confirm they have a place to take their crop." Additional responsibility McCartney says growers who planted Roundup Ready corn took on additional responsibility when they planted the product in the spring. "Now, they need to live up to their grower agreements and segregate their crop," he says. "The integrity of the U.S. corn supply and our relationships with foreign buyers depend on it." McCartney says he respects whatever decision producers make in relation to their spring planting decisions. But stresses producer must be responsible for their actions. "Farmers who chose to plant it need to be extremely diligent about getting their corn to an appropriate market. They have to take responsibility for their decision and be accountable," he said. Despite the current concern about the export limitations of Roundup Ready corn, ICGA remains a strong supporter of biotechnology. The organization feels that biotechnology offers agronomic and environmental benefits and that it holds great promise for the future of agriculture and our society as a whole. Furthermore, ICGA does not want its concern about Roundup Ready corn to be misconstrued. Corn leaders say it is a useful product, fully approved in the U.S. and Japan and clearly in demand. However, they recognize that if this valuable tool is mismanaged (i.e. gets into unapproved markets) growers could lose the confidence of foreign customers and jeopardize access to this and other new technology down the road. Julianne Johnston, Agweb News, August 29, 2001. Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday September 2, 2001 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp --------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_Ag | 85 50 69 +1 0.81 3 Wanatah | 87 46 66 -3 0.07 1 77 Wheatfield | 87 48 69 +2 0.44 1 Winamac | 85 51 70 +2 0.36 1 74 North Central(2)| Logansport | 87 52 70 +2 0.57 1 Plymouth | 87 49 68 -2 0.15 3 South_Bend | 87 47 69 +1 0.02 2 Young_America | 86 51 69 +0 0.87 2 Northeast (3) | Bluffton | 83 53 69 -1 0.24 2 74 Fort_Wayne | 85 52 70 +0 0.10 1 West Central (4)| Crawfordsville | 88 49 70 -1 0.24 2 74 Perrysville | 88 53 71 +2 0.93 1 79 Terre_Haute_Ag | 92 50 73 +2 0.55 1 77 W_Lafayette_6NW | 85 49 70 +1 2.08 2 76 Central (5) | Castleton | 88 58 73 +2 0.97 3 Greenfield | 89 55 75 +6 0.68 3 Greensburg | 87 56 73 +4 0.63 4 Indianapolis_AP | 88 58 73 +3 0.73 2 Indianapolis_SE | 87 56 71 +0 0.87 3 Tipton_Ag | 87 52 69 +2 0.07 2 69 East Central (6)| Farmland | 87 51 70 +2 0.62 3 70 New_Castle | 84 54 69 +0 0.63 3 Southwest (7) | Dubois_Ag | 88 56 75 +4 0.41 2 78 Evansville | 89 61 75 +2 0.41 3 Freelandville | 88 57 74 +3 0.04 1 Shoals | 87 56 74 +3 0.41 1 Vincennes_5NE | 90 57 76 +5 0.20 2 75 South Central(8)| Bloomington | 88 58 73 +3 1.09 2 Tell_City | 89 63 77 +4 1.05 2 Southeast (9) | Scottsburg | 87 58 74 +3 1.04 4 ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2001 thru Station | September 2, 2001 |--------------------------------- |Precipitation| GDD Base 50oF |-------------|------------------- | Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_Ag | 18.35 -1.78 73 2640 +269 Wanatah | 21.47 +1.88 69 2414 +145 Wheatfield | 18.44 -0.66 65 2631 +308 Winamac | 21.12 +1.77 67 2612 +218 North Central(2)| Logansport | 26.67 +8.13 69 2646 +184 Plymouth | 19.78 +0.25 68 2473 -37 South_Bend | 19.11 +0.23 64 2619 +259 Young_America | 23.14 +4.60 62 2688 +226 Northeast (3) | Bluffton | 19.08 +0.53 67 2662 +137 Fort_Wayne | 21.68 +4.25 64 2629 +164 West Central (4)| Crawfordsville | 18.80 -1.75 64 2604 -34 Perrysville | 16.99 -3.76 59 2799 +215 Terre_Haute_Ag | 24.39 +3.77 58 3028 +273 W_Lafayette_6NW | 17.88 -1.44 60 2768 +318 Central (5) | Castleton | 22.76 +2.64 62 2870 +150 Greenfield | 25.22 +3.80 66 3033 +412 Greensburg | 22.77 +1.85 70 2980 +425 Indianapolis_AP | 21.25 +1.75 53 3024 +290 Indianapolis_SE | 20.14 +0.02 62 2773 +53 Tipton_Ag | 17.84 -1.79 56 2562 +181 East Central (6)| Farmland | 23.36 +4.33 66 2602 +277 New_Castle | 27.83 +7.19 64 2355 -27 Southwest (7) | Dubois_Ag | 20.04 -2.44 58 3171 +395 Evansville | 21.05 +1.44 60 3424 +254 Freelandville | 19.59 -0.86 46 3144 +298 Shoals | 20.59 -1.62 56 2996 +241 Vincennes_5NE | 16.57 -3.88 44 3276 +430 South Central(8)| Bloomington | 20.84 -0.11 60 2997 +203 Tell_City | 16.86 -5.66 43 3364 +323 Southeast (9) | Scottsburg | 22.01 +0.88 74 3100 +268 ------------------------------------------------------------- DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). GDD = Growing Degree Days. Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precipitation of 0.01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2001: 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.