in-crop-weather

State
Indiana Crop Weather

Week Ending Date  
August 28, 2005

Issue
IN-CW3505


                       Agricultural Summary

Farmers are busy preparing equipment and grain bins for the upcoming
harvesting season, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA's
National Agricultural Statistics Service. Harvesting of corn for 
silage continues. Early planted soybean fields are beginning to turn
color with some fields starting to shed leaves. Sudden Death Syndrome 
is beginning to show up in some soybean fields. Cutting and baling 
of hay made good progress last week. 


                        Field Crops Report

There were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn condition is rated 
41 percent good to excellent compared with 78 percent last year at
this time. Ninety-four percent of the corn acreage has reached the 
dough stage compared with 95 percent last year and 90 percent for
the average. By area, corn in dough is 94 percent complete in the
north, 95 percent complete in the central region and 96 percent 
complete in the south. Sixty-one percent of the corn acreage has 
reached the dent stage compared with 65 percent last year and 56
percent for the average. Eight percent of the corn is mature compared 
with 13 percent last year and 9 percent for the average. 

Ninety-nine percent of the soybean acreage is setting pods compared
with 98 percent last year and 95 percent for the average. Soybean
condition is rated 51 percent good to excellent compared with 72
percent last year. 

Third cutting of alfalfa hay is 84 percent complete compared with 
76 percent for both last year and the average. 

Major activities during the week included cleaning grain bins, 
hauling grain to market, chopping silage, mowing, working on harvest
equipment, and attending outlook meetings and field days. 


                Livestock, Pasture and Range Report

Pasture condition is rated 1 percent excellent, 20 percent good, 41
percent fair, 24 percent poor and 14 percent very poor. Livestock 
are in mostly good condition. 


                    Crop Progress Table
-----------------------------------------------------
                     : This : Last : Last : 5-Year
     Crop            : Week : Week : Year :  Avg
-----------------------------------------------------
                             Percent
Corn in Dough           94     87     95     90
Corn in Dent            61     43     65     56
Corn Mature              8      2     13      9
Soybeans Podding        99     96     98     95
Soybeans Shedding Lvs    4     NA     10      9
Alfalfa Third Cutting   84     67     76     76


               Crop Condition Table
----------------------------------------------------------
                  : Very :      :      :      : Excel-
     Crop         : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :  lent
---------------------------------------------------------- 
                             Percent
Corn                  6     16     37     35      6
Soybeans              4     11     34     44      7
Pasture              14     24     41     20      1


   Soil Moisture & Days Suitable
        for Fieldwork Table
--------------------------------------
              : This  : Last  : Last :
              : Week  : Week  : Year :
--------------------------------------
                      Percent
Topsoil
  Very Short     12      12       0
  Short          31      30       5
  Adequate       56      56      75
  Surplus         1       2      20
Subsoil
  Very Short     18      19       1
  Short          39      39      10
  Adequate       42      42      78
  Surplus         1       0      11
Days Suitable   5.8     5.1     3.6

Contact information
--Greg Preston, Director
--Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician
  E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov
  http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm            
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Other Agricultural Comments And News

                                     
SOYBEAN APHID, RECENT TREATMENT QUANDARIES BECOMING CLEAR


*  Most soybean aphid are white dwarves, their impact does
   not seem as great on later reproductive soybean.
*  Aphid populations seem to be dwindling, many possible 
   reasons.
*  Winged aphids are moving, targeted location is unknown 
   at this time.

Phone calls and field visits have revealed a change in the soybean
aphid, which bodes well for many soybean fields.  We certainly seem
to be over the hump in terms of infestation intensity, and with 
advanced soybean growth stages being prevalent in many fields, 
careful inspection and consideration should be given before further
treatments are applied.

