in-crop-weather


State
Indiana Crop Weather

Week Ending Date  
October 5, 2003

Issue
IN-CW4003


Agricultural Summary
     
Corn and soybean harvest is steadily gaining momentum in most regions of
the state, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service.
However, wet field conditions early in the week and rain delayed field
activities in some areas. The first major frost occurred in most areas
of the state last week. Corn harvest is 7 days behind last year's pace
and 13 days behind average. Soybean harvest is 3 days behind last year
and 8 days behind the average pace. Seeding of winter wheat, tillage of
soils and baling hay were taking place on some farms last week. 


Field Crops Report
     
There were 4.9 days suitable for fieldwork. Seventy-eight percent of the
corn acreage is mature (safe from frost) compared with 83 percent a year
ago and 93 percent for the average. By area, 76 percent of the corn
acreage is mature in the north, 83 percent in the central region and 73
percent in the south. Thirteen percent of the corn acreage is harvested
compared with 20 percent last year and 28 percent for the average.
Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 23 percent. Corn
condition is rated 63 percent good to excellent compared with 27 percent
last year at this time. 

Eighty-eight percent of the soybean acreage is shedding leaves compared
with 91 percent last year and 96 percent for the average. Sixty-six
percent of the soybean acreage is rated as mature compared with 73
percent last year and 84 percent for the average. Nineteen percent of
the soybean acreage is harvested compared with 27 percent last year and
40 percent for the average. Moisture content of harvested soybeans is
averaging about 13.5 percent. Soybean condition is rated 50 percent good
to excellent compared with 32 percent last year at this time. 

Major activities during the week were preparing equipment for harvest,
spreading fertilizer and lime, chopping stalks and taking care of
livestock. 


Livestock, Pasture and Range Report

Pasture condition is rated 10 percent excellent, 56 percent good, 25
percent fair, 7 percent poor and 2 percent very poor. Twelve percent of
the winter wheat acreage is seeded compared with 24 percent last year
and 24 percent for the average. Three percent of the winter wheat
acreage has emerged compared with 4 percent last year and 4 percent for
the average. Tobacco harvest is 91 percent complete compared with 92
percent last year and 94 percent for the average. Livestock are in
mostly good condition. 


                    Crop Progress Table
-----------------------------------------------------
                     : This :  Last :  Last : 5-Year
     Crop            : Week :  Week :  Year :  Avg
-----------------------------------------------------
                                     Percent
Corn Mature             78      62      83      93
Corn Harvested          13       8      20      28
Soybeans Shedding Lvs   88      75      91      96
Soybeans Mature         66      42      73      84
Soybeans Harvested      19       9      27      40
Winter Wheat Planted    12       7      24      24
Winter Wheat Emerged     3       1       4       4
Tobacco Harvested       91      85      92      94


                    Crop Condition Table
-------------------------------------------------------------
                     : Very :      :      :      : Excel-
     Crop            : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :  lent
-------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Percent
Corn                    5      9      23     47      16
Soybean                 7     12      31     42       8
Pasture                 2      7      25     56      10

                                     
   Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table
-------------------------------------------------------
                     : This  : Last  :  Last :
                     : Week  : Week  :  Year :
-------------------------------------------------------
                            Percent
Topsoil
  Very Short             1       0       10
  Short                  6       7       30
  Adequate              80      71       56
  Surplus               13      22        4
Subsoil 
  Very Short             4       5       24
  Short                  9      11       42
  Adequate              78      71       34
  Surplus                9      13        0
Days Suitable          4.9     3.8      5.4

Contact information
--Greg Preston, State Statistician
--Bud Bever, Agricultural Statistician
 E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov
 http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/index.htm                                     

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Other Agricultural Comments And News


EARLY FROST & IMMATURE CORN GRAIN 

Temperatures overnight dipped below 30F in parts of central and 
northern Indiana, approaching lethal levels for live corn plant tissue
that could truly mark the end of the growing season for some fields 
whose grain was not yet mature. As of Monday's USDA crop progress
report (Indiana Ag Statistics, 9/29/03), nearly 40% of Indiana's corn
crop was not yet mature (kernel black layer) although virtually the
entire crop was estimated to be at least to the dent stage of kernel
development. What potential yield losses might occur in immature 
fields that suffered lethal cold temperatures? 

