new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 07/15/01 Issue NH-CW2801 Volume 21, Number 11 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) July 16, 2001 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary ARMYWORMS DAMAGE HAY CROPS For the week ending July 15, 2001, there were 4.9 days available for fieldwork across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 3% very poor, 5% poor, 28% fair, 46% good, 18% excellent. Major farm activities included: cultivating potatoes; topdressing and sidedressing fields with fertilizer; cutting hay and chopping haylage; topping tobacco plants; harvesting strawberries, raspberries, highbush blueberries, sweet corn, summer squash, cole crops, peas, zucchini, snap beans, radishes, tomatoes and other vegetables; and spraying for weeds, insects, and fungus. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 0 2 2 Short 10 15 5 Adequate 84 73 71 Surplus 6 10 22 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 0 8 1 Short 20 8 3 Adequate 76 74 82 Surplus 4 10 14 --------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Last week consisted of warm days followed by cool evenings, with hail and heavy thunderstorms reported at some locations. Most areas received adequate rainfall, which was good for crop growth but provided unfavorable conditions for hay harvest and fieldwork. Severe armyworm infestations have destroyed a significant portion of the region's second crop hay. Growers were trying to control the pests by spraying or harvesting the hay; however, scattered showers interfered with their efforts. Armyworm numbers are expected to start decreasing soon as they complete their lifecycle and turn into moths. Field corn growers topdressed with nitrogen and continued to scout fields for insect damage. New England's shade tobacco crop is ready for harvest, with picking of the first prime just getting underway in Massachusetts. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Orchards continued to be mowed and monitored for weeds and pests. Both apple scab and hail damage were detected in orchards throughout the area last week. Growers are gearing up for peach harvest. Strawberry harvest came closer to nearing completion last week, while early highbush blueberry and raspberry harvest continued. Maine wild blueberry fields were monitored for fruit flies and sprayed where necessary. The Massachusetts cranberry crop remained in good to fair condition at week's end, with an average fruit set reported. VEGETABLES: Farmers continued to harvest radishes, peas, broccoli, zucchini, lettuce, and other vegetables. Most crops were reported in good condition. New England's sweet corn harvest advanced to 10 percent picked as of July 15, on schedule with last year and ahead of normal. The crop is doing exceptionally well at roadside stands and farmers' markets. Fields were actively monitored for weeds and insects and applications were made where necessary. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------- Crop 2001 2000 5-yr Avg Condition ---------------------------------------------------- Potatoes -- Percent Emerged -- Maine 100 100 100 Excel/Good Mass 100 100 100 Good Rhode Isl 100 100 100 Good/Fair Oats, ME 100 100 100 Excel/Good Barley, ME 100 100 100 Excel/Good Silage Corn 99 95 99 Good/Excel Sweet Corn 95 95 99 Good Tobacco -- Percent Planted -- Shade 100 100 100 Good/Fair Broadleaf 100 100 100 Good/Fair Dry Hay --Percent Harvested-- First Cut 95 80 85 Good/Fair Second Cut 40 20 20 Good/Fair Third Cut 5 5 <5 Good ----------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Fruit Crop Harvested Size Condition ---------------------------------------------- Apples -- Avg Good Peaches -- Avg/B.Avg Good/Fair Pears -- Avg Poor Strawberries 95 Avg Good Cranberries,MA -- Avg Good/Fair Blueberries Highbush 15 Avg Good Wild,ME -- B.Avg Good -------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the Week ending Sunday, July 15, 2001 --------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI -- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 45 86 64 -4 0.09 2.90 NH 37 90 64 -4 0.00 4.29 VT 43 88 64 -4 0.18 4.08 MA 44 92 67 -4 0.15 1.16 RI 52 91 69 -2 0.49 1.12 CT 46 91 68 -4 0.11 0.90 -------------------------------------- Weather Information Table AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 50 77 64 -6 902 -30 304 -2 Allagash 53 