in-crop-weather


State
Indiana Crop Weather

Week Ending Date
May 19, 2002

Issue
IN-CW2002


Agricultural Summary 

Saturated field conditions prevented most farmers from planting corn and
soybeans, along with other field activities. However, some fieldwork
took place in scattered fields, mostly in the northern regions of the
state, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service. Many
areas received heavy rainfall during the week and flooding occurred in
river bottom areas. Ponding is a major problem in many fields around the
state. Corn planting is one day behind the record slow pace established
in 1961. Farmers are very concerned with the delayed planting. Cool
temperatures and poor drying conditions prevailed during most of the
week with record cold temperatures and frost occurring in some areas
during the weekend. 

						
Field Crops Report

There was 0.4 day suitable for fieldwork. Thirteen percent of the corn
acreage is planted compared with 100 percent last year and 87 percent
for the 5-year average. By area, 22 percent of the corn acreage is
planted in the north, 9 percent in the central regions and 3 percent in
the south. Seven percent of the corn acreage has emerged compared with
92 percent a year earlier. Emerged corn is yellow in color and emergence
of early planted corn and soybean fields remains slow. Four percent of
the intended soybean acreage is planted compared with 92 percent a year
ago and 63 percent for the average. Two percent of the soybean acreage
has emerged compared with 64 percent a year earlier.
 
Other activities during the week were working on equipment, moving grain
to market, hauling manure, mowing roadsides and taking care of
livestock.

Fifty percent of the winter wheat is headed compared with 83 percent
last year and 66 percent for the average. Winter wheat condition is
rated 57 percent good to excellent, below the 62 percent last week and
below the 64 percent a year ago at this time.

 
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report

Pasture condition is rated 21 percent excellent, 58 percent good, 18
percent fair, 2 percent poor, and 1 percent very poor. Pastures are lush
and green. Livestock are in mostly good condition. Alfalfa Weevil remain
active in some fields. Spring calving continued. 
  

                         
                  Crop Progress Table
--------------------------------------------------------
                          : This : Last : Last : 5-Year
     Crop                 : Week : Week : Year :  Avg
--------------------------------------------------------
                                     Percent
Corn Planted                 13     11    100      87
Corn Emerged                  7      4     92      NA
Soybeans Planted              4      3     92      63
Soybeans Emerged              2      1     64      NA
Winter Wheat Headed          50     39     83      66


                    
                   Crop Condition Table
--------------------------------------------------------
                   : Very :      :      :      : Excel-
     Crop          : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good : lent
--------------------------------------------------------
                                  Percent
Pasture               1      2      18     58     21
Winter Wheat 2002     2      8      33     47     10
Winter Wheat 2001     3     10      23     55      9



   Soil Moisture & Days Suitable For Fieldwork Table
-------------------------------------------------------
                   : This : Last : Last
                   : Week : Week : Year
-------------------------------------------------------
                           Percent
  Very Short          0       0      13
  Short               0       0      18
  Adequate           15      13      58
  Surplus            85      87      11
Subsoil
  Very Short          0       0      16
  Short               0       0      31
  Adequate           25      27      49
  Surplus            75      73       4
Days Suitable       0.4     1.0     4.3

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



Other Agricultural Comments And News


Minimizing Compaction in a Wet Spring 

As the calendar days in May pass with very little of the corn or
soybeans planted in Indiana, the temptation mounts to do tillage or
planting operations when soil conditions aren't fit. The planting that
has been completed thus far has been on fields that dried faster
earlier, so the waiting now becomes even more challenging. Does the
recommendation for acceptable soil moistures for field operations change
between late April and mid-May or late May? In short, the answer is
"No". Here are ten guidelines on how to avoid or minimize soil
compaction in a wet spring.

1. The risk of yield loss resulting from compaction at the time of
tillage or planting does not decline with time in spring. Crop yield
loss after soil compaction is most likely when hot and dry weather
conditions add to rooting stresses encountered in the first 60 days
after planting. The latter weather conditions are more likely after late
versus early planting. Regular rains of 1 inch per week from June to
August would markedly help corn and soybean response to compaction at
planting, but it is not good management to presume such a rainfall
distribution will follow an untimely field operation this month. 

