State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 10/19/03 Issue NH-CW4203 Volume 23, Number 26 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) October 20, 2003 - 4 pm THIS IS THE FINAL NEW ENGLAND CROP WEATHER REPORT FOR 2003. THIS WEEKLY REPORT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE VOLUNTARY EFFORTS OF OUR REPORTERS. WE WISH TO THANK ALL OF THEM FOR THEIR HELP IN MAKING THIS A TIMELY, ACCURATE REPORT. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT NEXT MAY, WHEN THE 2004 CROP SEASON BEGINS. ALTHOUGH EVERY REPORT IS IMPORTANT, SPECIAL RECOGNITION IS DESERVED BY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESPOND ON A REGULAR BASIS THROUGHOUT THE SIX-MONTH GROWING SEASON. REPORTING IS A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT, AND THEIR FAITHFUL COOPERATION HELPS THE NEW ENGLAND CROP WEATHER RELEASE TO BE A CONSISTENT, HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT. -- Agricultural Summary -- HARVEST SEASON WINDING DOWN For the week ending October 19, 2003, there were 5.1 days available for field work across New England. Topsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 1% short, 65% adequate, 34% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 2% short, 83% adequate, 15% surplus. Pasture condition was rated as 3% very poor, 17% poor, 44% fair, 27% good, 9% excellent. Major farm activities included: chopping haylage, making dry hay; harvesting potatoes, corn silage, apples, pears, cranberries, vegetables; finishing grain harvest, sweet corn harvest; disking fields; spreading manure; applying lime; planting cover crops; mowing fields; burning blueberry 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 1 Short 1 2 18 Adequate 65 73 77 Surplus 34 25 4 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 0 0 7 Short 2 3 40 Adequate 83 90 51 Surplus 15 7 2 ----------------------------------------------- -- Field Crops Report -- Cooler temperatures has ended the crop season for many farmers. Silage corn harvest progressed to 95% complete. Potato harvest in Maine is nearly complete with 99% of the crop in. Massachusetts potato harvest advanced to 80%, slightly behind last year and the five year average. Heavy rains and winds in some areas may have hampered second and third cuttings of hay. -- Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report -- FRUIT: Apple and pear harvest continued to make gains during the week. Apple harvest climbed to 90% complete, only slightly behind last year's crop progress. Pear harvest has reached 90%. Sales of apples, pumpkins, corn stalks and mums continued strong at farm stands. Cranberry harvest at 80% complete, is slightly above last year and the five year average. VEGETABLES: Harvesting of beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and other cole crops continued. Sweet corn harvest was complete by week's end. -- Crop Progress Tables -- FIELD CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ------------------------------------------------------- -- % Harvested -- Crop 2003 2002 5-yr Avg Condition ------------------------------------------------------- Oats, ME 100 100 100 Good/Fair Potatoes Maine 99 99 99 Good/Excellent Mass 80 90 90 Good/Fair Silage Corn 95 95 90 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 100 100 100 Good Dry Hay Second Cut 99 100 99 Good/Fair Third Cut 85 95 90 Good/Excellent --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- % Harvested -- Crop 2003 2002 5-yr Avg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Apples 90 85 90 Good/Fair Pears 95 95 90 Good/Fair Cranberries,MA 80 70 75 Good -------------------------------------------------------- -- Weather Summary -- For the week ending Sunday, October 19, 2003 -------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 26 77 48 +3 0.23 3.66 NH 14 76 46 -1 0.38 4.08 VT 20 78 46 +0 0.04 3.68 MA 27 74 51 +0 0.83 3.46 RI 