Yield loss due to frost/freeze injury to immature healthy corn depends
on 1) the stage of kernel development when the frost/freeze occurred 
and 2) the severity of the frost/freeze injury to the plants. The more
immature the grain, obviously the more potential yield loss when
frost/freeze injury occurs. Potential yield loss is also more severe
when the whole plant is killed versus only leaf tissue. 

Estimates of potential yield loss due to frost/freeze injury at 
several kernel development stages are (Carter & Hesterman, 1990): 

* Soft dough stage ... 55% if whole plants killed 35% if only leaves 
  killed 
* Full dent stage ... 41% if whole plants killed ... 27% if only 
  leaves killed
* Late dent ... 12% if whole plants killed ... 6% if only leaves killed
  (late dent is essentially equal to kernel milkline halfway down the 
  - kernel face) 

These yield loss estimates can be tempered with the fact that overall
plant health in many late-planted fields is not great to begin with.
Late season leaf diseases, nitrogen deficiency, stalk rots, and 
European corn borer damage in particular have already compromised plant
health in many fields and, consequently, yield potential. In other 
words, some yield loss has already occurred due to the leaf and stalk 
damage caused by these non-frost stresses. Further damage by 
frost/freeze injury to these stressed fields probably won't cause 
as much additional yield loss as it would to otherwise healthy plants.

Additionally, much of the state's immature corn crop acreage is located
in southern Indiana where planting was so dramatically delayed by spring
rains. Temperatures in southern Indiana this morning were more commonly
in the low to mid 30's; not cold enough to cause major plant injury. 

RELATED REFERENCES

* Carter, P.R. and O.B. Hesterman. 1990. Handling Corn Damaged by
  Autumn Frost (NCH-57). Purdue Univ. Extension Service. Available
  online at http://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/Pubs/NCH/NCH-57.html 
  [URL verified 10/2/03]. 

* Indiana Ag. Statistics Service. 9/29/03. Indiana Crop & Weather
  Report. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Available on the Web at
  http://www.nass.usda.gov/in/crop-weat/2003/we3903.txt [URL
  verified 10/2/03]. 

For other Corny News Network articles, browse through the CNN Archives
at http://www.kingcorn.org/news/index-cnn.html. 

For other information about corn, take a look at the Corn Growers'
Guidebook at http://www.kingcorn.org. 

Bob Nielsen, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University.