2. Even in mid-May, potential yield loss from compaction is still
greater than that from delayed planting. Waiting two more days for that
tillage or planting operation will reduce corn yields by 3% or less,
whereas potential yield losses from spring compaction could be as high
as 40%.

3. The easiest test to determine soil suitability for tillage is still
the "roll" test. Take soil from the one-inch zone around the intended
depth of tillage (or seeding) and roll it carefully back and forth
between the palms of your hands. If you can form a 4-inch long "worm" of
soil with a diameter of 1/8 inch, the decision should be to wait for
additional drying. 

4. Never do two secondary tillage passes under marginal soil moisture
conditions. The second pass will only add to the compaction load from
the tractor and the implement. For those that choose tillage (instead of
no-till or stale seedbed planting), wait just long enough after that
operation to have friable conditions in the seedbed zone and then plant.
Use harrows or other firming devices behind field cultivators to reduce
clod size in the first pass. 

5. Avoid the use of tandem disks where possible because of the
additional compaction load (pressure) below disk blades, compared to
that under the cultivator sweeps. Creating "tillage pans" (layers of
increased soil density just below the depth of tillage) restricts both
root growth (and water drainage if the rains should continue). 

6. Keep the tillage depth as shallow as possible. Soil moisture levels
(and potential for soil smearing) increase rapidly with depth after
periods of heavy rain when drying soil below field capacity is
predominantly by evaporation drying from the surface. There is no
inherent yield gain for tillage any deeper than an average of 3 inches. 

7. Consider limiting planting and tillage operations to those portions
of the fields where soil conditions are "acceptable". Come back and
plant those wetter areas later. Yield reductions associated with
"mudding" the crop in are still much higher than those resulting from
waiting on the wet areas for an additional week.                                                                        
                                    
8. Try to minimize the compaction from the tractor itself. Use a tractor
with a lower axle load if it is capable of doing the field operation.
Adjust inflation pressure to as low as is appropriate for the tire type.
Don't feel compelled to leave duals or even triple tire combinations on
the tractor if they are not providing a clear benefit in flotation or in
enabling an overall reduction in depth of secondary tillage (e.g.to
loosen soil in the wheel tracks). In spring tillage operations,
compaction from tractor wheel tracks is often the worst offender in
restricting subsequent root elongation. 

9. Flexibility surrounding the margins of "acceptable "soil moisture
ranges for tillage and planting operations is dependent on overall soil
organic matter levels and crop rotation history. Fields with high
organic matter and good soil structural stability are less likely to
experience yield loss from tillage or planting operations under less-
than-optimum conditions. Fields with a history dominated by soybeans or
other low residue producing crops are those that are most susceptible to
crop yield loss associated with compaction. Fields with a recent history
dominated by perennial forages, grain corn, cover crops and (or) manure
are less susceptible to compaction damage even when tillage occurs at
similar soil moisture contents. 

10. In delayed planting situations, pre-plant ammonia application should
be avoided for compaction reasons as well as for the extra time
requirement before corn planting. Aside from the wheel-track compaction
and smearing alongside the anhydrous knives, increased concentration of
ammonia in the knife zone may enhance the risk of injury to corn plants
when the soil dries.

In summary, the advancing calendar is generally not sufficient
justification to work soils that are too wet, or to "mud" the crop in.
Minimizing compaction is just as important in mid-May as it was in late
April. Patience is a necessity!

Tony J. Vyn, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University.
                              