33 71 53 +1 2.14 2.27 CT 31 72 51 -1 0.91 2.68 -------------------------------------------- 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 October 13, 2003 To: Sunday October 19, 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 66 48 -2 1932 -236 704 -86 Allagash 28 77 44 +2 1377 +34 408 +85 Augusta_State_A 38 68 52 +3 2259 +173 903 +157 Bangor_Intl_Arp 37 72 51 +4 2231 +334 894 +272 Barnard 29 73 48 +4 1815 +220 610 +158 Bath 34 70 49 +1 1985 +25 724 +64 Bethel 33 70 48 +2 1948 +86 681 +85 Brassua_Dam 31 72 45 +3 1584 +267 512 +202 Brunswick_ME 35 67 51 +3 2170 +210 846 +186 Caribou_Municip 31 73 47 +4 1784 +336 624 +246 Corinna 35 73 49 +4 2014 +253 737 +197 Danforth 32 73 47 +3 1844 +147 672 +147 Dover-Foxcroft 29 75 48 +4 1626 +31 506 +54 Durham 33 68 48 -2 1938 -294 747 -94 East_Hiram 30 65 46 -2 1862 +10 655 +65 Eustis 29 69 43 +0 1470 +193 459 +176 Frenchville 31 72 46 +4 1638 +295 529 +206 Gray 37 68 52 +4 2295 +364 924 +287 Greenville_ME 29 69 47 +3 1761 +152 584 +121 Guilford 27 71 46 +2 1522 -73 485 +33 Hollis 28 68 45 -2 1968 +206 723 +191 Houlton 28 74 48 +5 1864 +350 675 +251 Kennebunkport 28 69 48 -5 1939 -462 653 -288 Livermore_Falls 31 74 49 +5 2003 +438 769 +340 Moosehead 28 73 45 +2 1511 +194 470 +160 New_Sharon 35 73 50 +5 2041 +476 769 +340 Patten 28 72 47 +3 1760 +246 592 +168 Portage 30 75 46 +4 1836 +388 645 +267 Portland_ME 34 69 51 +3 2209 +278 862 +225 Rangeley 32 71 45 +4 1533 +289 467 +203 Sebec_Lake 30 71 48 +4 1799 +190 610 +147 Vanceboro 32 73 48 +3 1813 +170 624 +146 Waterville 37 69 51 +2 2117 -51 799 +9 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 25 68 44 -4 2136 +53 852 +113 Benton 29 67 45 -3 1860 +158 643 +167 Berlin_AG 33 70 47 +2 1926 +226 680 +183 Bethlehem 29 71 45 -2 1734 +40 582 +106 Concord 26 69 49 +2 2499 +416 1089 +350 Diamond_Pond 30 66 43 +2 1345 +227 388 +183 First_Conn_Lake 30 68 42 +1 1394 +276 409 +204 Greenville 24 76 45 -3 1846 -46 671 +86 Keene_AP 27 66 47 -3 2384 +27 983 +67 Lakeport 32 66 50 +4 2433 +503 1029 +384 Marlow 26 67 45 -5 1729 -401 597 -150 Mount_Washingto 14 49 29 -2 246 +185 6 +6 North_Conway 31 68 48 +3 2167 +255 849 +216 Otter_Brook_Lk 29 67 47 -4 2175 -182 833 -83 Plymouth 27 65 45 -1 1883 +213 655 +178 Rochester 28 64 48 -3 2207 -55 873 +21 Weare 32 69 48 -1 2160 +30 815 +68 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 27 71 46 -2 1917 +99 677 +126 Bethel 24 66 45 -2 2163 +437 832 +328 Burlington_Intl 28 73 50 +3 2665 +448 1176 +335 East_Haven 27 73 44 +2 1780 +384 603 +266 Island_Pond 31 72 45 +2 1790 +396 608 +283 Montpelier 25 68 46 +1 1965 +232 697 +185 Morrisville_AG 28 73 45 +0 2063 +338 794 +278 Mount_Mansfield 20 56 35 -5 971 +255 199 +133 Northfield 25 70 45 +1 1934 +365 690 +268 Pownal 32 65 48 +2 2076 +251 710 +158 Rochester 26 69 46 -1 2009 +283 706 +202 Rutland_AG 28 70 46 -5 2128 -206 801 -99 Sunderland 29 65 46 -3 1918 -308 629 -192 Sutton 29 78 45 +3 1791 +395 589 +252 Townshend_Lake 30 70 48 -1 2192 -11 833 +10 Union_Vill_Dam 29 67 46 -2 2137 -75 834 +5 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 32 68 49 +3 2305 +422 920 +322 Boston/Logan_In 41 70 55 +0 2903 +95 1367 +139 Greenfield 31 70 49 -4 2513 -53 1053 +2 New_Bedford 30 69 52 -4 2614 -252 1155 -115 Otis_AFB 36 68 54 +2 2632 +340 1190 +325 Plymouth 30 69 52 +0 2504 +167 1075 +172 Walpole 31 68 50 +0 2621 +299 1171 +277 West_Medway 30 70 50 +0 2634 +312 1173 +279 Chicopee/Westov 32 70 51 -3 2636 -330 1150 -200 Worcester 35 67 50 +1 2459 +287 1015 +231 Worthington 27 66 45 -4 1976 +95 678 +103 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 38 71 54 +2 2891 +224 1352 +218 Woonsocket 33 70 51 +2 2599 +318 1141 +295 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 31 64 47 -6 2120 -700 769 -484 Bridgeport/Siko 41 71 56 +1 3016 +105 1449 +121 Hartford/Bradle 38 71 53 +2 2918 +110 1358 +116 Norfolk 32 67 47 +0 2089 +224 742 +169 Norwich 37 72 52 -1 2803 +152 1303 +194 Thomaston_Dam 34 66 49 -2 2576 +285 1096 +250 Willimantic 34 70 51 -1 2710 +373 1222 +346 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 3.66 +2.79 5 7.25 +3.99 14 Allagash 0.23 -0.47 2 4.27 +1.23 9 Augusta_State_A 3.03 +2.16 5 7.43 +4.20 15 Bangor_Intl_Arp 2.47 +1.72 4 7.63 +4.66 14 Barnard 2.59 +1.77 2 8.15 +4.74 12 Bath 2.99 +2.14 4 6.20 +3.16 10 Bethel 3.16 +2.30 4 6.11 +2.89 9 Brassua_Dam 1.32 +0.56 3 4.31 +1.18 10 Brunswick_ME 2.06 +1.21 3 5.92 +2.88 10 Caribou_Municip 1.63 +0.95 2 3.53 +0.68 13 Corinna 3.24 +2.45 3 7.11 +3.94 10 Danforth 2.06 +1.29 3 6.34 +3.27 11 Dover-Foxcroft 1.17 +0.35 3 4.66 +1.25 14 Durham 3.16 +2.30 4 6.29 +3.16 11 East_Hiram 2.73 +1.82 4 5.41 +2.14 12 Eustis 1.24 +0.54 4 3.50 +0.75 11 Frenchville 0.31 -0.39 2 2.98 -0.06 10 Gray 2.00 +1.14 3 5.37 +2.17 11 Greenville_ME 1.94 +1.12 4 5.70 +2.29 15 Guilford 2.22 +1.40 3 6.52 +3.11 18 Hollis 3.13 +2.26 3 5.44 +2.19 11 Houlton 1.99 +1.29 2 4.77 +1.84 13 Kennebunkport 2.60 +1.72 3 5.64 +2.41 17 Livermore_Falls 2.48 +1.64 5 5.72 +2.46 12 Moosehead 1.57 +0.81 3 5.50 +2.37 12 New_Sharon 3.48 +2.64 5 6.72 +3.46 12 Patten 1.86 +1.16 3 7.25 +4.32 16 Portage 1.46 +0.78 3 5.78 +2.93 11 Portland_ME 2.39 +1.53 3 4.29 +1.09 8 Rangeley 1.75 +1.05 5 4.24 +1.52 14 Sebec_Lake 2.46 +1.64 3 7.46 +4.05 11 Vanceboro 2.05 +1.28 3 6.20 +2.96 11 Waterville 2.30 +1.43 5 6.69 +3.43 15 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.94 +1.23 3 5.06 +2.35 13 Benton 1.32 +0.58 5 4.26 +1.42 12 Berlin_AG 2.73 +1.92 4 5.32 +2.28 11 Bethlehem 1.15 +0.41 4 3.71 +0.87 12 Concord 1.56 +0.85 3 4.24 +1.53 12 Diamond_Pond 0.38 -0.46 6 3.44 +0.06 16 First_Conn_Lake 1.33 +0.49 4 3.59 +0.21 11 Greenville 2.05 +1.22 3 5.47 +2.44 9 Keene_AP 1.23 +0.53 3 4.37 +1.65 11 Lakeport 2.01 +1.23 3 4.87 +1.95 10 Marlow 1.43 +0.59 3 4.27 +1.09 11 Mount_Washingto 4.08 +2.52 5 9.60 +3.45 15 North_Conway 3.52 +2.60 7 6.35 +2.93 15 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.48 +0.78 4 5.68 +2.96 13 Plymouth 1.18 +0.34 4 3.64 +0.55 12 Rochester 2.26 +1.30 3 5.20 +1.76 9 Weare 1.89 +1.05 3 5.15 +1.97 13 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.49 +0.65 2 5.35 +2.01 13 Bethel 1.44 +0.60 4 5.79 +2.43 13 Burlington_Intl 0.56 -0.07 4 3.99 +1.36 14 East_Haven 1.66 +0.89 4 5.09 +2.14 14 Island_Pond 1.74 +1.04 6 4.62 +1.82 16 Montpelier 0.54 -0.09 2 4.42 +1.90 12 Morrisville_AG 1.64 +0.87 3 4.73 +1.75 13 Mount_Mansfield 3.68 +2.48 5 11.40 +6.46 19 Northfield 0.04 -0.66 1 3.17 +0.37 6 Pownal 1.07 +0.23 2 5.37 +2.03 12 Rochester 1.55 +0.71 2 6.60 +3.24 10 Rutland_AG 0.58 -0.05 3 3.46 +0.70 11 Sunderland 0.99 +0.36 2 5.39 +2.66 12 Sutton 1.39 +0.62 5 4.95 +2.00 15 Townshend_Lake 0.45 -0.29 4 5.25 +2.41 15 Union_Vill_Dam 1.24 +0.47 4 3.80 +0.81 13 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.73 +0.99 2 4.97 +2.17 13 Boston/Logan_In 3.46 +2.74 3 4.76 +1.94 7 Greenfield 1.33 +0.56 3 7.20 +4.12 14 New_Bedford 2.10 +1.33 3 3.43 +0.46 10 Otis_AFB 2.06 +1.20 4 3.17 -0.19 9 Plymouth 2.61 +1.70 4 3.21 -0.38 14 Walpole 2.33 +1.46 3 3.28 -0.11 8 West_Medway 2.08 +1.21 3 3.37 -0.02 5 Chicopee/Westov 1.73 +0.93 4 7.46 +4.33 14 Worcester 1.79 +0.81 3 3.88 -0.01 9 Worthington 2.47 +1.63 5 6.48 +3.19 14 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 2.14 +1.30 3 2.47 -0.69 9 Woonsocket 2.27 +1.36 3 3.28 -0.20 7 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.77 +1.00 4 6.07 +2.84 12 Bridgeport/Siko 0.91 +0.21 3 2.44 -0.31 8 Hartford/Bradle 1.43 +0.66 4 7.51 +4.28 13 Norfolk 2.04 +1.17 3 7.33 +3.81 13 Norwich 2.68 +1.77 3 3.77 +0.22 8 Thomaston_Dam 1.53 +0.65 3 5.60 +2.06 10 Willimantic 1.96 +1.05 3 3.67 +0.03 11 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: Dry hay baled Tuesday and grass round baled for silage. Corn silage harvest continues with some wet fields still remaining to be harvested. Grain corn drying down but morning fog and frequent rains hamper drying. Vegetable and tobacco farms putting equipment away for the season. Keep the wood shed full and have a good winter! Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Heavy rain and winds slowed things down for final harvest. Trucks and choppers stuck in fields, using dump wagons with lighter loads and still getting stuck. Getting custom help to finish fields as time is nearly up for quality and quantity. Apples nearly done. Pumpkins at roadside markets. Fall's burst of color was awesome until rain and wind erased their hues. Nancy Welsh/Karen Vozarik (FSA), New Haven: Producers are still finishing up the last of the harvest. Got first heavy frost 10/19. This crop year seemed to be the worst. Producers replanted 3 times or more and watched their crops rot in the field due to excess rain that started in May. Producers happy to see this year go and ready to start again in the spring. This year was truly a disaster. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Harvest has wound down, the fields are empty except for a few corn mazes, the first snow flakes fell over the weekend. Another cropping season is over in New England with nothing normal about it again. Now what do we look forward to - as much snow as we have had rain this year? MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potato harvest is just about completed. Some growers have also completed their fall work while others continue fall tillage, rock picking and lime spreading. Weather has not been real cooperative for the growers to get fall work done. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Harvest is almost complete - approximately two percent left. Liming of soils and soil samples being taken before snow comes. All grains are pretty much harvested. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Finishing up with the corn silage harvest. Some folks were able to get a late crop of hay in the barn. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Wet weather continues to hamper field work. Farmers are chopping corn in only the dry spots and leaving the wet holes. Manure spreading to empty pits is at a standstill. Heavy winds and rain last week knocked out power to many areas. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Fall foliage took a beating with this week's driving rain storm. Trees were down and homes without power. Flail mowing and burning blueberry fields will continue up until snow flies. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: The harvest season is wrapping up. Dairy farmers are trying to empty out the storages and get all the manure spread. Apples are still available and pumpkins still have that orange glow. Now comes the tasks of field preparation, equipment maintenance and fence repair. With all the rain lately, available moisture looks good for the winter months. Most producers are reporting a good year. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: There are a few still harvesting crops, but most are finished. There a few apples and some potatoes left to get. Winter cover is showing on some vegetable land. It's time for the haunted hay ride. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: During a storm midweek, a reported inch and half of rain fell with heavy winds, resulting in some power outages and possible other damage. The week's weather has cooled, with some early morning frost. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Wind and rain received during the week - blew all the beauty away! Producers are busy spreading manure, fixing machinery, and getting ready for winter. Most crops are in the final stages of completing harvest. Cold nights and cool days! MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Snowflakes around this county the 19th. Most of all fall harvesting is nearly done. Some pumpkins still piled in the fields. Haying may not be all done but not much drying time now. Crop yields have been above average this year but loss of some fruit because of early spring freeze/frost. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Rainy and colder days creeping in and making conditions more difficult to maintain the fields. The silage corn is nearing its end. Very minimal sweet corn still standing. This colder weather is pleasant when in the fields. Apple picking continues on. Some cole crops still waiting to be harvested. The cold has stunted much of what is still in the fields. Fall is here! Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Harvest continues. Color is still lagging behind. More rot than one would tolerate in many deliveries. There are, however, some good-sized crops being delivered to the handlers. Many growers are doing the usual post-harvest activities. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Harvesting is winding down on most fall crops. Weather conditions have delayed the potato and apple harvest. Tobacco growers are reporting losses from "pole sweat" during the curing process. Forage harvesting continues at a slow and muddy pace. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Harvesting of fall crops is winding down. It has been a battle for potato and corn silage producers because of the wet conditions. The corn grain harvest has just begun with the crop looking good at this early stage of harvest. Many of the harvested fields have a cover crop growing on them. Many vegetable growers are removing row covers and irrigation off the fields. Gary Guida, Worcester: Many frosts this week. Cleaning up, mowing around fields, and winterizing equipment were major farm activities this week. Good retail sales of pumpkins, apples, winter squash. It's been great reading the comments from "non-growers" as they are a big help in gauging our progress and stages on this farm. Have a safe and happy holiday,"talk" to you next year. On the whole a pretty good season. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Our first heavy frost came on Oct 20. We're all working to put the land to bed for winter. Apples, pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks are selling well. Happy winter! Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Rain, wind, frost, I even saw a few snow flakes! A few dry days allowed for some hay to make it into the barn. There are a few apples left to harvest, a few frosted pumpkins left in the field. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Last bit of corn chopping winding down. Some fourth cutting alfalfa and grass being harvested, but many fields are too wet for equipment. Farms are spreading manure on corn ground. Winter rye is greening up nicely where it was seeded early. Apple harvest continues. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Crop season about done as last of corn silage - maybe a few fields left - heads to the barn. Cooler, wetter conditions as typical for this time of year. Pumpkins, apples still available at farms. Farms pasturing as possible. Preparation for winter season begins. Steve Schmidt (FSA), Grafton: Prior to October 20th, we did not have any hard frost. The grass has continued to grow well. Most of the third cut and fourth cut alfalfa is in the bunk. Initial yield plots on field corn indicate a substantial improvement over the last two summers. A couple of test plots showed very high yields, especially for those fields with narrower rows (higher population plantings). Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Heavy rainfall and very strong wind in the middle of the week. This weekend, apple orchards were busy with pick-your-own customers and hay rides. Still harvesting apples. Sales of apples, baked goods, pumpkins, winter squashes, potatoes, corn stalks and mums were quite noticeable. Cleaning fields, spreading manure, lime, etc. Nights are getting colder with light to killing frost. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: There was a strong storm early in the week. However most of the days in the week were cool and dry. Harvest of corn for silage is over and growers were busy plowing and planting winter cover crops. Apple harvesting is almost over. Only a few growers were busy harvesting late apple varieties. Some growers were planting strawberries. Vegetable season is over for most growers. Fall mum and pumpkin sales are winding down for most garden centers and they are now planning for Christmas sales. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Cover cropping some sweet corn fields, still chopping field corn, harvesting the last of the winter squash. Almost sold out of pumpkins and the PYO's are down to the last bits. Marketing potatoes and selling at roadside stands, which are still full of the fall harvest. Dexter Miller (RC&D), All Counties: Farm stands are in full color with mums, pumpkins, and a variety of apples. Cool, dry days are attracting visitors and school groups to many of the pick-your-own orchards and farms that offer recreational opportunities. VERMONT - John St. Onge/Kim Peterson (FSA), Lamoille: Corn silage harvest is all but over, however high moisture ear corn harvest has not yet started. Soybeans have been harvested with average yields. Lots of manure to be spread before winter and depending on the weather, additional third cut of grass could be harvested. 2003 was an excellent crop year in our area and should provide a boost along with higher milk prices to the farm economy. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Most farmers are done cropping for the year and are spreading manure to ready their manure pits for the winter. Pasture farmers are still enjoying reasonably good pasture conditions. It has been a great pasture year. Lynette Hamilton/Perley Sparrow (FSA), Windham: Last of the third cut is being harvested. Manure spreading taking place before cut-off date. Picking corn is almost ready to pick. All-in-all it has been a good season in southern Vermont. Veggie producers have reported strong markets for their crops, and apple people have reported an average crop. I think we have had a good cropping year and hope to hear from everybody in the spring. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Finishing harvest of corn silage and third cut haylage. Some manure spreading on corn stubble and cut grass hay fields. Some plowing of corn fields. Some fall fertilization of hay crops. Spreading limestone. Soil sampling fields. Eric Winchester (FSA) Orange/Windsor: The weather this week has returned to more seasonable conditions. We got the first real frost of the year this morning (10/20). Most of the field corn has been harvested. Grain corn has still not been picked. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Most folks now done with corn silage harvest. Most also done with any haying. Seem to be concentrating on spreading manure. Wet week, strong winds. Genuine fall. Chris Benedict (Ext), Chittenden: Apple harvesting rounded out with good amounts of moisture last week. Cooler temperatures predicted for this week should offer harsh end of season picking conditions. Heather Darby (Ext), Franklin: Beautiful weather at the beginning of the week helped farmers finish up corn silage harvest. Manure is being spread on corn fields. Fall tillage occurring on many fields. High moisture corn being picked. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Week's rain - 0.642 inches. All fields seeded to winter rye. Still picking cabbage, broccoli, beets and carrots. Had a great squash sale. All fall decorating pumpkins, etc. are selling well. A great fall for maturing crops. Have a nice, bright fall week. -- 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: Dianne Johnson, Emily McAllister 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 ***********************