in-crop-weather

State
Indiana Crop Weather

Week Ending Date  
October 5, 2008



IN-CW100508


                        AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY

Another dry week allowed farmers to continue harvest at a rapid pace,
according to the Indiana Field Office of USDAs National Agricultural
Statistics Service. Wind damaged corn fields are being harvested as
quickly as possible before any significant rain comes which will 
further damage these fields. Soybean harvest also made good progress 
with widely varying yields being reported. Corn harvest is running 
about eight days behind the average pace while soybean harvest has 
moved about one day ahead of the average pace. Other activities 
included hauling grain to market, fall tillage, spreading lime and 
planting wheat. 


                         FIELD CROPS REPORT 

There were 6.5 days suitable for field work. Corn condition is rated
52 percent good to excellent compared to 50 percent last year at this 
time. Seventy-eight percent of the corn acreage is now mature compared
with 92 percent last year and 87 percent for the 5-year average. 
Fifteen percent of the corn acreage has been harvested compared with 
40 percent last year and 25 percent for the 5-year average. Moisture 
content of harvested corn is averaging about 22 percent. 

Soybean condition is rated 49 percent good to excellent compared to 
44 percent last year at this time. Eighty-nine percent of the soybean
acreage is shedding leaves compared with 94 percent last year and 92
percent for the 5-year average. Thirty-eight percent of the soybean
acreage has been harvested compared with 42 percent last year and 34
percent for the 5-year average. Moisture content of harvested soybeans
is averaging about 12 percent. 

Twenty-four percent of the 2009 winter wheat acreage has been planted
compared with 29 percent last year and 21 percent for the 5-year
average. Eighty-six percent of the tobacco acreage is reported to be
harvested at this time compared with 88 percent for both last year and
the 5-year average. 


                 LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT 

Pasture condition is rated as 3% excellent, 20% good, 38% fair, 25% poor
and 14% very poor. Livestock remain in mostly good condition. 


                    Crop Progress Table
-------------------------------------------------------
                       : This : Last : Last : 5-Year
     Crop              : Week : Week : Year :  Avg
-------------------------------------------------------
                             Percent               
Corn Mature               78     57     92     87
Corn Harvested            15      8     40     25
Soybeans Shedding Lvs     89     80     94     92
Soybeans Harvested        38     15     42     34
Tobacco Harvested         86     79     88     88
Winter Wheat Planted      24      5     29     21
Winter Wheat Emerged       1    N/A      5      3


                    Crop Condition Table
-----------------------------------------------------------
                    : Very :      :      :      : Excel-
     Crop           : Poor : Poor : Fair : Good :  lent
----------------------------------------------------------- 
                             Percent
Corn                    5     13     30     39     13
Soybean                 7     12     32     39     10
Pasture                14     25     38     20      3


        Soil Moisture & Days Suitable
             for Fieldwork Table
----------------------------------------
               : This  : Last  : Last :
               : Week  : Week  : Year :
----------------------------------------
                      Percent
Topsoil
  Very Short      18      14      34
  Short           40      36      39
  Adequate        41      48      27
  Surplus          1       2       0
Subsoil
  Very Shortb     14      12      41
  Short           37      32      32
  Adequate        47      54      27
  Surplus          2       2       0
Days Suitable    6.5     6.9     6.5

Contact Information
--Greg Preston, Director
--Andy Higgins, Agricultural Statistician
E-Mail Address: nass-in@nass.usda.gov
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  Other Agricultural Comments And News

  YIELD LOSSES AND HARVESTING CHALLENGES FOR SEVERELY LODGED CORN


Published 28 Sep 2008 

The remnant of Hurricane Ike moved through southern Indiana about two
weeks ago packing winds in excess of 60 mph that caused damage to 
corn crops ranging from mild stalk lodging to nearly totally flat 
fields. Some of the fields were already mature and not far away from
harvest moisture, while other fields were late-planted and still 
immature (ranging from about early dent to half-milkline). Some of 
the lodging occurred primarily in areas of fields where stalk rot
development was also severe, but not in all cases. Severe lodging 
also occurred in perfectly healthy, albeit very late-planted, corn.
Assessing the yield losses prior to actually harvesting damaged 
fields is difficult because the losses will be a mixture of 
physiological (death of immature corn), mechanical (challenges of 
harvesting downed corn), and quality-related (kernel molds and 
premature kernel sprouting) factors. 

