new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 08/04/02 Issue NH-CW3102 Volume 22, Number 15 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) August 5, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST IN NEW ENGLAND For the week ending August 4, 2002, there were 6.6 days suitable for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 4% very poor, 7% poor, 29% fair, 48% good, 12% excellent. Hot, dry weather engulfed New England last week. Drought-like conditions continue throughout most states. Growers continue to irrigate, where available. Major farm activities included: planting vegetables; harvesting tobacco, highbush blueberries, peaches and vegetables; weeding, cultivating fields; applying fertilizer; cutting dry hay and chopping haylage; mowing orchards and around fields; monitoring for pests and disease; applying fungicides and insecticides; getting equipment ready for harvest. County fairs began! SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 11 15 19 Short 34 23 47 Adequate 50 52 34 Surplus 5 10 0 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 9 11 15 Short 30 21 42 Adequate 59 66 43 Surplus 2 2 0 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Farmers continued cutting the second and third crop of hay last week, as the first cut was wrapping up. Maine oat and barley crops are in great condition with harvest of oats getting underway. Potato harvest began in Maine and continued in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Massachusetts shade tobacco was 35 percent harvested by week's end; broadleaf harvest kicked in with with 25 percent picked. A storm on August 2 caused scattered damage in tobacco. Damage to Christmas trees was reported as the dry weather has cooked them and caused brown spotting. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Raspberry, highbush blueberry and peach harvest continued last week. Apple and wild blueberry harvest got underway. Strawberry harvest came to a close and renovation of fields progressed. Pear condition continues to be rated as very poor in Connecticut and good to fair in other states. Cranberries in Massachusetts are not receiving enough precipitation to size up which could reduce the crop volume. Irrigating continued where available. VEGETABLES: Vegetable growers continued to irrigate where possible in areas where little or no rain fell. Sweet corn harvest continued and the crop was rated in good to fair condition last week. Beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, greens, lettuce, peas, peppers, radish, spinach, squash, tomatoes and zucchini continued to be harvested. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME -- -- -- Excellent/Good Oats, ME <5 <5 <5 Excellent/Good Potatoes Maine <5 <5 <5 Excellent/Good Mass 5 5 10 Good Rhode Isl 20 10 10 Good Silage Corn -- -- -- Good/Fair Sweet Corn 25 25 25 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 35 35 40 Good/Fair Broadleaf 25 30 25 Good/Fair Dry Hay First Cut 95 99 95 Good Second Cut 60 75 55 Good Third Cut 10 10 5 Good --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples <5 <5 <5 Good/Fair Peaches 45 10 20 Good/Fair Pears -- -- -- Very Poor Blueberries Highbush 40 30 45 Good Wild, ME <5 10 10 Good Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Good/Fair Strawberries 100 100 100 Good/Fair ---------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, August 4, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 50 95 71 +4 0.00 1.97 NH 49 98 73 +6 0.00 1.33 VT 51 95 73 +6 0.05 2.18 MA 57 97 77 +6 0.00 3.01 RI 64 95 78 +7 0.00 1.08 CT 59 96 78 +6 0.24 1.50 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Weather Information Table Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. For the Period: Monday July 29, 2002 To: Sunday August 4, 2002 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 57 88 71 +2 1075 -257 382 -127 Allagash 53 84 68 +5 736 -154 232 +3 Augusta_ME 62 89 74 +5 1260 -23 523 +42 Bangor 57 89 73 +5 1175 +13 464 +65 Barnard 56 86 70 +3 977 -35 326 +23 Bath 58 90 71 +2 1053 -118 374 -39 Bethel 56 90 72 +4 1109 -59 407 +11 Brassua_Dam 53 83 69 +5 831 -7 259 +51 Brunswick_ME 60 92 74 +5 1175 +4 467 +54 Caribou 57 81 68 +3 907 -54 297 +29 Corinna 50 87 70 +3 1086 -45 386 +17 Danforth 53 85 66 -2 877 -216 267 -95 