in-crop-weather State Indiana Crop Weather Week Ending Date April 21, 2002 Issue IN-CW1602 Agricultural Summary Unseasonably warm temperatures along with wind helped dry out wet soils during the week. Farmers took advantage of the favorable conditions to accomplish fieldwork in fields dry enough to support heavy equipment, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Corn planting is underway in scattered fields around the state. The best progress was made in the northwestern region of the state. Tillage of soils, applying anhydrous, spraying and spreading of fertilizer were major activities taking place during the week. The warmer temperatures helped winter wheat growth, along with forage crops and pastures. Rain in some areas, along with strong thunderstorms in the southern regions occurred during the weekend. Field Crops Report There were 2.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Many fields remained too wet to till or apply fertilizer during most of the week. Two percent of the corn acreage is planted compared with 10 percent last year and 7 percent for the 5-year average. Other activities during the week were preparing equipment, planting mint, seeding oats, purchasing supplies, moving grain to market, hauling manure, cleaning ditches, clearing fence rows and taking care of livestock. Fifty-two percent of the winter wheat acreage is jointed compared with 53 percent last year and 59 percent for the 5-year average. Winter wheat condition is rated 61 percent good to excellent, compared with 57 percent last week and below the 75 percent a year ago at this time. Wheat growth and development improved last week. Livestock, Pasture and Range Report Pasture condition is rated 12 percent excellent, 53 percent good, 30 percent fair, 4 percent poor and 1 percent very poor. Pastures continue to improve. Hay supplies are rated 1 percent very short, 11 percent short, 77 percent adequate and 11 percent surplus, unchanged from a week earlier. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Calving remains active. Spring lambing is winding down. Crop Progress Table -------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : 5-Year Crop : Week : Week : Year : Avg -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Corn Planted 2 0 10 7 Winter Wheat Jointed 52 26 53 59 Crop Condition Table -------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Excel- Crop : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Pasture 1 4 30 53 12 Winter Wheat 2002 1 7 31 48 13 Winter Wheat 2001 0 3 22 60 15 Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table ------------------------------------------------------- : This : Last : Last : Week : Week : Year ------------------------------------------------------- Percent Topsoil Very Short 0 0 3 Short 0 0 12 Adequate 50 40 67 Surplus 50 60 18 Subsoil Very Short 0 0 4 Short 3 3 18 Adequate 63 62 69 Surplus 34 35 9 Days Suitable 2.2 1.5 3.4 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 What About Seed Attacking Insects? -Early planting and slow germination increases seed damage from insects -High residue and cool, wet field conditions may warrant the use of seed protectants -Seed protectants most often only protect the seed, not the roots -Don't use both a seed treatment containing an insecticide and a soil insecticide at planting Most of our attention to soil insects is given to corn rootworm, what about those other critters? Wireworms, grubs, maggots and seedcorn beetles occasionally damage seed and seedlings. Obviously, the longer that germination is delayed, the greater the chance for insect damage to occur. How about the seed that will be planted during the next window of opportunity, should it receive a seed treatment to protect from these occasional pests? The following discussion is for these other soil insects, NOT ROOTWORM. Planting in fields with less than adequate drainage, in set aside acreage (such as CRP land), or fields with high crop residue or where high rates of manure have been applied, the use of a seed protectant may be a good investment against seed attacking insects. Seed protection will be critical if our cool weather pattern continues and soil temperatures remain at less than ideal levels for rapid seed germination and plant growth. Planter box seed treatments, such as Kernel Guard Supreme and KickStart VP are registered for both corn and soybean. The insecticide permethrin, same active ingredient in the foliar insecticides Ambush and Pounce, in these seed treatments should provide adequate control of seed maggots and beetles. In limited trials, permethrin has shown some protection from wireworms. Because seed treatments do not protect the plant once it sprouts, there is no control of white grubs, cutworms, rootworms, or high populations of wireworms. Pre-applied insecticide seed treatments are now available for corn producers. Industry and university trials have shown some promising results with Gaucho, Prescribe, and ProShield against wireworms and seedcorn maggot. As well, the systemic activity of Gaucho and Prescribe provides some early suppression/control of corn flea beetle. Certainly the biggest question for producers and researchers is how effective these products are against white grubs. Limited