Week ending date For week ending 06/24/01 Issue NH-CW2501 Volume 21, Number 8 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) June 25, 2001 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary For the week ending June 24, 2001, there were 5.9 days available for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 0% very poor, 2% poor, 16% fair, 60% good, 22% excellent. Major farm activities included: planting sweet corn and late season vegetables; cultivating and hilling potatoes; spreading manure; transplanting broadleaf tobacco and some vegetables; testing soils for nitrate; sidedressing fields with fertilizer; cutting hay and haylage; harvesting strawberries, summer squash, cole crops, peas, radishes, and other early season 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 1 9 0 Short 15 6 6 Adequate 74 71 70 Surplus 10 14 24 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 8 8 0 Short 9 7 4 Adequate 72 77 75 Surplus 11 8 21 --------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Another hot, humid week with scattered showers provided excellent growing conditions for most crops throughout New England. Crop growth remains ahead of normal, and the consistently favorable weather has allowed growers ample opportunity for fieldwork. Potato emergence was almost complete last week and farmers stayed busy hilling and cultivating their crops. Flea and Colorado beetles have been detected in some Maine potato fields. If good weather continues on into next week, silage corn planting should be completed. Ten percent of New England's broadleaf tobacco crop had yet to be transplanted; the crop remained slightly ahead of both last year and the five-year average. The harvesting of first cut hay continued, and second cutting has just gotten underway. The second cut crop has been reported in better condition than the first. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Growers mowed orchards and continued to spray fruit crops for weeds and insects. The condition of New England's apple crop was reported as poor in Connecticut and Rhode Island and good to excellent elsewhere. A similar situation is occurring with the peach and pear crops; they were reported in very poor condition in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Thirty-five percent of the strawberry crop has been harvested. Reported fruit size of Maine's wild blueberry crop fell from average to below average last week; the crop remained in good condition. Massachusetts' cranberries were in Full to Early Bloom Stage, quickly approaching Petal Fall. Some growers have flooded their bogs in order to destroy the bloom, after hearing about the marketing order restriction announced by the USDA. VEGETABLES: Sweet corn planting progressed last week with 95% of the crop already in the ground. The harvesting of rhubarb, radish, peas, lettuce, and other early season vegetables proceeded, with most crops remaining in good condition. Growers continued to make fungicide applications and monitor their fields for insects. Soil nitrate levels were tested and fields were sidedressed with fertilizer. The weather continued to be favorable for sales at roadside stands. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------------------- Crop 2001 2000 5-yrAvg Condition --------------------------------------------------------- Potatoes --Percent Emerged -- Maine 95 90 90 Excel/Good Mass 99 100 100 Good/Excel Rhode Isl 100 100 100 Good Oats, ME 100 99 99 Excel/Good Barley, ME 100 100 99 Excel/Good Silage Corn 95 70 90 Good/Excel Sweet Corn 85 70 85 Good Tobacco -- Percent Planted -- Shade 100 100 100 Good/Fair Broadleaf 90 80 85 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 95 85 90 Good Dry Hay --Percent Harvested-- First Cut 60 45 55 Good Second Cut <5 <5 <5 Good/Excel ------------------------------------------------------ FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- Percent Fruit Fruit Crop Harvested Set Size Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Apples -- Avg/B.Avg Avg Good Peaches -- B.Avg/Avg Avg/B.Avg Fair Pears -- B.Avg/Avg B.Avg/Avg V.Poor/Poor Strawberries 35 Avg Avg Good/Excel Cranberries,MA -- Avg -- Good/Fair Blueberries Highbush -- Avg Avg Good/Fair Wild,ME -- A.Avg B.Avg Good -------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the Week ending Sunday, June 24, 2001 --------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI -- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 37 91 66 +4 0.00 3.07 NH 39 94 67 +4 0.54 2.81 VT 43 93 67 +4 0.03 1.74 MA 50 92 71 +5 0.69 4.95 RI 58 94 73 +6 2.16 4.65 CT 54 92 71 +4 1.23 4.79 -------------------------------------- Prepared by AWIS, Inc. 