Dover-Foxcroft 54 83 68 +2 866 -146 267 -36 Durham 58 91 72 +2 1151 -209 444 -102 East_Hiram 58 89 72 +4 1134 -32 415 +20 Eustis 53 82 69 +5 805 -17 228 +37 Frenchville 56 79 67 +4 815 -75 262 +33 Gray 60 92 74 +6 1302 +150 553 +156 Greenville_ME 59 80 69 +3 953 -70 325 +15 Guilford 53 86 68 +2 858 -154 255 -48 Hollis 59 91 73 +6 1239 +133 497 +139 Houlton 52 83 68 +3 949 -48 317 +22 Kennebunkport 60 95 74 +2 1081 -353 395 -196 Livermore_Falls 54 93 72 +6 1160 +156 461 +170 Moosehead 51 83 68 +4 827 -11 240 +32 New_Sharon 57 94 75 +10 1296 +292 547 +256 Patten 57 87 69 +4 873 -124 277 -18 Portage 52 84 70 +5 921 -40 316 +48 Portland_ME 63 91 74 +6 1249 +97 503 +106 Rangeley 55 85 69 +6 821 +33 239 +67 Sebec_Lake 55 88 70 +4 971 -52 315 +5 Vanceboro 56 83 69 +2 922 -94 295 -14 Waterville 60 90 73 +3 1166 -166 460 -49 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 60 90 74 +5 1364 +54 567 +72 Benton 56 87 72 +6 1135 +41 430 +105 Berlin_AG 56 87 71 +5 1086 -14 389 +45 Bethlehem 53 86 71 +5 1017 -77 350 +24 Concord 59 92 75 +6 1487 +177 675 +180 Diamond_Pond 54 79 68 +6 736 +4 203 +70 First_Conn_Lake 51 81 68 +6 728 -4 190 +57 Greenville 54 98 74 +7 1287 +103 523 +132 Keene_AP 57 91 75 +4 1479 +9 653 +48 Lakeport 59 93 75 +7 1441 +210 632 +189 Marlow 55 92 72 +3 1146 -185 442 -55 Mt_Washington 49 66 56 +8 143 +107 4 +4 North_Conway 57 92 74 +7 1339 +114 581 +145 Otter_Brook_Lk 59 92 75 +4 1359 -111 572 -33 Plymouth 56 91 72 +6 1136 +59 419 +88 Rochester 61 94 75 +6 1417 +25 606 +52 Weare 61 90 75 +6 1310 -21 534 +37 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 59 93 73 +7 1272 +134 512 +149 Bethel 55 90 74 +7 1335 +256 570 +237 Burlington_VT 61 90 76 +6 1509 +93 689 +116 East_Haven 51 88 71 +7 1019 +109 354 +118 Island_Pond 53 88 71 +7 1013 +119 350 +129 Montpelier 56 87 71 +5 1211 +100 471 +119 Morrisville_AG 53 88 71 +5 1051 -49 372 +19 Mount_Mansfield 57 74 65 +7 620 +148 144 +96 Northfield 57 91 73 +8 1219 +214 470 +180 Pownal 58 85 72 +5 1272 +128 505 +137 Rochester 58 89 72 +6 1176 +97 454 +121 Rutland_AG 59 88 73 +3 1281 -181 518 -75 Sunderland 56 87 72 +3 1202 -205 454 -95 Sutton 55 87 71 +8 1049 +139 368 +132 Townshend_Lake 60 92 75 +5 1391 +17 589 +46 Union_Vill_Dam 57 92 74 +4 1279 -108 529 -19 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 62 90 75 +7 1428 +242 614 +207 Boston 69 95 80 +7 1834 +184 919 +178 Greenfield 60 94 77 +5 1613 +42 750 +74 New_Bedford 64 95 78 +4 1644 +6 738 +8 Otis_AFB 68 93 78 +8 1534 +223 672 +162 Plymouth 62 94 77 +6 1567 +194 712 +154 Walpole 65 94 78 +8 1649 +227 781 +205 West_Medway 63 97 78 +7 1679 +257 794 +218 Westover 63 93 78 +4 1814 +14 905 +61 Worcester 63 88 77 +7 1517 +197 689 +188 Worthington 57 90 73 +6 1309 +154 542 +168 RHODE ISLAND Providence 69 95 81 +9 1847 +286 927 +245 Woonsocket 64 94 77 +7 1644 +244 772 +224 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 63 92 76 +3 1535 -209 691 -117 Bridgeport 70 96 81 +6 1914 +242 971 +201 Hartford_AP 64 95 79 +6 1923 +186 985 +180 Norfolk 63 92 76 +9 1511 +350 677 +296 Norwich 67 95 79 +7 1769 +174 869 +178 Thomaston_Dam 59 95 77 +8 1689 +303 801 +268 Willimantic 62 91 77 +7 1696 +285 807 +253 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.42 -0.42 3 1.37 -1.84 10 Allagash 0.17 -0.74 2 1.17 -2.35 9 Augusta_ME 0.57 -0.17 3 0.87 -2.01 8 Bangor 0.51 -0.19 3 1.31 -1.64 8 Barnard 0.44 -0.33 3 1.65 -1.53 11 Bath 0.32 -0.38 3 1.85 -0.81 9 Bethel 0.74 -0.12 4 1.92 -1.32 11 Brassua_Dam 0.87 -0.02 4 2.60 -1.02 10 Brunswick_ME 0.50 -0.20 2 1.87 -0.79 8 Caribou 0.18 -0.80 4 2.41 -1.34 17 Corinna 0.87 +0.07 3 1.44 -1.67 7 Danforth 1.97 +1.06 4 4.06 +0.45 13 Dover-Foxcroft 0.39 -0.38 3 1.55 -1.63 9 Durham 0.21 -0.53 2 0.53 -2.52 7 East_Hiram 0.47 -0.37 2 1.86 -1.44 9 Eustis 0.83 +0.03 3 1.89 -1.43 8 Frenchville 0.46 -0.45 4 1.71 -1.81 15 Gray 0.21 -0.42 2 1.01 -1.68 5 Greenville_ME 0.94 +0.17 4 2.32 -0.86 13 Guilford 0.36 -0.41 3 1.60 -1.58 10 Hollis 0.61 -0.09 2 2.59 -0.30 9 Houlton 0.46 -0.45 4 3.60 +0.12 16 Kennebunkport 0.17 -0.53 2 2.86 +0.08 10 Livermore_Falls 0.40 -0.43 4 1.21 -1.93 9 Moosehead 0.60 -0.29 4 2.07 -1.55 10 New_Sharon 0.24 -0.59 1 1.20 -1.94 7 Patten 1.02 +0.11 3 3.20 -0.28 10 Portage 0.42 -0.56 3 2.87 -0.88 13 Portland_ME 0.39 -0.24 3 3.27 +0.58 10 Rangeley 0.26 -0.62 1 1.35 -1.91 8 Sebec_Lake 0.44 -0.33 