80 64 -1 672 +80 174 +55 Augusta_ME 53 76 65 -5 1036 +153 399 +118 Bangor 52 76 64 -5 998 +214 363 +142 Barnard 50 76 64 -4 859 +187 264 +102 Bath 52 76 64 -5 846 +58 285 +57 Bethel 52 83 64 -5 871 +71 272 +45 Brassua_Dam 51 79 62 -3 693 +154 168 +64 Brunswick_ME 54 75 64 -5 918 +130 329 +101 Caribou 51 74 63 -3 832 +188 243 +95 Corinna 51 77 65 -4 961 +189 328 +117 Danforth 46 77 62 -6 787 +55 226 +25 Dover-Foxcroft 47 76 63 -5 826 +154 246 +84 Durham 49 79 64 -7 860 -77 301 -20 East_Hiram 49 79 64 -4 853 +55 283 +57 Eustis 49 77 61 -4 635 +98 151 +57 Frenchville 54 73 62 -3 728 +136 185 +66 Gray 54 78 66 -4 1035 +265 413 +200 Greenville_ME 51 76 63 -5 798 +115 237 +72 Guilford 50 77 64 -3 843 +171 290 +128 Hollis 51 81 65 -3 923 +177 338 +140 Houlton 46 76 63 -3 805 +143 244 +84 Kennebunkport 54 75 64 -9 847 -147 301 -50 Livermore_Falls 45 86 65 -2 951 +282 354 +198 Moosehead 47 82 61 -4 674 +135 160 +56 New_Sharon 52 83 67 +1 1052 +383 415 +259 Patten 47 71 60 -7 679 +17 163 +3 Portage 55 76 65 -2 842 +198 264 +116 Portland_ME 53 77 64 -5 979 +209 382 +169 Rangeley 52 80 62 -2 650 +141 157 +74 Sebec_Lake 49 79 63 -5 828 +145 253 +88 Vanceboro 50 74 62 -5 799 +128 228 +66 Waterville 52 76 66 -5 980 +48 358 +52 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 52 86 67 -3 1043 +132 413 +116 Benton 52 80 63 -4 830 +69 240 +51 Berlin_AG 52 82 64 -3 874 +114 269 +69 Bethlehem 51 82 63 -3 804 +43 226 +36 Concord 50 87 66 -4 1058 +147 412 +115 Diamond_Pond 50 74 59 -5 593 +117 137 +75 First_Conn_Lake 51 76 58 -5 529 +53 115 +53 Greenville 45 90 64 -4 867 +43 292 +61 Keene_AP 50 86 66 -6 1060 +10 396 +11 Lakeport 55 85 68 -1 1094 +242 433 +169 Marlow 44 86 63 -7 804 -138 248 -58 Mt_Washington 37 59 45 -4 78 +63 6 +6 North_Conway 54 83 66 -3 1072 +224 422 +163 Otter_Brook_Lk 49 85 65 -7 953 -97 315 -70 Plymouth 50 85 63 -4 844 +107 259 +67 Rochester 52 84 67 -4 1073 +96 440 +102 Weare 50 83 64 -6 912 -30 307 +1 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 44 84 61 -7 680 -105 178 -32 Bethel 47 86 66 -2 931 +191 313 +118 Burlington_VT 56 82 67 -5 1171 +172 461 +104 East_Haven 53 81 63 -2 749 +137 205 +69 Island_Pond 53 80 62 -3 753 +149 202 +77 Montpelier 50 82 64 -4 852 +82 263 +53 Morrisville_AG 55 82 64 -4 728 -29 197 -11 Mount_Mansfield 43 65 52 -8 377 +82 66 +44 Northfield 49 84 65 -2 854 +168 254 +84 Pownal 52 83 64 -4 912 +121 279 +63 Rochester 49 83 63 -4 826 +86 238 +43 Rutland_AG 51 81 64 -7 930 -118 289 -90 Sunderland 51 81 63 -8 784 -225 210 -141 Sutton 52 81 63 -3 781 +169 219 +83 Townshend_Lake 52 88 65 -6 916 -50 306 -26 Union_Vill_Dam 47 87 66 -5 899 -81 280 -59 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 52 85 66 -3 1037 +220 383 +146 Boston 59 79 69 -6 1342 +172 620 +159 Greenfield 47 92 68 -4 1086 -45 422 -14 New_Bedford 52 87 69 -6 1203 +50 498 +58 Otis_AFB 57 84 69 -2 1168 +277 502 +215 Plymouth 50 87 68 -4 1130 +188 452 +129 Walpole 54 88 68 -3 1260 +262 545 +195 West_Medway 53 90 68 -3 1259 +261 544 +194 Westover 55 88 69 -6 1300 -5 564 +17 Worcester 52 84 66 -4 1083 +166 410 +113 Worthington 44 84 63 -5 866 +68 276 +58 RHODE ISLAND Providence 55 90 70 -3 1335 +235 592 +173 Woonsocket 52 91 70 +0 1299 +319 584 +256 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 46 87 66 -9 1038 -226 380 -148 Bridgeport 58 89 72 -2 1371 +190 607 +131 Hartford_AP 53 91 69 -5 1322 +65 576 +51 Norfolk 51 82 67 -1 1006 +205 366 +143 Norwich 52 91 70 -3 1329 +192 576 +145 Thomaston_Dam 46 88 67 -3 1132 +146 439 +107 Willimantic 50 89 68 -3 1319 +322 563 +225 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.73 -0.04 6 2.61 -0.57 15 Allagash 1.01 +0.17 5 3.73 +0.55 14 Augusta_ME 0.79 +0.09 5 2.50 -0.46 12 Bangor 0.38 -0.39 5 1.72 -1.36 12 Barnard 0.71 -0.13 6 2.29 -1.10 14 Bath 1.73 +1.06 7 4.32 +1.32 13 Bethel 1.55 +0.77 5 6.23 +2.81 15 Brassua_Dam 1.46 +0.55 4 3.31 -0.39 12 Brunswick_ME 1.71 +1.04 6 4.31 +1.31 13 Caribou 0.75 -0.15 6 3.05 -0.13 18 Corinna 1.17 +0.40 4 4.33 +1.14 10 Danforth 2.53 +1.64 3 3.64 +0.18 10 Dover-Foxcroft 1.43 +0.59 6 2.55 -0.84 13 Durham 1.12 +0.35 6 3.55 +0.29 13 East_Hiram 1.58 +0.76 6 3.46 +0.07 13 Eustis 2.01 +1.17 4 5.38 +2.10 11 Frenchville 0.97 +0.13 7 3.96 +0.78 18 Gray 0.92 +0.22 6 4.34 +1.34 14 Greenville_ME 2.61 +1.77 4 4.44 +1.05 13 Guilford 0.99 +0.15 6 3.36 -0.03 14 Hollis 1.26 +0.49 5 3.76 +0.53 12 Houlton 0.62 -0.22 5 1.84 -1.36 13 Kennebunkport 