new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 07/14/02 Issue NH-CW2802 Volume 22, Number 12 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) July 15, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary DRY WEATHER CONTINUES, CROPS NEED RAIN For the week ending July 14, 2002, there were 6.5 days suitable for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 1% very poor, 4% poor, 26% fair, 49% good, 20% excellent. Dry weather continues throughout most of New England. Some crops are beginning to show stress from the lack of moisture. Irrigation took place where available last week, though farmers continue to be wary of low water supplies. Major farm activities included: planting vegetables; harvesting strawberries, highbush blueberries and early vegetables; weeding and cultivating fields; sidedressing fields with fertilizer; cutting dry hay and chopping haylage; mowing orchards; monitoring for pests and disease; irrigating, where necessary and available; applying fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 7 6 0 Short 21 19 10 Adequate 62 58 84 Surplus 10 17 6 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 7 7 0 Short 20 17 20 Adequate 70 71 76 Surplus 3 5 4 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Hay making and haylage chopping continued last week. Early planted barley in Maine has started to ripen. Potatoes in Maine and Rhode Island were rated in good to excellent condition, and Massachusetts potatoes remained in good condition. Field corn is completely emerged and the crop remains in good to fair condition. Shade tobacco harvest is underway, ahead of last year but progressing as expected. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Strawberry harvest continued across the region last week and some fields were renovated. Raspberry, cherry and highbush blueberry picking also continued. Orchardists mowed and monitored for deseases and insects. Pears were rated in poor condition last week; frost and hail in the spring caused considerable damage in Connecticut. Traps in Maine wild blueberry fields have captured fruit flies, spraying has begun. Massachusetts cranberries were rated in good condition last week, though they do not favor consistently hot and humid weather. VEGETABLES: Vegetable growers sidedressed and cultivated fields, and irrigation took place where available. Sweet corn planting is nearly complete and harvest has just begun. Growers also harvested tomatoes, greens, beans, beets, cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, squash, peas, carrots, zucchini, radish and lettuce last week. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME -- -- -- Excellent/Good Oats, ME -- -- -- Excellent/Good Potatoes Maine -- -- -- Good/Excellent Mass -- -- <5 Good Rhode Isl -- -- -- Good/Excellent Silage Corn -- -- -- Good/Fair Sweet Corn <5 5 10 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 5 -- 5 Good/Fair Broadleaf -- -- -- Good/Fair Dry Hay First Cut 85 90 85 Good/Fair Second Cut 25 35 25 Good/Excellent --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples -- -- -- Good/Fair Peaches -- -- -- Good/Fair Pears -- -- -- Poor Blueberries Highbush 5 15 10 Good Wild, ME -- -- -- Good Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Good Strawberries 90 90 90 Fair ---------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, July 14, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 36 90 64 -3 0.00 0.94 NH 28 92 64 -4 0.02 1.20 VT 37 89 64 -4 0.03 2.00 MA 41 92 69 -2 0.02 1.08 RI 48 91 71 +0 0.00 0.48 CT 45 93 70 -2 0.08 1.80 ---------------------------------------------- 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 8, 2002 To: Sunday July 14, 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 41 84 64 -6 706 -206 223 -73 Allagash 36 84 60 -5 439 -138 128 +14 Augusta_ME 49 86 68 -2 847 -16 320 +49 Bangor 47 86 68 +0 781 +15 280 +67 Barnard 45 82 64 -4 648 -7 201 +46 Bath 46 86 66 -4 687 -82 218 -1 Bethel 48 84 65 -4 742 -40 249 +30 Brassua_Dam 45 81 63 -2 528 +4 154 +55 Brunswick_ME 47 84 68 -1 768 -1 270 +51 Caribou 47 82 63 -4 589 -39 183 +41 Corinna 45 86 65 -3 727 -27 233 +30 Danforth 38 81 61 -7 588 -126 178 -15 Dover-Foxcroft 45 81 64 -4 564 -91 163 +8 Durham 45 88 67 -5 766 -150 269 -41 East_Hiram 43 87 64 -5 765 -15 256 +38 Eustis 46 82 61 -4 513 -10 128 +39 Frenchville 46 81 62 -3 513 -64 157 +43 Gray 50 88 69 +1 879 +128 340 +136 Greenville_ME 45 82 63 -4 616 -50 196 +38 Guilford 43 82 62 -5 549 -106 144 -11 Hollis 42 90 66 -3 839 +111 307 +117 Houlton 44 82 62 -5 628 -18 198 +45 Kennebunkport 44 86 65 -7 713 -259 232 -107 Livermore_Falls 39 89 65 -2 767 +114 278 +129 Moosehead 43 86 61 -4 534 +10 146 +47 New_Sharon 46 89 68 +2 872 +219 333 +184 Patten 45 83 63 -4 552 -94 162 +9 Portage 45 84 63 -3 582 -46 184 +42 Portland_ME 47 89 69 +0 835 +84 299 +95 Rangeley 45 82 61 -2 517 +22 134 +55 Sebec_Lake 47 84 64 -3 643 -23 192 +34 Vanceboro 45 82 63 -4 598 -56 178 +23 Waterville 48 87 67 -3 775 -137 279 -17 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 46 92 67 -3 941 +50 354 +67 Benton 44 83 63 -4 768 +23 266 +84 Berlin_AG 44 83 63 -4 724 -19 233 +40 Bethlehem 43 83 62 -5 675 -70 208 +25 Concord 42 89 67 -3 1036 +145 434 +147 Diamond_Pond 43 77 59 -5 464 +1 116 +57 First_Conn_Lake 39 77 57 -6 451 -12 106 +47 Greenville 40 90 65 -3 872 +66 309 +86 Keene_AP 41 88 66 -6 1025 -4 409 +35 Lakeport 50 86 67 -2 984 +151 385 +130 Marlow 38 83 62 -8 754 -169 258 -39 Mt_Washington 28 58 45 -5 73 +59 4 +4 North_Conway 48 90 68 +0 908 +79 360 +110 Otter_Brook_Lk 43 88 65 -6 926 -103 349 -25 Plymouth 42 85 63 -5 760 +40 249 +64 Rochester 46 91 67 -3 983 +26 382 +54 Weare 46 87 67 -3 901 -22 335 +38 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 42 86 65 -3 865 +97 315 +112 Bethel 40 87 64 -3 906 +183 351 +163 Burlington_VT 49 84 67 -4 1044 +66 434 +88 East_Haven 39 84 61 -4 682 +85 217 +86 Island_Pond 43 80 62 -3 678 +88 216 +96 Montpelier 45 82 63 -4 822 +69 286 +83 Morrisville_AG 44 82 62 -5 683 -57 210 +9 Mount_Mansfield 37 70 56 -4 406 +120 90 +69 Northfield 43 84 63 -4 823 +153 279 +115 Pownal 44 84 63 -5 879 +105 322 +113 Rochester 44 85 63 -4 780 +57 267 +79 Rutland_AG 42 84 64 -7 876 -152 323 -46 Sunderland 40 81 62 -9 810 -179 272 -69 Sutton 44 82 63 -2 698 +101 220 +89 Townshend_Lake 45 87 67 -4 956 +10 364 +42 Union_Vill_Dam 42 88 64 -6 860 -100 320 -9 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 50 86 68 -1 989 +190 385 +156 Boston 51 91 73 -1 1303 +157 598 +151 Greenfield 42 92 68 -5 1122 +13 469 +45 New_Bedford 48 88 70 -4 1162 +33 466 +40 Otis_AFB 52 86 70 +0 1052 +182 400 +124 Plymouth 45 91 70 -2 1091 +170 445 +133 Walpole 48 91 71 +0 1161 +184 502 +163 West_Medway 47 91 69 -2 1193 +216 518 +179 Westover 46 88 70 -5 1290 +9 591 +58 Worcester 52 85 69 -2 1059 +162 441 +154 Worthington 42 86 65 -3 895 +114 337 +126 RHODE ISLAND Providence 54 91 73 +2 1297 +220 587 +181 Woonsocket 48 88 70 -1 1162 +203 500 +183 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 45 89 67 -7 1074 -166 440 -74 Bridgeport 56 89 74 +0 1352 +195 619 +157 Hartford_AP 48 93 72 -2 1369 +136 641 +130 Norfolk 47 86 67 -1 1036 +253 412 +197 Norwich 50 89 71 -2 1245 +130 555 +136 Thomaston_Dam 45 90 68 -3 1179 +213 501 +179 Willimantic 47 90 69 -2 1202 +225 523 +195 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.03 -0.74 1 2.02 -1.17 10 Allagash 0.15 -0.69 2 5.47 +2.31 14 Augusta_ME 0.05 -0.65 1 1.75 -1.22 13 Bangor 0.05 -0.72 2 1.47 -1.61 13 Barnard 0.18 -0.66 2 2.74 -0.66 12 Bath 0.12 -0.56 1 2.00 -1.03 11 Bethel 0.33 -0.46 2 1.16 -2.28 10 Brassua_Dam 0.50 -0.41 1 3.34 -0.36 12 Brunswick_ME 0.24 -0.44 1 1.48 -1.55 10 Caribou 0.67 -0.22 4 6.41 +3.26 15 Corinna 0.07 -0.70 1 2.64 -0.56 9 Danforth 0.19 -0.69 3 4.10 +0.65 13 Dover-Foxcroft 0.12 -0.72 1 1.55 -1.85 11 Durham 0.09 -0.68 1 1.76 -1.52 11 East_Hiram 0.32 -0.51 2 1.16 -2.25 11 Eustis 0.12 -0.72 2 3.47 +0.20 15 Frenchville 0.13 -0.71 3 3.88 +0.72 15 Gray 0.36 -0.34 1 