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 49 86 68 +3 560 +24 168 +43 Allagash 37 82 61 -1 398 +98 84 +54 Augusta_ME 56 86 69 +5 649 +154 222 +116 Bangor 50 88 69 +6 626 +198 200 +123 Barnard 47 83 65 +4 523 +174 135 +90 Bath 51 90 67 +4 499 +77 146 +70 Bethel 51 88 67 +3 556 +113 161 +78 Brassua_Dam 44 82 63 +3 412 +149 83 +62 Brunswick_ME 55 88 68 +5 554 +132 175 +99 Caribou 47 77 64 +3 519 +180 131 +87 Corinna 51 85 68 +5 600 +178 175 +103 Danforth 43 80 65 +1 473 +93 109 +47 Dover-Foxcroft 51 89 67 +6 502 +153 131 +86 Durham 51 89 69 +3 513 -12 159 +35 East_Hiram 50 88 67 +3 526 +84 161 +79 Eustis 46 86 64 +4 372 +106 81 +62 Frenchville 47 76 62 +2 457 +157 108 +78 Gray 57 88 70 +7 644 +237 232 +168 Greenville_ME 49 84 66 +5 483 +123 123 +75 Guilford 51 84 67 +5 498 +149 144 +99 Hollis 51 90 68 +5 554 +156 177 +115 Houlton 39 80 65 +3 488 +141 123 +76 Kennebunkport 55 83 67 +0 509 -63 171 +30 Livermore_Falls 48 87 68 +6 586 +232 194 +146 Moosehead 43 83 62 +2 401 +138 77 +56 New_Sharon 51 87 68 +7 648 +294 221 +173 Patten 47 78 64 +2 417 +70 89 +42 Portage 50 77 64 +2 535 +196 156 +112 Portland_ME 56 91 70 +6 586 +179 199 +135 Rangeley 46 86 64 +5 391 +139 87 +71 Sebec_Lake 46 85 65 +4 505 +145 132 +84 Vanceboro 47 81 65 +3 482 +138 115 +71 Waterville 53 84 69 +3 596 +60 184 +59 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 56 94 69 +5 670 +145 247 +123 Benton 51 87 66 +4 537 +97 146 +70 Berlin_AG 51 90 66 +3 558 +134 153 +78 Bethlehem 49 88 66 +4 513 +73 132 +55 Concord 54 90 70 +5 679 +154 239 +115 Diamond_Pond 47 82 62 +4 375 +139 89 +79 First_Conn_Lake 44 83 63 +4 314 +78 64 +54 Greenville 50 94 67 +3 540 +66 168 +76 Keene_AP 54 90 70 +4 689 +53 230 +48 Lakeport 57 90 70 +6 688 +211 237 +135 Marlow 48 88 66 +2 507 -54 146 +7 Mt_Washington 39 64 50 +5 55 +55 6 +6 North_Conway 55 91 70 +6 697 +217 255 +153 Otter_Brook_Lk 54 88 68 +2 614 -22 180 -2 Plymouth 48 91 67 +4 542 +139 158 +90 Rochester 50 93 68 +3 696 +118 270 +119 Weare 54 87 67 +3 581 +20 184 +45 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 47 88 66 +3 423 -25 111 +28 Bethel 49 92 69 +6 592 +176 180 +104 Burlington_VT 53 89 70 +4 785 +193 285 +123 East_Haven 43 88 65 +5 471 +147 117 +71 Island_Pond 47 87 66 +5 489 +163 124 +78 Montpelier 52 87 67 +5 543 +107 153 +71 Morrisville_AG 44 87 64 +2 437 +15 103 +23 Mount_Mansfield 44 73 58 +3 256 +124 49 +48 Northfield 47 90 66 +5 535 +161 138 +77 Pownal 52 86 66 +4 597 +143 166 +78 Rochester 51 88 67 +4 527 +111 137 +61 Rutland_AG 55 87 69 +3 607 -37 172 -16 Sunderland 51 88 66 -1 495 -117 118 -47 Sutton 52 87 66 +5 507 +183 137 +91 Townshend_Lake 54 91 68 +2 570 +5 168 +22 Union_Vill_Dam 52 93 67 +2 574 -6 156 +3 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 58 88 70 +6 678 +220 232 +142 Boston 61 91 74 +5 882 +180 370 +165 Greenfield 51 90 69 +1 690 -1 236 +29 New_Bedford 61 84 73 +5 778 +89 283 +93 Otis_AFB 63 81 73 +8 732 +242 276 +174 Plymouth 58 87 72 +6 728 +199 258 +133 Walpole 61 90 73 +7 840 +257 335 +187 West_Medway 60 92 73 +7 834 +251 329 +181 Westover 59 88 71 +2 862 +39 336 +59 Worcester 55 85 68 +3 733 +208 267 +149 Worthington 50 88 66 +2 556 +98 161 +73 RHODE ISLAND Providence 62 87 73 +5 884 +238 351 +171 Woonsocket 58 94 74 +8 852 +278 347 +213 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 54 89 68 -3 672 -116 220 -43 Bridgeport 61 87 73 +5 885 +171 331 +109 Hartford_AP 59 91 72 +3 878 +97 341 +81 Norfolk 55 85 67 +4 626 +172 193 +107 Norwich 60 88 73 +6 883 +185 340 +135 Thomaston_Dam 55 90 70 +4 744 +154 259 +111 Willimantic 58 88 72 +7 889 +291 343 +192 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.72 -0.12 4 