Some of the key issues with corn that lodges severely late in the
growing season are listed below. Unfortunately, the consequences of 
many of them are simply unavoidable. The sooner farmers can harvest 
these fields, the better, with the understanding that grain moisture
still needs to be low enough to avoid mechanical injury by the 
combine (no wetter than about 25% moisture). 

PHYSIOLOGICAL YIELD LOSS 

Physiological yield loss caused by severe stalk lodging late in the
growing season depends primarily on stage of kernel development
(Nielsen, 2008). If the grain was already physiologically mature 
(i.e., kernel black layer), then technically no physiological yield
loss occurs from severe stalk lodging. If the grain was not yet
physiologically mature, then the magnitude of the physiological yield
loss will depend on how close the grain was to maturity and whether
the lodged plants die completely or hang on for some time. 

It is important to remember that corn grain will always develop a 
kernel black layer whether healthy, stressed, or killed prematurely.
If the stalks were crimped but not broken by the strong winds, the 
plants will die a slow death and kernel black layer will develop 
prematurely. If stalk-crimped plants slowly die over a 2 to 3 week
period, some remobilization of stored carbohydrates from the stalks 
and leaves to the yet maturing grain will likely occur that will 
minimize potential yield losses. If stalks were literally broken by
the strong winds, the plants technically die within hours and 
premature kernel black layer will develop even more quickly. Much 
less, if any, carbohydrate remobilization will occur and yield loss 
will be severe. Premature kernel black layer development is usually 
accompanied by smaller than desired kernels and resulting "rubbery" 
ears that can be difficult to shell without re-adjusting combine 
settings. 

We can use information documented from completely defoliated corn
published by Afuakwa and Crookston (1984) as a guide for estimating
yield loss due to death of stalk lodged corn. These researchers
completely defoliated corn at three different kernel stages; then 
either harvested ears immediately (a mimic of complete plant death) 
or harvested ears when they had reached the kernel black layer stage 
(time for remobilization). Yield loss to immature corn by complete 
stalk breakage will likely be similar to plants that are simply 
harvested at immature stages (the defoliation column in Table 1, 
which can be viewed at:http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/
articles.08/StalkLodgingLosses-0928.html, pg 2). Yield loss to 
immature corn by crimped stalks and a slow plant death will likely be
similar to plants that were completely defoliated but not harvested 
until kernel black layer had occurred (the maturity column in Table 
1). The "late dent" stage listed in Table 1 is approximately the 
so-called half-milkline stage of kernel development (Nielsen, 2008). 

MECHANICAL YIELD LOSS 

Obviously, the mechanical challenges of harvesting severely downed 
corn can be daunting and the risk of significant mechanical harvest
loss due to severe stalk lodging can be significant. Leaving whole 
ears on the ground increases mechanical harvest loss much faster than
the usual shelling losses of combine harvesting. Corn reels are the
most common combine attachment used to facilitate picking up downed 
corn during harvest (Roth, 2008), but severe mechanical harvest losses
can still occur if stalk breakage is severe enough. Harvesting 
severely lodged in only one direction may help the header pick up the
downed stalks, but necessitates a lot of "deadheading" as you navigate
without harvesting back to the other side of the field to harvest in 
the same direction again. Some growers advocate harvesting a full 
header width in the direction the stalks are broken, "deadheading" 
back, shifting over less than a header's width, harvesting another 
header's width in the direction of the broken stalks, then harvesting 
the partial header width strip back in the opposite direction and 
repeating the process (Hicks, 2004). 

GRAIN MOISTURE & QUALITY CHALLENGES 

Grain moisture at harvest in fields where immature corn suffered 
varying degrees of stalk lodging will likely be quite variable because
of the varying times of plant death and kernel maturation. Grain from 
plants that remained standing will mature later than that of immature 
stalk lodged plants that die prematurely (see above photo of ear 
comparison). Coupled with variable kernel maturation timing is the 
moisture consequence of grain on ears of lodged plants that may be 
lying directly on the ground or in close proximity to the soil surface
and, in many instances, shaded by stalks and leaves of the lodged 
plants. 