The vast majority of aphids being found at this point are the small,
white dwarves, as discussed in last week's Pest & Crop.  Though this
small morph of soybean aphid feed and reproduce, it does not seem to
have equal impact as the "regular" sized "Mountain Dew" colored 
version.  It is still uncertain what caused this change in the aphid,
but considering the same thing happened in previous years (but only
later in the season) it may due to the advanced growth stage of the
soybean crop (most being R5 to R6) and/or hot, dry conditions through
much of the season.  Plants with over 250 white dwarf aphids/plants 
do not appear to be sticky with honeydew nor do they have their lower
leaves darkened with sooty mold.  Most white dwarves are being found 
lower in the canopy, and few if any aphids are colonizing new growth. 
Physiological changes in the later reproductive stages of the soybean
plant are obviously contributing to reduced aphid growth and 
reproduction.

Some pest managers from northern Indiana have reported that aphid
numbers seem to be declining. Recent counts taken at a Pinney-Purdue
soybean aphid research field in Porter County have confirmed this. 
This may attributed to a variety of factors, including winged aphid 
dispersal, predation, hard-rains, etc.  Chris DiFonzo, Michigan State
Extension Entomologist, has reported fungal diseases becoming obvious
in many Michigan locations. Certainly the recent heavy dews and fog 
are conducive for a disease outbreak within the aphid population.

Soybean aphid is certainly on the move, however. Winged aphids are 
still being found on plants, but more apparent are the numbers being
captured in suction traps placed six Indiana locations, see graphs at
the website mentioned at the end of this article. What is uncertain 
is whether these winged aphids are seeking new plants/areas to 
colonize or buckthorn for overwintering. Note that the numbers of 
winged aphids captured in suction traps do, in fact, reflect the
intensity of infestation a given region of the state has endured.
Though the infestation has been significant throughout the northern
counties of Indiana, the Northeast region seems to have taken the
hardest hit, thus the highest winged aphid counts from the Northeast
Purdue Agricultural Center. In order to view the graphs associated 
with this article, go to: http://125.210.99.160/entomology/ext/
targets/p&c2005/p&c21_2005.pdf, page 2.

John Obermeyer, Christian Krupke, and Larry Bledsoe, Department of
Entomology, Purdue University. 

The INDIANA CROP & WEATHER REPORT (USPS 675-770), (ISSN 0442-817X) is
issued weekly April through November by the USDA, NASS, Indiana Field
Office, 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 USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office, 1435 Win
Hentschel Blvd, Suite B105, West Lafayette IN 47906-4145. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

             Weather Information Table

        Week ending Sunday August 28, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------
                | Past Week Weather Summary Data   
                |---------------------------------
 Station        |      Air      |            | Avg  
                |  Temperature  |  Precip.   |4 in.  
                |---------------|------------|Soil 
                |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days |Temp 
----------------------------------------------------- 
Northwest (1)   |                                 
Chalmers_5W     |88   50  69  -2   0.01    1     
Valparaiso_AP_I |82   51  68  -3   0.00    0     
Wanatah         |84   51  67  -2   0.01    1   76
Wheatfield      |83   54  69  +0   0.24    3     
Winamac         |85   54  69  +0   0.07    1   75
North Central(2)|                                 
Plymouth        |84   53  69  -3   0.00    0     
South_Bend      |84   54  69  -1   0.00    0     
Young_America   |84   52  68  -2   0.02    1     
Northeast (3)   |                                 
Columbia_City   |85   48  68  -2   0.02    1   74
Fort_Wayne      |86   52  69  -2   0.06    1     
West Central(4) |                                 
Greencastle     |86   56  71  -2   1.71    4     
Perrysville     |87   54  71  +1   1.09    3   77
Spencer_Ag      |87   49  71  -1   1.71    3     
Terre_Haute_AFB |87   57  73  +1   0.90    4     
W_Lafayette_6NW |86   50  69  -1   0.01    1   81
Central (5)     |                                 
Eagle_Creek_AP  |86   58  72  +0   0.69    3     
Greenfield      |87   55  71  -1   0.35    4     
Indianapolis_AP |87   59  74  +2   0.65    4     
Indianapolis_SE |86   56  71  -2   0.90    3     
Tipton_Ag       |84   53  69  -1   0.34    2   79
East Central(6) |                                 
Farmland        |85   52  69  -1   0.00    0   71
New_Castle      |87   52  70  +0   0.09    1     
Southwest (7)   |                                 
Evansville      |92   63  78  +4   2.52    2     
Freelandville   |89   59  74  +2   0.27    3     
Shoals          |90   60  75  +3   0.45    2     
Stendal         |91   60  77  +3   1.14    3     
Vincennes_5NE   |94   59  75  +4   0.65    2   80
South Central(8)|                                 
Leavenworth     |90   62  75  +4   1.13    4     
Oolitic         |88   59  74  +3   0.18    2   79
Tell_City       |90   66  78  +4   1.28    2     
Southeast (9)   |                                 
Brookville      |90   55  73  +3   0.35    1     
Milan_5NE       |87   57  72  +2   0.61    4     
Scottsburg      |89   54  73  +1   1.04    3     
-----------------------------------------------------