3.37 +0.01 12 Allagash 1.52 +0.76 3 6.20 +3.34 13 Augusta_ME 0.73 -0.04 2 4.81 +1.66 11 Bangor 0.61 -0.16 2 1.79 -1.33 10 Barnard 0.28 -0.59 2 3.07 -0.38 10 Bath 1.54 +0.70 3 5.97 +2.56 11 Bethel 1.47 +0.56 3 5.64 +1.97 10 Brassua_Dam 1.02 +0.11 2 4.84 +1.28 13 Brunswick_ME 1.42 +0.58 3 7.71 +4.30 12 Caribou 0.93 +0.23 3 3.92 +1.25 14 Corinna 0.00 -0.84 0 2.65 -0.71 7 Danforth 0.28 -0.56 1 2.45 -0.91 12 Dover-Foxcroft 0.18 -0.69 1 2.22 -1.23 9 Durham 1.08 +0.23 2 6.09 +2.66 11 East_Hiram 0.53 -0.36 2 4.68 +1.12 9 Eustis 0.96 +0.19 2 4.46 +1.38 12 Frenchville 1.16 +0.40 3 4.26 +1.40 16 Gray 1.20 +0.42 3 5.75 +2.53 13 Greenville_ME 0.43 -0.44 2 2.54 -0.91 12 Guilford 0.36 -0.51 2 3.88 +0.43 10 Hollis 1.05 +0.21 3 6.55 +3.13 12 Houlton 0.08 -0.69 1 3.51 +0.43 13 Kennebunkport 3.07 +2.23 4 7.34 +3.88 12 Livermore_Falls 0.85 -0.12 2 4.99 +1.14 10 Moosehead 1.07 +0.16 3 3.46 -0.10 12 New_Sharon 0.90 -0.07 2 5.07 +1.22 12 Patten 0.31 -0.46 3 3.32 +0.24 15 Portage 1.79 +1.09 2 4.90 +2.23 14 Portland_ME 0.79 +0.01 3 5.93 +2.71 13 Rangeley 0.45 -0.40 2 3.69 +0.27 13 Sebec_Lake 0.29 -0.58 2 3.55 +0.10 11 Vanceboro 0.39 -0.33 2 2.94 -0.06 14 Waterville 0.24 -0.60 2 4.16 +0.80 12 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.37 +0.61 5 6.50 +3.51 12 Benton 0.78 -0.10 2 3.51 -0.02 12 Berlin_AG 0.99 +0.01 2 3.32 -0.49 8 Bethlehem 0.72 -0.25 3 3.95 +0.26 16 Concord 1.84 +1.08 4 7.01 +4.02 13 Diamond_Pond 2.19 +1.07 3 5.97 +1.71 16 First_Conn_Lake 1.41 +0.29 6 8.12 +3.86 18 Greenville 1.53 +0.69 3 5.33 +1.83 10 Keene_AP 1.11 +0.27 1 4.39 +1.01 6 Lakeport 0.94 +0.15 4 6.60 +3.29 11 Marlow 1.30 +0.46 4 6.35 +2.84 10 Mt_Washington 1.38 -0.44 4 7.69 +0.37 15 North_Conway 0.70 -0.21 2 4.27 +0.56 8 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.70 +0.86 5 6.07 +2.69 12 Plymouth 0.70 -0.14 3 5.20 +1.79 12 Rochester 2.41 +1.60 4 6.88 +3.55 11 Weare 1.99 +1.15 5 6.65 +3.14 13 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.74 +0.69 5 6.47 +2.20 13 Bethel 0.13 -0.71 3 3.40 -0.19 11 Burlington_VT 0.51 -0.33 3 3.04 -0.16 12 East_Haven 0.36 -0.66 2 4.78 +0.85 15 Island_Pond 0.63 -0.38 2 4.07 +0.12 13 Montpelier 0.63 -0.16 3 2.54 -0.75 14 Morrisville_AG 0.55 -0.43 2 3.04 -0.70 12 Mount_Mansfield 0.73 -0.87 1 6.75 +0.64 13 Northfield 0.22 -0.48 2 3.56 +0.60 9 Pownal 0.88 -0.17 3 4.73 +0.46 11 Rochester 0.20 -0.64 3 3.28 -0.31 13 Rutland_AG 0.21 -0.63 1 4.61 +1.28 11 Sunderland 1.18 +0.41 4 5.30 +2.09 14 Sutton 0.51 -0.51 4 3.87 -0.06 17 Townshend_Lake 1.18 +0.48 5 4.87 +1.89 12 Union_Vill_Dam 0.74 -0.03 4 3.87 +0.78 15 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 3.22 +2.38 5 7.19 +3.86 15 Boston 2.99 +2.29 3 4.47 +1.57 9 Greenfield 1.03 +0.15 4 4.90 +1.29 13 New_Bedford 2.32 +1.48 2 7.58 +4.18 9 Otis_AFB 1.19 +0.44 4 4.03 +0.96 10 Plymouth 1.72 +0.95 3 5.40 +2.13 9 Walpole 4.95 +4.06 3 7.81 +4.37 9 West_Medway 4.84 +3.95 3 7.61 +4.17 9 Westover 1.92 +1.01 5 4.58 +0.73 13 Worcester 2.37 +1.46 4 5.11 +1.43 13 Worthington 1.42 +0.54 4 5.26 +1.59 11 RHODE ISLAND Providence 3.12 +2.35 3 6.92 +3.79 8 Woonsocket 4.65 +3.72 3 7.02 +3.26 10 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 4.79 +3.95 5 6.97 +3.40 13 Bridgeport 2.57 +1.78 3 4.24 +1.02 13 Hartford_AP 3.08 +2.24 5 5.33 +1.76 12 Norfolk 1.23 +0.18 5 5.66 +1.35 13 Norwich 4.68 +3.95 3 9.46 +6.29 8 Thomaston_Dam 1.42 +0.50 5 6.79 +2.93 14 Willimantic 4.10 +3.22 4 6.66 +3.15 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 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: Heavy rains fell at the end of the week. Two tornadoes touched down, although there were no reports of damage to agricultural areas. Field corn is showing signs of stress in low lying fields. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Severe soil erosion in some crop fields due to heavy rains on Fathers' Day. Dry hot weather early in the week allowed for making of some dry hay. Wednesday night thunderstorms produced some hail which affected broadleaf tobacco in East Windsor and surrounding towns. Some harvesting of lettuce and peas. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Humid, cloudy, scattered showers, a very hot week. Tough to do hay and hard to get people to come pick strawberries when it's too hot or wet. Can't believe the local grocery store is running specials on CALIFORNIA strawberries when our own CONNECTICUT GROWN are ready now and are so much better! Crops recovering from flooding brought on by past Sunday's rain. Hay is looking much better. Perennial color is astounding as greenhouses entice summer sales. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Weather conditions have not been at their optimum. Heavy downpours and high humidity has melted the strawberries away. Fields have been washed away in areas. Lack of warm, dry weekends has hurt the bedding plant producers. Planting has been delayed for some crops. I hope the weather straightens out or it will be a long summer. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Cultivating, applying fungicides and insecticides where necessary. Ideal field conditions for cultivating. Potato crop continues to grow exceptionally well. Stand counts are very high. Found some Colorado beetles and flea beetles in fields where imidacloprids (Admire, etc.) were not used. Small grains, especially barley, advancing very well. Dee Potter (Ext), Northern Aroostook: Practices this week included hilling/cultivating potatoes and herbicide applications. Harvesting of hay and silage underway. Pastures are growing well. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Crops are growing well. We're a little short on water; could use some rain here in the Houlton area. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: On Sunday received 0.67 inches of rain. Farmers are cutting first crop hay and putting in green chop. Janet King/Jennifer Zweig (FSA), Somerset: Rain was welcome due to land still being dry. Corn is looking good, along with grass silage and hay. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Good harvest weather continues. Some rains last night will help all the crops with moisture, but still a little dry. Strawberry harvest has begun. Nitrogen going on corn crops. Trudy Saucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Strawberry harvest has started in the mid-coast area. First crop of hay also being harvested. All crops are looking good at this point in time. We got a little bit of rain over the weekend. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Many small green berries from excellent pollination. Showers helping to alleviate crop stress. Postemergence herbicides applied for grass control. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: We had more rain over the weekend. Plants continue to reach for the sun and heat. Some apples are below average, but others are above. All we need to do is keep the hail away. Strawberry growers are welcoming pickers with juicy, red fruit. A few growers have experienced pest problems with their berries. Silage corn and sweet corn are both doing well. The year is looking good! Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: The first signs of strawberry picking appeared last week and the earliest plantings of sweet corn are starting to show silk. The first cutting of hay is off, but second crop is looking excellent. After a very dry spring the season is back to about normal. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: This area received another 2 inches of rain in showers Sunday night. There was some minor flooding and standing water. The hay crop is huge and weeds are growing well. Strawberries are excellent. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: What a great week for farm activities! Hot, humid weather to make things grow. Haying is well underway with reports of short to average yields. Corn jumped in growth this past week and will surely be knee high by the 4th of July. Warm, humid days and rain at night has certainly helped the growth of grass, vegetables, and corn. Now to keep the hail away and the season will be a beneficial one. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Haying, chopping and watching weeds grow. Extra spraying because of rain. Three-quarters of an inch of rain Wednesday night. Lots of hay wet in windrows. Fields of hayland left with wet areas; either not mowed or left with ruts full of water. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: The Secretary of Agriculture has spoken, approximately 34% set aside for cranberry growers. Many growers will flood their bogs to kill the bloom now, others will cut back on inputs assuming this will reduce their crop. This is a critical time for cranberries; the vines need fertilizer, the first fungicide sprays and insecticides are needed prior to bloom. Vegetable growers continue to plant late season crops and are harvesting some cucumbers, summer squash, etc. Conditions are good for most vegetable crops. Shellfish growers will increase harvest as demand picks up; crop is good to excellent with stable prices. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: All cranberry beds in bloom; early varieties are in full bloom. Good pollination weather so far and the bees have been doing the job they're being paid to do. Second fruit rot fungicide application and Roundup wiping in progress. There has been some serious defoliation of trees due to gypsy moth caterpillars in the area, which means some beds must have good-sized populations for the grower to contend with. The USDA finally came out with the marketing order which means that only 65% of the crop will be grown. Many growers anticipated this and numerous beds are currently flooded, destroying the blossoms. Of course, the word came far too late for the best farm planning. There is tremendous depression in the industry. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: A warm and humid week as harvest of vegetables continues. Summer squash, zucchini and strawberry crops plentiful. Prices quite reasonable. Fruit continues to size up. Cranberries in full bloom. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Heavy rains and wind swamped parts of Franklin County on Saturday, but in general, field conditions are okay. Strawberry growers have said that this year's crop looks very good. Potatoes are in bloom on most valley acreage and first cut hay harvesting is complete. Second cut hay has grown well during the past two weeks of heat and humidity. Top dressing and cultivation were the main activities during the past week. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: A mix of heat and rain are making all crops grow well. Potatoes are being cultivated and hilled up. Growers are scouting for insects and spraying and topdressing fields, if needed, and are cultivating. Harvesting greens, radishes, and strawberries. Gary Guida, Worcester: U-pick strawberry sales are high. Farm activities included harvesting summer squash and zucchini. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Bruce Clement (Ext), Cheshire: Sunny weather most of week with evening showers mid-week provided very good growing conditions. Strawberry harvest in full swing. Raspberries and blueberries sizing up. Corn is growing well. Hay and haylage harvest continues. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Manure spreading on first cut hayfields. Some hay still to be harvested. Corn growing rapidly now as warm weather predominates. About time for soil nitrate testing to begin. Farm stands and markets opening as spring vegetables become available. Some strawberries now ripening. White clover in full bloom, a welcome sight to bee-keepers. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Corn looks good to excellent. Second cut hay just beginning. Alfalfa regrowth is excellent, grasses showing effects of dry weather. Very little insect damage so far. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Thunderstorms produced gully washers and hail in isolated areas in the county. Damage to orchards, strawberries, blueberries and various vegetable crops observed. Fruits: Strawberry harvest was in full swing and fruit size is off. Growers thinning peaches and some apple varieties. Orchardists monitoring pest and crop development and applying sprays for pest control, also mowing orchards. Apple scab being seen in some orchards. Vegetables: Continuing successive planting and finishing transplanting peppers between rain showers. Growers continued harvesting early season vegetables such as lettuce, greens, radishes, peas and first harvest of summer squash. Asparagus harvest completed. Growers busy trying to sidedress fields with fertilizer, cultivating, mowing weeds, scouting for pests and spraying. Disease pressure continues to concern growers. Field Crops: Finished planting and weed spraying corn fields. Farmers are continuing trying to make haylage and baled hay between rain showers. Continued to take soil nitrate tests for field corn to determine nitrogen fertilizer needs and to sidedress nitrogen accordingly. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Sidedressing corn with nitrogen. First cut hay continues. Farmers finished making haylage. Strawberries are being harvested. Post-emergent weed control materials applied. Warm season vegetables receiving fertilizer sidedressing. More sporadic hail damage in Merrimack county. Rainfall has been timely for most crops. Phosphorus deficiency symptoms on sweet corn appearing on heavy soils with low ph. Some apple scab symptoms now appearing. Apples and blueberries sizing up rather well after recent rainfall. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Farmstands busy selling early vegetables. Good strawberry crop. Pick-your-own operations are busy. Planting sweet corn, beans, cucumbers. Spraying weed killer, insecticides and fungicides in vegetable fields and orchards. Cyclamer mites are active in strawberry fields. Very strong winds and hail on Wednesday. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Strawberries are at their peak and pickers are busy. Rain over the weekend put a damper on some of the harvesting. Field corn finishing up, some haying being done, pumpkins and winter squash emerging. Spraying and hilling potatoes, staking tomatoes. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Heavy rains a week ago Sunday - up to 6 inches in Providence County. One farmer reported his strawberries were "floating", but most faired well. Silage corn is taking off. Farmers are trying to make hay between the showers. Scattered hail storms mid-week. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Good to excellent crop conditions continue to prevail. Manure spreading on first cut fields is keeping many busy. Weekend rain was very beneficial for the dry locations. Vegetable growers generally happy with crop conditions. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Nice week for harvesting the last part of first cut hay. Corn is quite variable, some is knee high with other fields growing slowly. Weeds more of a problem than some years. Application of fertilizer or manure on fields for second cut hay crop. Larry Hamel (NRCS), Orleans: Plenty of rain this weekend on Saturday PM and early Sunday. Rather cool and cloudy weekend.This should be great for second crop hay and haylage. Corn growth is looking excellent. Plenty of warm weather coming this week! Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: U-pick strawberries harvest is in full swing. Last week was a poor week for hay drying, but the row crops need the rain. In Windham County most all the corn will be knee deep by the Fourth of July with farmers sidedressing nitrogen. Looks like a good corn crop. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: Crops just jumping out of the ground from weekend rain! Swanton: 3.0 in., Highgate: 2.0 in., St. Albans: 1.3 in. Crops look excellent! The early bird farmers are starting to mow 2nd cut. The corn is growing so good, you don't dare straddle it! Will be knee high the 4th of July for sure! Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Nitrogen sidedressed mid-season corn. Fertilizer applied to squash, cucumbers and pumpkins. Hand cultivation on tomatoes and peppers. So far, very little problem with cucumber beetles and potato bugs. Four-tenths of an inch of rain last week helped surface. Early corn showing tassels. Potatoes in full bloom. Picking regular peas and snow peas - a good crop. Berry picking started, a little slow at first. Rhubarb is looking good. Asparagus season about done. Good crop of scallions. 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 ***********************