The prolonged contact or near contact with the moisture and higher
humidity of the soil surface will delay grain drying and increase the 
risks of the development of fungal ear molds and premature kernel 
sprouting prior to harvest Growers will be challenged to find the 
best compromise in grain moisture between the standing and lodged 
plants. The combination of variable grain moisture, possible kernel 
molds, and premature kernel sprouting all increase the challenges of
successfully storing the grain in good condition. Grain from severely
lodged fields or areas of fields may need to be segregated from that
harvested from better standing fields. A number of grain storage 
publications are available at Purdue's Post Harvest Grain Quality & 
Stored Product Protection Program Web site (http://cobweb.ecn.purdue.
edu/~grainlab). 

RELATED REFERENCES 

Chapko,Louis. Harvesting Severely Lodged Corn. Pioneer Hi-Bred Int'l. 
[On-line]. Available at https://www.pioneer.com/growingpoint/agronomy/
crop_insight/corn_harvest.jsp [URL accessed 9/28/08]. (Access requires
free registration to Pioneer's GrowingPoint Web site.)

Hanna, Mark. 2006. Harvested Lodged Corn. Iowa State Univ Extension. 
[On-line]. Available at http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/2006/9-18/
lodged.html. [URL accessed 9/28/08].

Heininger, R and E Dunphy. rev. 2000. Assessing and Handling Hurricane
Damaged Corn. North Carolina State Univ Extension. [On-line]. Available
at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/docs/assess.html . [URL
accessed 9/28/08].

Hicks, Dale. 2004. Harvesting Lodged Corn. Univ of Minnesota Extension.
[On-line]. Available at http://www.extension.umn.edu/cropenews/2004/
04MNCN24.htm. URL accessed 9/28/08].

Lauer, Joe. 2007. Equipment for Harvesting Lodged "Down" Corn. Univ of
Wisconsin Extension. [On-line]. Available at http://corn.agronomy.wisc.
edu/AA/A050.htm. [URL accessed 9/28/08].

Nicolai, Dave and Dale Hicks. 2006. Corn Development and Maturity as
Affected by Wind Storm Damage. Univ of Minnesota Extension. [On-line].
Available at http://www.extension.umn.edu/cropenews/2006/06MNCN53.htm.
[URL accessed 9/28/08].

Nielsen, R.L. (Bob). 2008. Grain Fill Stages in Corn. Corny News 
Network, Purdue Univ. [On-Line]. Available at http://www.kingcorn.org/
news/timeless/GrainFill.html [URL accessed 9/28/08].

Roth, Greg. 2008. Corn Harvesting Equipment for Wind Damaged Corn.
Penn. St. Corn & Soybean Management. [On- line]. Available at 
http://cornandsoybeans.psu.edu/lodgeequipment.cfm. [URL accessed
9/28/08].

Vagts, Todd. 2003. Reducing Harvest Losses in Lodged Corn Fields. Iowa
State Univ Extension. [On-line]. Available at http://www.extension.
iastate.edu/nwcrops/reducing-harvest-losses.htm. [URL accessed 
9/28/08].

In order to view the various photos, charts, and table with this
article, go to URL:http://www.kingcorn.org/news/articles.08/Stalk
LodgingLosses-0928.html, pages 1 - 3. 

R.L. (Bob) Nielsen, Agronomy Dept., Purdue Univ. West Lafayette, IN
47907-2054 Email address: rnielsen at purdue.edu

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 110, West Lafayette IN
47906-4145. 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 110, West Lafayette IN 
47906-4145. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