trials have shown a mixed bag of results. Most likely there will be some suppression of grubs, but not control. Where rootworm soil insecticides are applied at planting, the use of a planter box or pre-applied seed treatment is not necessary. John Obermeyer, Rich Edwards, and Larry Bledsoe, Dept of Entomology, Purdue University. Black Cutworm, They're Here -Moths making their annual arrival into the Midwest -Impregnated moths are seeking weedy fields to lay their eggs -Early weed control goes a long way in suppressing this pest Several black cutworm intensive captures, 9 or more moths caught over a 2-nights, have been captured during the week of April 8 (see "Black Cutworm Adult Pheromone Trap Report" and "2002 Black Cutworm Pheromone Trap Locations"). This correlated well with the warmer temperatures from the Southwest that swept across the Midwest and brought black cutworm moths from Mexico and Texas. The timing of their arrival is normal, the moth flights of mid to later April are usually the ones we carefully monitor. New arriving moths are looking for the perfect place, i.e., winter annuals, for egg laying. Fields that are now covered in chickweed, mustards, etc. are at highest risk for cutworm damage. Remember, corn and soybean are not the black cutworm's food of choice. These are normally the only plants remaining by the time larvae have hatched and weeds are dead. Research has shown that cutworm larvae starve if weeds are destroyed 2 - 3 weeks before corn emergence. This says something for early burn-down herbicides in the management of this pest. Look for updated pheromone trap captures and heat unit tracking of cutworm development in future issues of the Pest & Crop. John Obermeyer, Rich Edwards, and Larry Bledsoe, Dept. of Entomology, Purdue University. This article also contains a graphic map and table showing the number of Black Cutworm traps throughout the state. The map and table can be viewed at: http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ ext/targets/p&c/P&C2002/P&C4_2002.pdf (pgs. 3 & 4). Weather Information Table Week Ending Sunday April 21, 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------- | Past Week Weather Summary Data |--------------------------------- Station | Air | | Avg | Temperature | Precip. |4 in. |---------------|-----------|Soil |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp --------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_AP_I |88 41 67 +18 1.87 5 Wanatah |87 39 66 +18 2.18 4 66 Wheatfield |89 42 67 +19 0.59 2 Winamac |86 41 67 +17 0.67 3 67 North Central(2)| Chalmers_5W |87 41 67 +15 0.48 3 Plymouth |87 40 67 +16 1.26 3 South_Bend |87 41 67 +18 0.90 4 Young_America |86 40 69 +19 0.51 2 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City |84 37 66 +18 0.59 3 62 Fort_Wayne |87 41 69 +19 0.67 3 West Central (4)| Greencastle |85 44 68 +16 1.21 2 Perrysville |85 42 68 +16 1.00 2 63 Terre_Haute_AFB |85 51 70 +17 1.15 4 W_Lafayette_6NW |86 39 69 +19 0.69 3 66 Central (5) | Brookville |87 44 69 +18 1.62 3 Eagle_Creek_AP |85 44 70 +17 0.62 3 Greenfield |87 40 69 +18 0.97 3 Indianapolis_AP |85 45 71 +18 0.48 2 Indianapolis_SE |85 41 70 +17 1.26 2 Tipton_Ag |85 41 68 +19 0.80 2 61 East Central (6)| Farmland |85 36 68 +19 1.01 4 62 New_Castle |83 39 66 +17 1.15 3 Southwest (7) | Evansville |85 61 73 +17 0.85 4 Freelandville |85 55 71 +18 0.52 3 Shoals |86 56 70 +17 1.01 4 Stendal |86 60 72 +17 0.34 3 Vincennes_5NE |86 54 73 +19 1.34 2 65 South Central(8)| Spencer_Ag |85 51 69 +17 1.25 4 Tell_City |88 62 74 +18 0.85 3 Southeast (9) | Milan_5NE |83 47 68 +17 2.97 4 Scottsburg |86 54 71 +17 1.05 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- | Accumulation | April 1, 2002 thru Station | April 21, 2002 | Precipitation |GDD Base 50oF | | | | | |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN ------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest (1) | Valparaiso_AP_I | 3.87 +1.10 11 165 +125 Wanatah | 4.05 +1.39 10 139 +110 Wheatfield | 2.61 -0.05 8 156 +125 Winamac | 2.46 -0.13 12 147 +104 North Central(2)| Chalmers_5W | 2.11 -0.35 12 150 +88 Plymouth | 3.56 +0.86 11 149 +101 South_Bend | 2.48 -0.24 12 156 +122 Young_America | 2.75 +0.36 8 166 +125 Northeast (3) | Columbia_City | 3.39 +0.85 10 145 +118 Fort_Wayne | 2.55 +0.18 9 184 +147 West Central (4)| Greencastle | 2.56 +0.04 8 163 +92 Perrysville | 3.03 +0.33 8 171 +115 Terre_Haute_AFB | 2.21 -0.45 9 212 +139 W_Lafayette_6NW | 3.20 +0.66 11 170 +126 Central (5) | Brookville | 4.39 +1.77 9 195 +146 Eagle_Creek_AP | 2.86 +0.31 9 198 +132 Greenfield | 3.66 +0.90 12 181 +131 Indianapolis_AP | 1.82 -0.73 7 214 +148 Indianapolis_SE | 3.23 +0.69 7 184 +125 Tipton_Ag | 2.31 -0.39 10 161 +128 East Central (6)| Farmland | 3.31 +0.82 12 161 +131 New_Castle | 4.09 +1.28 9 147 +114 Southwest (7) | Evansville | 3.71 +0.93 9 262 +139 Freelandville | 2.56 -0.06 8 210 +125 Shoals | 2.82 +0.02 8 198 +114 Stendal | 4.02 +0.95 8 232 +131 Vincennes_5NE | 3.04 +0.42 6 223 +138 South Central(8)| Spencer_Ag | 3.89 +1.15 10 172 +111 Tell_City | 3.20 -0.17 7 270 +161 Southeast (9) | Milan_5NE | 5.08 +2.46 10 173 +124 Scottsburg | 2.77 -0.15 9 209 +124 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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