3 1.71 -1.47 10 Vanceboro 0.95 +0.24 3 2.93 -0.09 12 Waterville 0.32 -0.52 3 0.88 -2.33 10 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.45 -0.32 4 1.94 -1.02 11 Benton 0.18 -0.69 2 2.18 -1.03 8 Berlin_AG 0.85 -0.09 4 3.69 +0.22 11 Bethlehem 0.25 -0.73 2 4.38 +0.77 11 Concord 0.08 -0.69 3 1.30 -1.66 10 Diamond_Pond 0.65 -0.46 4 2.56 -1.67 13 First_Conn_Lake 0.63 -0.48 2 3.03 -1.20 9 Greenville 0.13 -0.78 2 1.61 -1.87 8 Keene_AP 1.33 +0.47 3 2.31 -1.01 7 Lakeport 0.28 -0.56 3 0.89 -2.40 7 Marlow 0.24 -0.56 1 1.67 -1.44 5 Mt_Washington 1.24 -0.48 2 5.37 -1.07 10 North_Conway 0.30 -0.60 4 1.58 -1.84 13 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.63 -0.23 2 1.38 -1.94 6 Plymouth 0.03 -0.88 2 1.53 -2.03 9 Rochester 0.00 -0.82 0 0.74 -2.43 4 Weare 0.51 -0.29 2 1.92 -1.19 7 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.30 -0.61 2 1.51 -2.13 6 Bethel 0.09 -0.89 2 1.72 -1.86 10 Burlington_VT 0.38 -0.51 2 2.34 -1.02 6 East_Haven 0.84 -0.21 3 3.36 -0.54 11 Island_Pond 0.48 -0.59 4 2.66 -1.28 12 Montpelier 0.42 -0.38 4 2.49 -0.41 10 Morrisville_AG 0.68 -0.37 2 3.92 +0.05 8 Mount_Mansfield 0.94 -0.64 3 4.48 -1.48 9 Northfield 0.41 -0.43 2 2.12 -1.08 5 Pownal 2.18 +1.27 3 4.34 +0.70 9 Rochester 0.15 -0.83 2 2.88 -0.70 9 Rutland_AG 0.87 -0.04 2 3.19 -0.36 8 Sunderland 0.91 +0.13 3 3.41 +0.61 7 Sutton 0.51 -0.54 4 3.33 -0.57 11 Townshend_Lake 0.17 -0.67 1 1.00 -2.15 5 Union_Vill_Dam 0.10 -0.67 2 1.85 -1.17 9 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.48 -0.33 3 2.77 -0.55 8 Boston 0.13 -0.57 2 1.53 -1.06 8 Greenfield 3.01 +2.17 3 4.49 +1.13 9 New_Bedford 0.24 -0.59 2 0.45 -2.44 5 Otis_AFB 0.44 -0.26 1 0.70 -1.92 4 Plymouth 0.41 -0.40 2 0.68 -2.44 6 Walpole 0.54 -0.28 2 2.43 -0.70 7 West_Medway 1.19 +0.37 2 3.07 -0.06 6 Westover 1.16 +0.39 3 2.88 -0.31 8 Worcester 0.57 -0.27 4 3.01 -0.41 10 Worthington 0.77 -0.21 3 5.12 +1.20 9 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.64 -0.13 2 1.00 -1.91 5 Woonsocket 0.35 -0.56 1 1.83 -1.74 6 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.50 +0.74 2 5.37 +2.51 6 Bridgeport 1.23 +0.42 2 2.36 -1.03 5 Hartford_AP 0.90 +0.14 2 3.08 +0.22 6 Norfolk 0.98 +0.00 3 3.37 -0.42 7 Norwich 1.31 +0.44 3 2.23 -1.17 6 Thomaston_Dam 1.12 +0.18 3 2.68 -1.09 6 Willimantic 1.30 +0.39 3 3.57 -0.18 7 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 2002: 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 - Howard Rood (FSA), Fairfield/Litchfield: It has been extremely hot and humid this past week. Field corn is doing well. Scattered thunder showers arrived at the end of the week. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Abundant blueberries with irrigation, ripening fast. Corn suffering extreme dry conditions, reviving with occasional thunder showers. Christmas trees cooked and brown in places. Pastures poor, hay varies from poor to good. Beef prices low due to dry pasture across the country. Sunflowers - awesome showoffs. Country fairs begin. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Crops are burning up in the field were irrigation does not exist. Farm stands are busy. Market for produce is low. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Dry weather has field corn tasseling short - 4-6 feet high in some cases, most 8 feet or so. Harvest tonnage will be light across the county. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Growers applying fungicides and insecticides to potato crop. Beginning to get harvesting equipment ready. Crops continue to look good, however, growth has been slowed somewhat due to dry conditions. Rainfall is desperately needed is some areas. In other areas rainfall has been adequate. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Fungicides are being applied. Blossoms have pretty much come and gone. The corn is growing excellent and looks good. Potatoes are in early bulking. Barley is soft to hand dough stage. Crop conditions are excellent. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Potatoes are looking very good, very little corn borer activity. Some of the grain has lodged because of wind and rain, but is looking good for the most part. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Showers enough to curb harvesting hay, but not yielding enough water to bring the soil moisture up to what it needs to be. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Maine wild blueberries and sweet corn now available at most roadside stands. Very little rain received during the past week. Rain is needed in most areas. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Fruit is approximately 80% blue, but ripening is very uneven. Crop development is a week or more behind normal. Harvest began in mid-coast region on Monday and is started on the blueberry barrens on Sunday. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: The hot, dry weather is causing some concern among the corn growing folks. They see curled leaves begging for moisture. Some have seen uneven corn height. They think it is caused by the early wet weather and the seeds sitting in water for a long period of time. This is mostly evident in the low spots. Only in farming can people find problems caused by wet and dry on the same crop. Other growers are claiming a really good season. Apples are doing well, and market garden operators are telling me that all crops are doing pretty good. Some have had to irrigate at times. The grass crop has been abundant; some are having a difficult time finding storage. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: All the small roadside stands are selling summer vegetables with sweet corn just starting to show up. Blueberry crop looks small, hay crop is excellent. We are still dry. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: The ground water is going back down. The rivers and streams are low again. The top soil is starting to dry out and crops are beginning to show stress. We need some rain. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: What else but to cut hay and harvest veggies. No fruit problems yet. Only small showers and heavy dews to hold crops. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Strawberry crop is about completed. Raspberry and highbush blueberries still being harvested and nearing completion. Peaches are in full swing. Pears are not doing as well as previous years. Most vegetables being harvested presently: beans, cabbages, broccoli, cukes (both pickling and regular), beets, peppers, radishes, eggplant, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and sweet corn. First and second crops of hay pretty much harvested last week. A lot of hay got caught in the rain this past week. Some sidedressing fields with fertilizers continues. Irrigating where necessary. Application of fungicides and insecticides continues where necessary. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Lots of berries but without natural water (precipitation), they won't size up like they could, thus reducing the crop volume (which may not be a bad thing). Fruit rot developing in some beds. The insects still lay in wait, if you get lackadaisical. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Another week without any significant rain. crops continue to grow but yields are below normal. all crops are being harvested. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: All crop harvesting is in full swing this week. Warm temperatures and intermittent rain have really pushed crops. Severe storms on Friday caused scattered damage in tobacco and sweet corn. Most valley silage corn has already tasseled and is forming an ear. Early varieties of potatoes are being harvested this week for both the fresh market and chip stock. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Very hot and humid week. The week began very dry with farmers irrigating all summer crops and ended with a big rain storm that produced an inch plus of rain. This rain storm was just in time for a lot of crops starting to flower and produce fruit. Potato and tobacco harvest is in full swing. Some reports of blue mold in tobacco. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Hazy, hot and humid; conditions are very dry. Second cutting hay is not growing due to a lack of available moisture. A few fields of first cutting still remain, with new blade growth filling in to make a mixture of over mature and new growth in the bales. Corn fields showing drought stress. Pumpkins and squash showing drought and disease damage. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: HOT! Weather has been generally favorable to corn - most field corn is silking. Humidity has made for less than ideal drying conditions for hay, but most producers are making progress is harvesting the remaining second cutting, and some are gearing up for a third cutting. Sweet corn is being harvested and looks good. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Hot sunny weather, yet occasional thunder storms, heavy downpours, even a little hail to make haying a challenge. Second cut haylage on most fields about done, alfalfa beginning to flower on later cuts. Manure spreading on just harvested fields. Field corn looking pretty good now. Sweet corn tasseling on shorter season varieties. Scouting for borer damage. Wild blueberries now ripening along with highbush. Good veggie and fruit selections at farm markets. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn continues to tassel and silk. No significant rain this week. Corn on sandier soils beginning to show drought stress. Third cutting continues as second is finishing up. Quality is good to excellent. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Vegetables: Growers are busy irrigating fields - where irrigating crops is the highest priority. Harvesting an array of vegetables: beans, beets, cole crops, cucumbers, greens, peas, potatoes, radishes, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables. Farmers kept busy cultivating, hoeing weeds, monitoring pest pressures and spraying pesticides for insect and disease control where needed. Very good demand for produce at most local farmers' markets. Fruit: Orchardists harvesting early season apple varieties, peaches, blueberry and raspberry. Irrigating renovated strawberry beds, raspberry, blueberries and peaches. Orchardists busy monitoring for pests, spraying if needed, and mowing orchard floors. Field Crops: Hay cutting continued at a rapid pace during the week with the second cut being made. The remaining first cutting is only good for mulch hay. Silage corn put on rapid growth this past week after thunder storms occurred along with the humid weather. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Blueberries and raspberries harvested. Sweet corn sales are excellent. Vegetable crops irrigated and weeded. Warm season vegetable crops benefitting from hot weather. Scouting and spraying for insects and disease. Farmers are cutting hay. Second crop looks good. Several fungus diseases now appearing on squash and tomatoes. Sales of tunnel tomatoes are excellent. A great year for bedding plant sales. Rainfall is needed. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: A very hot and humid week. Rain is badly needed. Harvesting early apple varieties, peaches, apricot, blueberries, raspberries and a whole array of vegetables. Weeding and irrigating vegetables. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Most summer vegetables are on the market now and looking good. Blueberry harvest is in full swing and having a good year. Lots of hay being made due to the dry weather. Have had a couple of spot showers but many areas missing them. Could use more rain as some of the sandier soil corn fields are starting to show a little curling. The humidity has helped the corn to grow as most fields are about a week or two behind in maturity due to the wet spring. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: A spate of rain on Friday did very little to relieve the dry conditions. Field corn showing signs of drought, and where available irrigation continues. Summer vegetables being harvested and second cut hay being done. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Another nice week for fieldwork. Much of the corn crop started tasseling last week. Overall crops doing well despite the excessive rain in June. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Currently going through a dry spell with very little rainfall which we needed to help dry out some areas. Some nice dry hay put up during the week. Corn starting to show tassels which is later than normal. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Corn is beginning to catch up on most fields. There is still a wide variation in height within each field. Corn is 12"-24" tall in the wetter spots to 6 -7' tall on the drier spots in each field. Second cut looks really good. The drier weather the last 2 weeks have helped the harvest. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: Another week of high temperatures and high humidity and the only thing that like that is corn and the corn in Windham County looks excellent. Third cut alfalfa is ready to go. Apples growers have started to pick some early Mac and the Paula Reds will be ready to pick in about a week or ten days. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Hay harvest. Corn in tassel. Grass growth stopped. dry soils continue. some manure on hay land. Richard Noel, Grand Isle/Franklin: Six days without rain, one of the longest weeks without rain since April. Plenty of hay and grass being harvested, pastures are in great shape and manure being spread on grass land. Some seedings still being done. Corn doesn't look too great, some will never recover from the excess rain at the beginning of the season. Anybody with surplus crop is going to be glad they have some! Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Hot summer week. Second cut of hay coming along. Not very many corn tassels visible yet. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Early sweet corn harvest in full production. Sprayed early squash for blight. Early potatoes in the market. Getting lots of broccoli and leafy crops. Good crop of early sweet corn. Mid-season varieties coming fast. All corn looks good. Have had enough showers to keep it growing. Bean crop good. Even picking shell beans. Cucumbers coming fast. All crops looking good. A quarter inch of rain last week and lots of sun. Have a nice week. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. July 2002 Crop Weather Summary: High heat and humidity prevailed at the end of June and continued into July, accelerating crop growth previously slowed by cool spring conditions. Lack of rain throughout New England forced growers to irrigate where available. Planting and emergence of most crops was complete by the start of the month. New England field crops experienced minimal armyworm activity, compared to last year's devastating infestation. Crop specialists attributed the insect reduction in part to the cool, wet conditions in the spring. As of mid-month, first cut hay harvest was winding down with the crop in good to fair condition. Regrowth for second cut was initially good, however prolonged dry conditions are expected to reduce yields. Second crop harvest was close to the halfway mark by month's end, with third crop cutting just getting underway. Silage corn remained in good to fair condition throughout the month of July, with leaves starting to curl from lack of moisture at some locations. Potato harvest was just getting underway in late July in Massachusetts, and Rhode Island growers were gearing up for harvest. Maine potato growth was excellent during the month, with heat shower activity keeping the crop ratings high as harvest approached. The potato growing regions in the state remained late blight free during the month of July, and spray programs were in full force to prevent the onset of disease. Maine's major grain crops, oats and barley were also rated in excellent to good condition at month's end. Shade tobacco harvest was underway in the Connecticut River Valley by mid-July, with a good to fair crop expected. Farmers began cutting broadleaf tobacco at the end of the month, and expect harvest to proceed quickly to get the crop in the sheds disease free. Blue mold is prevalent in the Valley, and spray programs are in full force to control it's spread. The condition of New England apples and peaches remained good to fair throughout the month; full crop prospects expected to be reduced by damage from July hail storms and lack of moisture. Pears were rated in very poor condition in Connecticut due to frost and hail in the spring. Strawberry harvest in New England was wrapped up by the end of the month. Massachusetts cranberry growers were forced to irrigate heavily at month's end to help berries size up. Maine wild blueberry harvest had yet to begin as of July 28; the crop was one to two weeks behind normal due to cool, wet conditions during pollination. 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, Robin Helrich Stat Assistant: Wayne Colpitt Deputy: David Luckenbach 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 ***********************