             Weather Information Table

         Week ending Sunday October 5, 2008
-----------------------------------------------------
                | Past Week Weather Summary Data   
                |---------------------------------
 Station        |      Air      |            | Avg  
                |  Temperature  |  Precip.   |4 in.  
                |---------------|------------|Soil 
                |Hi |Lo |Avg|DFN| Total|Days |Temp 
----------------------------------------------------- 
Northwest (1)                                    
Chalmers_5W      80  38   55  -5   0.15    1     
Francesville     76  34   53  -6   0.15    1     
Valparaiso_AP_I  73  36   54  -5   0.52    3     
Wanatah          75  37   53  -5   0.43    3   63
Winamac          77  37   54  -4   0.09    3   63
North Central(2)                                 
Plymouth         76  35   54  -5   0.30    3     
South_Bend       74  34   54  -4   0.35    4     
Young_America    78  35   55  -4   0.04    1     
Northeast (3)                                    
Columbia_City    78  33   55  -3   0.18    4   69
Fort_Wayne       81  35   56  -3   0.04    2     
West Central(4)                                  
Greencastle      80  37   57  -4   0.16    1     
Perrysville      82  37   57  -4   0.00    0   68
Spencer_Ag       81  39   57  -3   0.19    1     
Terre_Haute_AFB  80  38   58  -3   0.44    1     
W_Lafayette_6NW  80  33   55  -4   0.00    0   62
Central (5)                                      
Eagle_Creek_AP   81  42   59  -2   0.07    1     
Greenfield       79  40   57  -3   0.22    1     
Indianapolis_AP  80  42   59  -2   0.16    1     
Indianapolis_SE  77  41   57  -4   0.13    1     
Tipton_Ag        81  35   56  -2   0.02    1   64
East Central(6)                                  
Farmland         80  39   57  -1   0.09    1   64
New_Castle       80  39   57  -1   0.06    1     
Southwest (7)                                    
Evansville       86  42   62  +0   0.37    1     
Freelandville    79  43   59  -2   0.22    1     
Shoals_8S        81  36   57  -5   0.22    1     
Stendal          85  42   62  +2   0.79    1     
Vincennes_5NE    83  41   60  -2   0.23    1   68
South Central(8)                                 
Leavenworth      82  41   60  -1   0.41    1     
Oolitic          80  39   58  -2   0.12    1   63
Tell_City        85  45   63  +1   0.72    1     
Southeast (9)                                    
Brookville       83  40   59  +2   0.10    1     
Greensburg       80  40   59  +0   0.12    1     
Scottsburg       81  41   59  -3   0.22    1     
-----------------------------------------------------


       Weather Information Table (Continued)

        Week ending Sunday October 5, 2008
-------------------------------------------------
                |        Accumulation           
                |--------------------------------
                |        April 1, 2008 thru       
 Station        |         October 5, 2008     
                |--------------------------------
                | Precipitation   |GDD Base 50oF
                |--------------------------------
                |      |     |    |     |
                |Total | DFN |Days|Total|  DFN   
-------------------------------------------------
Northwest (1)   |
Chalmers_5W     |23.40  +0.89   61  2695  -392
Francesville    |27.38  +4.55   69  2693  -136
Valparaiso_AP_I |17.77  -6.84   58  2889   +69
Wanatah         |29.70  +5.97   67  2584  -104
Winamac         |28.56  +5.73   69  2731   -98
North Central(2)|
Plymouth        |25.84  +2.40   71  2725  -252
South_Bend      |26.85  +4.09   65  2906  +116
Young_America   |26.30  +4.16   61  2766  -162
Northeast (3)   |
Columbia_City   |22.21  +0.01   69  2675   +12
Fort_Wayne      |20.03  -0.24   69  3030  +103
West Central(4) |
Greencastle     |35.12  +9.49   63  2818  -489
Perrysville     |28.79  +4.82   67  3053   -22
Spencer_Ag      |36.17 +10.54   70  3073   -25
Terre_Haute_AFB |29.43  +5.25   55  3229   -53
W_Lafayette_6NW |23.96  +1.42   70  2873   -42
Central (5)     | 
Eagle_Creek_AP  |29.86  +7.31   68  3359  +107
Greenfield      |32.34  +7.69   74  2967  -162
Indianapolis_AP |26.12  +3.57   65  3422  +170
Indianapolis_SE |29.71  +6.68   59  2948  -299
Tipton_Ag       |23.13  +0.16   69  2808   -16
East Central(6) |
Farmland        |21.13  -1.15   63  2710   -46
New_Castle      |26.94  +3.35   67  2743   -82
Southwest (7)   |  
Evansville      |23.75  +0.97   55  3879  +109
Freelandville   |30.96  +7.22   60  3366   -24
Shoals_8S       |30.21  +4.61   58  3085  -203
Stendal         |30.18  +4.74   83  3630   +79
Vincennes_5NE   |25.08  +1.34   52  3508  +118
South Central(8)|
Leavenworth     |26.65  +0.88   88  3536  +272
Oolitic         |27.90  +3.39   63  3076   -61
Tell_City       |23.22  -2.80   52  3792  +144
Southeast (9)   |
Brookville      |22.67  -1.06   69  3224  +245
Greensburg      |28.99  +5.03   65  3214  +166
Scottsburg      |25.91  +1.50   81  3419   +43
------------------------------------------------------------------
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 2008:  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