                 
                    Weather Information Table
     
               Week Ending Sunday October 5, 2003
---------------------------------------------------------------
                | Past Week Weather Summary Data   
                |---------------------------------
 Station        |      Air      |            | Avg  
                |  Temperature  |  Precip.   |4 in.  
                |---------------|------------|Soil 
                |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days |Temp 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
Northwest (1)   |                                
Chalmers_5W     |62  28  47  -14   0.29    1   52
Valparaiso_AP_I |57  32  45  -14   0.33    2     
Wanatah         |58  29  45  -13   0.42    2   53
Wheatfield      |60  28  46  -13   0.43    2     
Winamac         |58  27  45  -14   0.32    2   52
North Central(2)|                                
Plymouth        |58  28  45  -15   0.52    3     
South_Bend      |56  30  45  -14   0.96    4     
Young_America   |61  27  46  -13   0.23    1     
Northeast (3)   |                                
Columbia_City   |56  28  45  -13   0.39    2   49
Fort_Wayne      |58  31  46  -13   0.44    2     
West Central (4)|                                
Greencastle     |61  26  45  -17   0.36    2     
Perrysville     |64  26  48  -13   0.44    2   58
Spencer_Ag      |63  30  48  -12   0.21    3     
Terre_Haute_AFB |64  29  48  -14   0.03    2     
W_Lafayette_6NW |63  27  47  -13   0.19    1   53
Central (5)     |                                
Eagle_Creek_AP  |61  33  48  -13   0.15    2     
Greenfield      |60  30  46  -14   0.20    2     
Indianapolis_AP |61  32  48  -13   0.22    2     
Indianapolis_SE |60  29  47  -15   0.17    2     
Tipton_Ag       |60  28  46  -13   0.26    2   57
East Central (6)|                                
Farmland        |59  28  46  -12   0.34    2   50
New_Castle      |59  27  44  -15   0.31    2     
Southwest (7)   |                                
Evansville      |68  33  52  -12   0.30    3     
Freelandville   |64  34  50  -12   0.23    3     
Shoals          |65  30  49  -13   0.43    5     
Stendal         |68  35  51  -11   0.30    2     
Vincennes_5NE   |66  33  49  -12   0.37    4   56
South Central(8)|                                
Leavenworth     |65  33  49  -12   0.33    3     
Oolitic         |64  30  48  -13   0.13    2   53
Tell_City       |69  39  54  -10   0.33    3     
Southeast (9)   |                                
Brookville      |64  30  48  -11   0.12    2     
Milan_5NE       |62  31  48  -12   0.33    3     
Scottsburg      |66  31  49  -13   0.45    3      
---------------------------------------------------


                     Weather Information Table

                 Week ending Sunday October 5, 2003
----------------|--------------------------------
                |        Accumulation           
                |--------------------------------
                |      April 1, 2003 thru       
 Station        |      October 5, 2003         
                |--------------------------------
                | Precipitation   |GDD Base 50oF
                |--------------------------------
                |      |     |    |     |
                |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN   
-------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)   |
Chalmers_5W     |38.34  +15.80  69  2840  -240
Valparaiso_AP_I |24.31   -0.31  70  2655  -158
Wanatah         |25.56   +1.81  75  2471  -211
Wheatfield      |34.67  +11.67  66  2710   -29
Winamac         |30.10   +7.25  73  2675  -148
North Central(2)|
Plymouth        |26.27   +2.81  73  2577  -393
South_Bend      |22.87   +0.09  70  2712   -71
Young_America   |33.56  +11.40  67  2831   -90
Northeast (3)   |
Columbia_City   |30.02   +7.79  80  2601   -55
Fort_Wayne      |32.32  +12.02  67  2675  -245
West Central (4)| 
Greencastle     |34.66   +9.01  69  2697  -602
Perrysville     |29.01   +5.00  65  3024   -43
Spencer_Ag      |31.46   +5.88  85  2998   -93
Terre_Haute_AFB |25.61   +1.39  60  3160  -114
W_Lafayette_6NW |31.05   +8.49  74  2907    -1
Central (5)     |
Eagle_Creek_AP  |29.04   +6.44  66  3081  -163
Greenfield      |32.81   +8.13  76  2892  -229
Indianapolis_AP |34.48  +11.88  69  3156   -88
Indianapolis_SE |29.84   +6.79  67  2925  -314
Tipton_Ag       |36.17  +13.18  71  2665  -152
East Central (6)|
Farmland        |32.18   +9.87  67  2762   +12
New_Castle      |29.98   +6.36  63  2401  -418
Southwest (7)   |
Evansville      |24.31   +1.48  68  3616  -146
Freelandville   |30.70   +6.92  65  3290   -93
Shoals          |30.55   +4.90  70  3229   -52
Stendal         |27.16   +1.66  58  3451   -93
Vincennes_5NE   |31.82   +8.04  88  3345   -38
South Central(8)|
Leavenworth     |29.25   +3.41  90  3286   +29
Oolitic         |30.36   +5.81  76  3084   -46
Tell_City       |28.12   +2.02  64  3777  +137
Southeast (9)   |
Brookville      |27.20   +3.43  70  3115  +143
Milan_5NE       |34.03  +10.34 102  2990   +18
Scottsburg      |30.20   +5.73  80  3108  -261 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
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 2003:  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.

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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