                    Weather Information Table
     
                 Week Ending Sunday May 19, 2002
---------------------------------------------------------------
                | Past Week Weather Summary Data   
                |---------------------------------
 Station        |      Air      |           | Avg  
                |  Temperature  |  Precip.  |4 in.  
                |---------------|-----------|Soil 
                |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN|Total |Days|Temp 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
Northwest (1)   |                                
Valparaiso_AP_I |73  35  51  -10   1.01    2     
Wanatah         |74  32  49  -10   1.11    3   58
Wheatfield      |74  33  51  -10   0.92    3     
Winamac         |73  32  50  -12   1.18    4   56
North Central(2)|                                
Chalmers_5W     |75  34  52  -11   1.13    4     
Plymouth        |73  31  49  -13   1.00    3     
South_Bend      |73  32  50  -10   0.94    5     
Young_America   |73  35  52   -9   0.87    4     
Northeast (3)   |                                
Columbia_City   |71  28  50  -10   0.64    3   53
Fort_Wayne      |72  30  52   -9   1.18    4     
West Central (4)|                                
Greencastle     |75  29  52  -12   2.77    4     
Perrysville     |73  34  53   -9   3.19    4   59
Terre_Haute_AFB |75  33  54   -9   8.42    5     
W_Lafayette_6NW |74  33  53   -9   3.25    3   56
Central (5)     |                                
Brookville      |78  31  56   -6   2.82    4     
Eagle_Creek_AP  |75  35  54   -9   2.89    4     
Greenfield      |75  31  52  -10   3.55    6     
Indianapolis_AP |75  32  54  -10   2.62    4     
Indianapolis_SE |74  31  53  -11   2.94    3     
Tipton_Ag       |74  33  53   -8   3.83    4   59
East Central (6)|                                
Farmland        |75  28  51   -9   2.93    5   54
New_Castle      |74  30  50  -11   3.74    4     
Southwest (7)   |                                
Evansville      |81  37  59   -7   2.77    4     
Freelandville   |78  37  56   -8   3.81    4     
Shoals          |80  35  56   -7   5.07    4     
Stendal         |81  37  58   -7   3.87    4     
Vincennes_5NE   |80  36  56   -8   4.61    4   60
South Central(8)|                                
Spencer_Ag      |75  32  53   -9   4.40    4     
Tell_City       |83  41  62   -3   3.13    4     
Southeast (9)   |                                
Milan_5NE       |77  29  55   -7   3.73    4     
Scottsburg      |80  31  56   -9   3.54    4     
------------------------------------------------------------- 

-------------------------------------------------------------                                                            
                |        Accumulation           
                |      April 1, 2002 thru       
 Station        |         May 19, 2002         
                | Precipitation   |GDD Base 50oF 
                |      |     |    |     |
                |Total | DFN |Days|Total| DFN  
-------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)   |
Valparaiso_AP_I | 9.48  +3.18  21   278   +27
Wanatah         | 9.82  +3.79  23   225   +12
Wheatfield      | 8.05  +2.16  22   264   +33
Winamac         | 8.37  +2.57  26   244   -25
North Central(2)|
Chalmers_5W     | 7.83  +1.75  26   262   -54
Plymouth        | 9.78  +3.60  25   226   -59
South_Bend      | 7.89  +2.13  25   252   +18
Young_America   | 7.49  +1.74  22   302   +39
Northeast (3)   |
Columbia_City   | 8.97  +3.24  23   231   +18
Fort_Wayne      | 7.10  +1.63  22   304   +56
West Central (4)|
Greencastle     |12.96  +6.32  22   317   -34
Perrysville     |12.61  +6.27  24   327   +24
Terre_Haute_AFB |20.20 +13.49  25   430   +81
W_Lafayette_6NW |11.81  +5.65  24   308   +39
Central (5)     |
Brookville      |13.06  +6.31  20   388  +113
Eagle_Creek_AP  |11.19  +5.02  22   390   +52
Greenfield      |12.34  +5.60  27   345   +45
Indianapolis_AP |11.65  +5.48  20   427   +89
Indianapolis_SE |12.95  +6.40  19   353   +33
Tipton_Ag       |10.18  +3.90  25   289   +51
East Central (6)|
Farmland        |10.27  +4.42  28   304   +75
New_Castle      |11.86  +5.05  21   253   +17
Southwest (7)   |
Evansville      |13.71  +6.71  23   592  +122
Freelandville   |14.04  +7.04  21   439   +66
Shoals          |15.07  +7.70  21   412   +50
Stendal         |16.06  +8.42  21   509   +93
Vincennes_5NE   |15.31  +8.31  19   481  +108
South Central(8)|
Spencer_Ag      |15.03  +8.04  26   338   +30
Tell_City       |13.46  +5.63  18   626  +194
Southeast (9)   |
Milan_5NE       |16.06  +9.31  26   325   +50
Scottsburg      |15.02  +8.03  23   429   +52
------------------------------------------------------------- 
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 2002:  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.


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