1.61 +0.91 5 5.70 +2.63 13 Livermore_Falls 2.90 +2.13 6 6.41 +2.97 13 Moosehead 1.43 +0.52 5 3.58 -0.12 14 New_Sharon 2.18 +1.41 5 7.75 +4.31 12 Patten 0.87 +0.03 5 2.85 -0.35 16 Portage 0.95 +0.05 7 3.32 +0.14 14 Portland_ME 1.03 +0.33 5 2.53 -0.47 13 Rangeley 1.65 +0.88 7 3.52 +0.26 14 Sebec_Lake 0.72 -0.12 6 2.47 -0.92 15 Vanceboro 1.17 +0.40 6 2.71 -0.32 15 Waterville 1.20 +0.43 6 2.39 -0.79 13 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.97 +0.27 5 4.24 +1.37 16 Benton 1.15 +0.38 5 2.84 -0.45 11 Berlin_AG 3.02 +2.18 5 4.98 +1.40 11 Bethlehem 0.61 -0.23 6 2.81 -0.81 14 Concord 1.07 +0.37 6 3.87 +1.00 16 Diamond_Pond 2.32 +1.30 7 7.18 +2.94 17 First_Conn_Lake 2.03 +1.01 4 5.29 +1.05 13 Greenville 0.03 -0.81 2 3.48 +0.12 10 Keene_AP 0.00 -0.79 0 1.13 -2.14 2 Lakeport 0.14 -0.64 2 2.41 -0.71 12 Marlow 0.18 -0.59 3 2.72 -0.54 11 Mt_Washington 4.29 +2.73 5 7.40 +0.65 14 North_Conway 0.44 -0.40 5 2.23 -1.28 12 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.23 -0.56 4 2.66 -0.61 15 Plymouth 0.32 -0.52 4 2.51 -0.85 12 Rochester 1.93 +1.16 5 5.23 +2.09 14 Weare 0.24 -0.53 3 3.47 +0.21 12 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.85 +0.94 4 5.39 +1.47 14 Bethel 0.42 -0.42 6 2.36 -1.00 14 Burlington_VT 0.46 -0.34 5 1.72 -1.55 13 East_Haven 1.79 +0.88 6 2.98 -0.90 12 Island_Pond 1.40 +0.49 7 3.49 -0.38 15 Montpelier 0.42 -0.27 5 2.34 -0.59 13 Morrisville_AG 0.77 -0.14 5 2.18 -1.53 12 Mount_Mansfield 4.08 +2.65 6 6.60 +0.56 13 Northfield 0.78 +0.01 4 3.25 +0.28 10 Pownal 0.95 +0.04 5 5.45 +1.53 12 Rochester 0.71 -0.13 5 2.47 -0.89 13 Rutland_AG 1.39 +0.55 7 4.29 +0.93 12 Sunderland 0.56 -0.07 4 4.03 +1.24 12 Sutton 1.44 +0.53 7 3.17 -0.71 15 Townshend_Lake 0.18 -0.57 3 2.84 -0.01 13 Union_Vill_Dam 0.54 -0.18 5 2.77 -0.13 14 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.55 -0.29 6 6.46 +3.10 17 Boston 0.25 -0.38 4 5.18 +2.51 13 Greenfield 0.30 -0.54 3 3.22 -0.21 13 New_Bedford 1.14 +0.50 4 4.27 +1.33 12 Otis_AFB 0.96 +0.33 4 3.09 +0.35 12 Plymouth 0.46 -0.31 3 3.19 +0.11 13 Walpole 0.72 -0.05 5 10.15 +6.86 15 West_Medway 1.09 +0.32 2 9.64 +6.35 11 Westover 0.89 +0.05 3 3.98 +0.46 13 Worcester 0.71 -0.18 5 5.12 +1.53 16 Worthington 1.16 +0.18 4 3.77 +0.06 13 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.54 -0.16 4 4.26 +1.33 13 Woonsocket 1.12 +0.21 5 7.47 +3.81 14 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.11 -0.59 2 5.23 +2.12 12 Bridgeport 0.16 -0.73 1 3.52 +0.16 11 Hartford_AP 0.22 -0.48 3 3.72 +0.61 13 Norfolk 0.42 -0.52 5 3.11 -0.89 16 Norwich 0.36 -0.48 3 6.54 +3.41 12 Thomaston_Dam 0.47 -0.44 5 2.75 -0.90 17 Willimantic 0.31 -0.63 5 5.01 +1.37 15 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 2001: 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: Most of the field corn looks good. Armyworms in many hay fields. Marsha Jette (FSA), New London: Armyworms are being sprayed in random areas of the county. Pastures have been reported as completely gone, with some producers reporting 2nd cutting of hay totally lost. Sweet corn picking has just begun with good reports. Green beans are not blossoming and some have been replanted. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Field corn is shoulder high in areas, some is looking a bit pale. Week was ok for hay and vegetables. A few thunder showers and small hail affected the poor fruit that was left. Cool nights for summer. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Weather this season has been unpredictable. Days are warm and nights are cool. Silage corn and hay look good. Blueberries are being harvested, things are coming along. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: Corn looks beautiful. Alfalfa looks great. Its time for a break on some farms. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Armyworm reports dwindling as spraying continues. Some concern that certain pesticides are ineffective. Still seeing a lot of short corn out there... we need some heat. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Rain showers nearly every day. Some of them quite heavy. Some growers having difficulty getting through their fields to spray. Some low spots in fields showing excessive water stress. In spite of this, disease and insect pressure is under control. Poor haying weather. Erin Chadbourne (Ext), Central Aroostook: Lots of rain in the County for the past seven days. The northern part of the county seems harder hit by rain than other areas of the County. As far as field activity goes, it is minimal. The only field activity may be a fungicide spray here or an insecticide spray there. Some potato growers in the area are spraying micronutrients, also. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Corn borers are just about cleaned up but the armyworms are still fairly thick. Their life cycle should start to diminish next week sometime. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Over an inch of rain. Haying slowed almost to a stop. Janet King/Jennifer Zweig (FSA), Somerset: Have had rain every afternoon for a week which makes it hard to get dry hay harvested. Corn looks good so far. County has experienced extensive damage from armyworms, especially in hay fields. Several fields are completely brown and may not recover. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Fly traps in blueberry fields are being monitored. Armyworms are a problem, but not as bad as other counties. The first sweet corn is in farm stands. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Insecticides being sprayed for blueberry fruit fly control. High proportion of blue fruit (20-30%) noted because of warm weather in June. Cool weather slowing ripening of fruit. Showers providing uneven but adequate moisture. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: We have been invaded by armyworms. Many producers have called about the destruction of their hay crop and some have reported some corn damage caused by the "little critters." Other than trying to eradicate them with pesticides, most producers are waiting for them to "grow up," become moths and fly away. We've had a few isolated reports of hail damage to corn; nothing that won't grow back. We have heard of some apple damage caused by hail. Isn't farming fun? Parker Rand/Jill Littlefield (FSA), Cumberland/York: Armyworms are still a pest. Apple orchards were hit by hail. Strawberries are almost done for this year. Vegetable growers are happy with the sunny mornings and rainy afternoons. Hay makers are having a hard time between the worms and the weather. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: No hay was harvested this week. There was rain everyday, sometimes severe with hail and high winds. Spraying has also become a concern for apples and potatoes. Some crops are in very saturated soils. Strawberry harvest is complete. First local sweet corn is available. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Heavy use of the tedder to get hay dry. Some silage being harvested and put up wetter than normal. Vegetables starting to be harvested. Sweet corn to start the 14th for picking. Armyworms, cutworms and potato bugs have consumed their share. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: All crops look good, vegetable growers are starting to pick sweet corn, and other early crops with good to excellent yields and quality. Cranberry growers are applying fertilizer and insecticides and irrigating as the fruit starts to size, some insect pressure on the bogs at this time. Shellfish growers are harvesting quahogs and oysters as fast as they can to meet market demand. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Vegetables for the most part are looking OK. Many farmers are concerned and on the lookout for armyworms. Some hayfields completely wiped out, others untouched. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Only the late varieties have blossoms left. Things are setting up nicely. Most areas received rain Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, or both. The storms on Tuesday evening provided lightning displays rarely observed on the Cape. No reports of hail so far. Growers are finishing fungicide applications and continuing with fruitworm treatments. A new material, Provado, was approved on an emergency exemption for the tremendous cranberry weevil populations in an area where Lorsban is no longer effective. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Harvesting of all crops continues, most crops look very good and are in good supply. Armyworm pressure has subsided this week. Hornworms are on tomatoes. Fruit continues to size up and look good. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Forage growers have had a frustrating week trying to harvest hay and fight armyworms. The best defense against the pest has been to cut the hayfields, but scattered showers have delayed baling. Potatoes look excellent with perfect growing conditions. Chip stock harvest should begin pretty soon. Shade tobacco looks excellent, too, and harvest is expected to begin this week. Field tobacco is being "clean topped" for harvest in 21 days. Harvesting summer squash, sweet corn, lettuce, tomatoes, blueberries and raspberries. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Frequent rains, heat and sunshine made this week great for growing crops. Farmers are scouting fields for corn borer, fall armyworm, corn earworm, aphids and Japanese beetles. Growers are also looking out for bacterial leaf spot and angular leaf spot in cucurbits and phytophthasa in peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and vine crops. Started to harvest cucumbers, sweet corn, and tomatoes. Early broadleaf tobacco fields are being topped and shade tobacco harvested. Gary Guida, Worcester: A great weather week, all crops performing well. Consumers out in droves with native corn leading sales charge. Insect pressure moderate and disease pressure low in vegetable crops. Final planting of sweet corn and transplanting of new strawberry fields completed. Weeds appearing in corn fields as herbicides are breaking down , "over top" applications being applied. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Cool, rainy week with hail in scattered locations made for drying of later cut hay difficult, some quality loss experienced. Second cut on earlier haylage chopped fields. Topdressing of corn with nitrogen, fields with manure. Spraying of a number of hay and corn fields infested with armyworms. Strawberry harvest winding down, blueberries coloring, early vegetables in good quantities, sweet corn (early varieties) tasseling. Armyworm infestation remains a prominent pest this week especially in grassy hayland and edges of corn fields. Some locations have extremely high levels, much above the threshold for control. Considerable yield loss on some haylands. Hail also a concern with damage on cornfields observed, with reports of damage on apples, potatoes, other vegetables. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Armyworm feeding has slowed somewhat. Mostly damage to grass hay, although some corn is being fed on. Second cutting progressing. Third regrowth is excellent (orchard grass and alfalfa) and has been helped by rain showers. Soil still on the dry side. Corn looks good to excellent. No signs of potato leafhoppers yet. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Field Crops: Farmers busy checking fields for armyworm and spraying if needed. Armyworm infestation is sporadic in the county. Farmers are baling hay or making haylage with drier weather. Grass hay has matured rapidly. With cooler nights, good regrow is seen in hay fields. Fruits: Strawberry harvest is completed, starting to renovate strawberry beds. Starting to harvest blueberries and peaches, and the raspberry harvest continues. Orchardists busy monitoring for pests, spraying if needed, and mowing orchard floor. Some apple scab seen. Vegetables: Continuing successive planting. Growers continued harvesting vegetables such as greens, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, peas, beans and summer squash. Starting to harvest first potatoes. Growers busy sidedressing fields, hoeing weeds, scouting for pests and spraying if needed. Disease pressure continues to be a concern. Vegetables are growing slowly because of cooler nights, but weeds are growing great! Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: More hail again this week, as well as downpours and on-again, off-again rain. Harvesting an array of vegetables, raspberries and blueberries. Monitoring pests in vegetable fields, orchards and especially on the lookout for armyworms. Sidedressing vegetables, weeding, cultivating and applying pesticides when necessary. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Armyworms reported throughout, attacking mostly second cut of hay, some corn. Strawberry picking just about done. Blueberries ready for harvesting soon. Strong storms last Tuesday produced hail which damaged some apple crops and shredded silage corn leaves. Monitoring will continue during growth. Second cut of hay and haylage coming along good. Rain spotty. Cooler than normal temperatures. RHODE ISLAND - Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Isolated heavy showers with some hail and high winds have become almost a daily occurrence in northern and central Rhode Island. The East Bay area could use a little more rain which would benefit the potatoes at this stage of development. Summer squash harvest is doing well in both quality and price throughout the state. Sweet corn sales are winding up with tomatoes and peppers to follow. The blueberry crop is reported to be better than expected. The daily rains have been a detriment to late varieties of strawberries! The hay yield is said to be 50% of what it should be. Armyworm damage reports continue to arrive. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Armyworms were the problem of the week once again. Damage is widespread in the northeast part of the state, yet spotty in nature. Overall effect on corn and grass crops remains to be determined. Visited with large vegetable grower who is having minimal problems with weather and insects so far this growing season. Several farmers have tried large doses of liquid manure as an antidote to the armyworm appetite. Several strawberry growers hit hard by "clipper" with large reductions in yield. Hail storms early in the week caused some damage with a few vegetable growers and a flower operation. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: The number of calls per day on armyworms seems to be decreasing. Most people on farms have them to some degree. Numerous reports of losing most, if not all of the second grass hay crop. Seems to be worst from Orange county (central Vermont) north. Based on a few sample counts one farm could have as many as 40 million armyworms. We did find a few dying off at one-inch size in southern Vermont. Wild turkeys and other birds are now helping out. Major hail storm on Tuesday did damage to some corn fields and gardens. Probably killed armyworms as ground was white and had one report of being 5 inches deep. Below normal temperatures and spotty showers most of the week. Larry Hamel (NRCS), Orleans: Over 75 farmers have reported armyworm damage in Orleans County by the end of the week! Damage has been severe to light in places. Most damage has been in second cut hay fields with several farmers reporting damage to corn, especially no-till corn! Very "misty" weather and cool this past week. Very few farmers were able to harvest quality dry hay. Corn silage crops are looking great with nice green color. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: The armyworms took their toll on the hay fields leaving only the weeds standing. Second cut alfalfa for haylage is in progress with an excellent crop. Sweet corn is being picked in Westminster. Forage corn is pushing eight feet with some tasseling. Raspberry growers are having a great year. Apples are looking really good this year. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Armyworms continue to be a widespread problem in grass and corn fields. Harvesting hay crops ahead of schedule to avoid losses. Adequate rain for good regrowth. Some manure spreading on hay fields. Corn beyond nitrogen sidedress, still foliar feeding by air both corn and hay crops. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: Boy what a week! Some farmers getting beat by armyworms. Sprayers have done over 4,000 acres, they say that's about 33% of the affected acres. Many farmers trying to cut hay to get ahead of them and second crop yields are very low! Weather this week was cloudy with showers and hail on July 11. Rained 1.44 in., not too good for bringing in hay in any form. But corn looks good in most areas, all we need is sunshine to bring crops around. Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Armyworms very widespread, most farms seeing some. Damage is extensive in many locations. Some fields have no grass left that was to be a second cut of hay. Not every field on a farm shows damage. Big rush this week to harvest the second cut of hay in order to get it before the worms do. About 3/4-inch of rain this week at my home. Other places had heavy downpours. Hail as big as golf balls caused severe damage to an ornamental grower and to corn in places. Very unusual events this 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 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 ***********************