1.35 -1.67 11 Greenville_ME 0.18 -0.66 3 2.95 -0.45 13 Guilford 0.13 -0.71 1 2.38 -1.02 14 Hollis 0.70 -0.07 1 2.81 -0.43 13 Houlton 0.63 -0.21 4 4.78 +1.59 16 Kennebunkport 0.75 +0.05 2 2.69 -0.40 10 Livermore_Falls 0.05 -0.72 1 3.45 -0.02 13 Moosehead 0.42 -0.49 1 3.22 -0.48 13 New_Sharon 0.08 -0.69 1 3.33 -0.14 13 Patten 0.34 -0.50 2 3.14 -0.05 13 Portage 0.28 -0.61 4 6.40 +3.25 14 Portland_ME 0.55 -0.15 2 1.35 -1.67 12 Rangeley 0.17 -0.60 2 4.43 +1.15 14 Sebec_Lake 0.18 -0.66 2 1.32 -2.08 11 Vanceboro 0.28 -0.49 3 3.52 +0.50 17 Waterville 0.03 -0.74 1 3.70 +0.51 12 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.35 -0.35 2 2.05 -0.83 11 Benton 1.03 +0.26 1 3.40 +0.09 10 Berlin_AG 0.55 -0.29 1 2.23 -1.37 9 Bethlehem 0.92 +0.08 2 3.55 -0.09 13 Concord 0.09 -0.61 2 2.26 -0.62 9 Diamond_Pond 0.36 -0.66 2 3.44 -0.81 14 First_Conn_Lake 0.29 -0.73 2 4.84 +0.59 13 Greenville 0.23 -0.61 1 1.68 -1.68 7 Keene_AP 0.14 -0.64 1 2.31 -0.96 4 Lakeport 0.30 -0.47 1 2.23 -0.89 10 Marlow 0.04 -0.73 1 2.74 -0.53 8 Mt_Washington 1.12 -0.45 2 4.83 -1.97 15 North_Conway 0.33 -0.51 1 1.32 -2.20 10 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.08 -0.70 1 2.63 -0.64 9 Plymouth 0.99 +0.15 2 2.65 -0.71 10 Rochester 0.08 -0.69 1 1.93 -1.22 8 Weare 0.15 -0.62 2 2.27 -1.00 9 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.06 -0.85 1 2.55 -1.39 9 Bethel 0.31 -0.53 2 2.50 -0.86 11 Burlington_VT 1.26 +0.47 1 4.73 +1.46 13 East_Haven 0.77 -0.14 3 3.88 -0.02 15 Island_Pond 0.54 -0.37 2 2.95 -0.94 15 Montpelier 0.87 +0.18 1 4.49 +1.54 15 Morrisville_AG 1.42 +0.51 1 6.07 +2.35 13 Mount_Mansfield 2.00 +0.56 1 9.44 +3.37 13 Northfield 0.96 +0.19 1 4.53 +1.57 9 Pownal 0.34 -0.57 1 3.49 -0.45 9 Rochester 0.88 +0.04 2 4.54 +1.18 13 Rutland_AG 0.07 -0.77 2 1.43 -1.93 10 Sunderland 0.20 -0.43 1 4.25 +1.44 8 Sutton 0.87 -0.04 2 4.35 +0.45 16 Townshend_Lake 0.03 -0.71 1 1.46 -1.38 9 Union_Vill_Dam 0.73 +0.02 2 2.87 -0.03 13 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.14 -0.70 1 1.78 -1.58 9 Boston 0.62 -0.01 1 2.52 -0.16 7 Greenfield 0.30 -0.54 1 2.86 -0.58 9 New_Bedford 0.02 -0.63 1 1.23 -1.74 6 Otis_AFB 0.05 -0.58 1 0.28 -2.48 5 Plymouth 0.10 -0.67 1 0.42 -2.66 5 Walpole 0.63 -0.14 1 1.65 -1.66 7 West_Medway 1.08 +0.31 1 1.80 -1.51 5 Westover 0.22 -0.62 1 1.46 -2.08 11 Worcester 0.67 -0.23 1 2.60 -1.00 5 Worthington 0.27 -0.71 1 1.94 -1.76 9 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.04 -0.66 1 0.57 -2.37 7 Woonsocket 0.48 -0.43 1 1.31 -2.36 8 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.34 -0.36 1 0.59 -2.55 6 Bridgeport 0.37 -0.51 1 1.16 -2.18 4 Hartford_AP 0.27 -0.43 1 1.02 -2.12 8 Norfolk 0.32 -0.63 1 2.31 -1.71 9 Norwich 0.15 -0.69 1 2.07 -1.05 6 Thomaston_Dam 0.23 -0.68 1 0.83 -2.83 6 Willimantic 0.23 -0.70 1 0.87 -2.75 10 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 was another very hot and dry week. Most areas of the county need some rain. Vegetable growers are irrigating if possible. Second cutting of hay is not growing very well due to the dry weather. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Warm days and cool nights, coupled with low humidity, made for great hay making weather this week. More farms now harvesting sweet corn. Bean harvest started and pea harvest continued. Summer squash and cabbage also being harvested. Field corn growing fast. Could use some rain. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Picking early peaches and blueberries. 4/10" of rain last week - not enough to make a difference on crop conditions. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Soils are dry, producers need rain. They are irrigating where possible. Blueberries are being harvested and depending on the area, berries can be plentiful to sparse. First peaches are on the stands, size looks good. Hay making continues. Vegetables will be late this season, we are looking at beginning of August. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Good weather during most of the week helped growers catch up on field work - hilling, spraying, etc. Crops are growing rapidly. In fact, most crops have just about caught up to where they should be at this time of year. A few insect problems, but nothing serious. Early planted barley starting to ripen. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Potato crop is looking very good - we haven't seen any wireworms for a couple of weeks. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Cool weather. Still a challenge getting hay in dry, due to showers. Janet King (FSA), Somerset: Crops are looking very good at this time. Strawberries are still being harvested. Could need some rain, but farmers are having a hard time getting dry hay in. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: A week of dry weather has helped finish off the first hay crop and allowed some to start the 2nd crop. Corn is still behind schedule, and bird and cutworm damage seems to be almost everywhere. Still no armyworms! Strawberry harvest almost done. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Spraying on blueberry fields for fruit flies began this week. Haying continues with an above average crop. More fresh vegetables available each week. Many areas have now gone several weeks without rain. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Fruit flies have begun to be captured in traps and insecticides are beginning to be applied. Fruit is starting to turn blue, but ripening is very uneven. Crop development is about one week behind normal. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: What a week! Just about any road you traveled you saw someone out haying the fields. Bales, both round and square, were finally finding their way into the barns. The corn looks great; other crops are doing just fine. Strawberries are on their last legs; most "Pick Your Own" farms are reporting a week or two more for the season. We could use some moisture. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Producers are cutting second crop hay and are reporting a big yield. Strawberries are winding down. It's hard to believe how quickly it's dried out, we need some rain. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Square bales are coming in fast and furious. The corn crop is a rich green and looks beautiful. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Producers busy harvesting hay, conducting spray activities, and cultivating crops. Crops look good in spite of slow start. Strawberry and pea harvest is well underway. The weather has been very warm, however, less humid than the past week. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Haying going on high speed, crop is maturing early, making crop look good. Fertilizing for 2nd crop. Strawberries nearly all picked. No local sweet corn product yet. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: It has now been one month since we have had any significant rain. Irrigation is being used everywhere. Corn is curling, yields on squash are low, beans have no snap - they bend due to lack of water. All farm stands are open and now picking sweet corn. Strawberry harvest is over and blueberry harvest has begun. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: Hot, humid weather is good for corn but not cranberries, bees don't like to work and the fruit that has formed is very tender. Growers are also dealing with fireworm and cranberry weevil. Vegetable growers are starting to harvest, most crops are coming on fast. Summer squash, cukes, sweet corn are good to excellent. Growers are irrigating all crops. Second cutting of hay is excellent in both quality and quantity and field corn looks good. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: It's dry! If you own an irrigation system it's being used. Harvesting sweet corn, summer squash, cabbage, carrots, and blueberries. Early broadleaf tobacco is being topped and shade tobacco is being harvested. Crop farmers also busy cultivating, fertilizing, and scouting for diseases and pests. Gary Guida, Worcester: Hot and dry. Crops and growers showing stress. Renovation of strawberry fields underway. No appreciable rain in some time in this area. At farm stands, local produce is selling well. Perennials still in big demand, annuals in containers, too. Some stray cucumber beetles and squash bugs around. Corn here is at tassel stage. No European corn borers or Colorado potato beetles yet. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Strawberry harvest completed in most places. Blueberry harvest just beginning. Harvesting swiss chard, greens, zucchini, summer squash, peas, new potatoes, field tomatoes on plastic, few hot peppers on plastic, cucumbers, and cut flowers. Fruit is set on pumpkins and melons. Sidedressing and waiting for sweet corn. Trouble with crows and weeds. Second cut hay down in some places. Pastures look fine but could use some rain. Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: First cutting of hay is finally finishing up! The fields that were cut early have a nice second cutting coming on now. The amount of precipitation has been more favorable for putting in dry hay and warmer weather is helping the corn grow much better. Strawberry harvest is winding down, blueberries are not quite ready. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Any 1st cut hay remaining is excessively mature. Second cut is well underway, and the week generally provided good drying conditions. Silage corn is growing well, with most corn 36-48" high. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn has made excellent growth in the last two weeks. Regrowth on alfalfa grass mixes good to excellent. Second cutting continues as weather permits. First cut hay finishing up. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruits: Strawberry harvest is over and growers are renovating strawberry beds. Harvesting raspberries and blueberries. Orchardists busy monitoring for pests, spraying and mowing orchard floor. Growers training newly planted trees. Some apple scab seen. Vegetables: Growers concerned about irrigating crops. Continued harvesting vegetables such as beets, broccoli, greens, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes and summer squash. The first sweet corn was harvested. Growers busy sidedressing fields with fertilizer, cultivating, mowing weeds around edges of fields, scouting for pests and spraying accordingly. Field Crops: Sidedressing fertilizer to field corn and harvested hayfields. Farmers continued to bale hay or make haylage. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Harvesting peas, greens, summer squash, cukes, raspberries, strawberries and a few blueberries. Second cut hay looks good while some are still putting up 1st cut hay. Growers are mowing and applying post-emergence weed control materials. Some corn fields look great, while others not so good. Warm weather has stimulated growth of corn and field tomatoes. Greenhouse tomato sales are excellent. Starting to get a little dry, rainfall would be welcomed. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Nice, sunny days with a couple of cold nights. Crops are in need of a good soaking rain. Good haying week. Harvesting sweet corn, summer squash, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, raspberries, blueberries. Getting ready to renovate strawberry beds. Weeding, cultivating, and monitoring pests in vegetable fields and fruit orchards and spraying accordingly. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: The week was dry and hot. The growing conditions for crops under irrigation was excellent. Vegetable growers continued to harvest early crops, such as lettuce, radish and greenhouse tomatoes. Growers were also harvesting peas and broccoli. They also continued to monitor for pests and diseases. Fruit growers were busy monitoring for pests and spraying when needed. Strawberry harvesting continued and raspberry harvesting started. Producers continued to make hay. Some producers are already making the second cut. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Somewhat cooler, less humid weather this week. Corn now beginning to grow rapidly, soil nitrate testing and top dressing of field corn during the week. Dry hay still a bit of a challenge with occasional showers, damp ground in some locations. Early season veggies, peas, lettuce on market, local strawberries coming available. A slow start to the summer overall. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Irrigation pipes are out in full force, cabbage, potatoes, vegetables all under some percentage of irrigation. A windy, warm week added dryness to vegetables, but made the haying easier. Spraying and cultivating crops still going strong, some early corn starting to show up at roadside stands. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Warm and dry! Fields are dusty. Irrigation systems are running where available. Early, native, spot-picked sweet corn is now appearing at farm stands. A nice assortment of produce is available. We need rain in all parts of the state. The fields are wilting and pastures are brown. Mowing, weeding, spraying and harvesting are the activities of the week. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: After a wet start, the second half of the week allowed for grass to be dried and put up as dry baled hay. Many corn farmers are sidedressing with nitrogen before the corn gets too high. Some manure being spread on first cut fields. Quite a bit of second cut grass being harvested with a few already finished. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Very nice week for finishing first cut hay. Most landowners are dry baling the remainder of their first crop. Corn looks much better this week due to a decrease in wet weather and the warmer temperatures. Some landowners have begun second cut hay. The fields are still wet but not as bad as 3 weeks ago. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: The weather has turned to dry with some crop showing drought stress. Most first cut hay is completed and fertilizer is spread, but we need a little rain to wash it in. Started picking blueberries and raspberries this past weekend and the reports are really good crops. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Continued hay crop harvest, mostly as chopped haylage. Dry hay harvest continues with remains of first cut and some second crop, good regrowth. Soil too dry in some fields (corn wilting), too wet in others, some corn fields and new seeded hay fields not planted at all this year. New seeded fields have good complete coverage. Pasture regrowth is good, but slowing. Corn crop looks excellent with vigorous growth. Richard Noel, Grand Isle/Franklin: A lot of hay went in this week. Second cut hay chopped, baled hay still difficult because of the wet ground, but quite a bit went in. Corn that's ready is being top- dressed. Manure very hard to apply due to wet ground conditions on grass ground. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Summery week. Many farmers had a chance to dry some hay. This was first cut hay - not much feed value in it. Still leaving ruts in fields, wetter ground is still very wet. Second cut of hay is growing well, some have started harvesting it. Good week for growing. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Sprayed potatoes for blight and bugs, also sprayed vine crops for cucumber beetles. Cultivated vine crops, hand hoed squash and pumpkins. Picking a good crop of peas. Started marketing carrots, summer squash, turnips and green onions. Rain was short (.02 in) this week. Potato bugs not very bad so far, have sprayed just once. Corn growing well. Early corn is in full tassel, but due to cold start, will be later this year. Beans will be on the market soon. Have a nice week. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. 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 ***********************