      Weather Information Table (Continued)

      Week ending Sunday August 28, 2005
------------------------------------------------
                        Accumulation           
                --------------------------------
                      April 1, 2005 thru       
 Station                 August 28, 2005         
                 --------------------------------
                  Precipitation   |GDD Base 50oF
                 --------------------------------
                       |     |    |     |
                 Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN   
-------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)   |
Chalmers_5W     |13.28  -5.52   48  2699  +202
Valparaiso_AP_I |12.44  -7.01   43  2552  +272
Wanatah         |13.88  -5.07   52  2463  +281
Wheatfield      |18.67  +0.18   92  2571  +336
Winamac         |15.81  -2.94   54  2608  +304
North Central(2)|
Plymouth        |12.77  -6.19   52  2519  +105
South_Bend      | 9.88  -8.40   50  2618  +349
Young_America   |17.01  -0.93   49  2590  +223
Northeast (3)   |
Columbia_City   |14.60  -3.48   52  2458  +295
Fort_Wayne      |12.94  -3.99   52  2587  +217
West Central(4) |
Greencastle     |23.62  +2.44   47  2593   -71
Perrysville     |16.70  -3.48   49  2806  +319
Spencer_Ag      |21.63  -0.09   54  2629  +116
Terre_Haute_AFB |17.56  -2.51   49  2869  +218
W_Lafayette_6NW |12.01  -6.75   52  2660  +303
Central (5)     |
Eagle_Creek_AP  |15.83  -3.16   50  2889  +259
Greenfield      |21.91  +1.04   61  2663  +143
Indianapolis_AP |15.74  -3.25   51  2902  +272
Indianapolis_SE |16.66  -2.97   52  2687   +72
Tipton_Ag       |19.46  +0.40   55  2475  +184
East Central(6) |
Farmland        |15.46  -3.02   50  2504  +268
New_Castle      |18.44  -1.70   47  2365   +75
Southwest (7)   |
Evansville      |17.22  -1.89   47  3173  +120
Freelandville   |17.23  -2.72   50  2968  +230
Shoals          |18.19  -3.47   59  2964  +315
Stendal         |17.75  -3.72   47  3146  +269
Vincennes_5NE   |22.47  +2.52   53  3078  +340
South Central(8)|
Leavenworth     |18.58  -3.64   50  3027  +390
Oolitic         |17.98  -2.92   54  2741  +207
Tell_City       |19.11  -2.81   40  3311  +388
Southeast (9)   |
Brookville      |16.84  -3.45   50  2801  +396
Milan_5NE       |19.19  -1.10   75  2752  +347
Scottsburg      |18.93  -1.65   56  2914  +190 
------------------------------------------------------------------
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 2005:  Agricultural Weather Information Service, 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