new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 09/01/02 Issue NH-CW3502 Volume 22, Number 19 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) September 3, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary SCATTERED SHOWERS ARRIVE For the week ending September 1, 2002, there were 6.2 days suitable for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 15% very poor, 37% poor, 34% fair, 14% good, 0% excellent. More showers arrived in New England, some areas receiving over two inches, others not a single drop. Cool temperatures were prevalent for the week, dipping low at night. Frost hit some northern regions. Major farm activities included: harvesting tobacco, potatoes, oats, barley, highbush blueberries, apples, peaches, pears and vegetables; completing Maine wild blueberry harvest; applying vine desiccants to potatoes; cutting dry hay and chopping haylage; irrigating; applying manure; monitoring for pests and disease and spraying where necessary. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 32 35 27 Short 35 42 42 Adequate 33 23 31 Surplus 0 0 0 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 37 32 28 Short 34 41 42 Adequate 29 27 30 Surplus 0 0 0 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Hay fields experienced some relief from showers last week. First cut hay is complete, with second not far behind at 90 percent. Corn also benefitted a little from last week's rain; harvest has barely begun. Farmers jumped ahead with grain harvest last week during the dry days. Drought conditions in Maine have had a negative impact on this year's potato crop; size has been reported below normal and yields off, due to lack of moisture. Massachusetts and Rhode Island potato harvests continued, both rated in good to fair condition. Massachusetts tobacco growers have completed this year's harvest, while Connecticut has five to ten percent remaining to be harvested. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Apples, highbush blueberries, peaches, plums and raspberries were harvested last week. Late apple varieties are expected to improve in size from recent showers. Fruit crops in most areas need more rain; irrigation continued last week. Maine growers completed wild blueberry harvest after berries had time to gain color and size from recent cool weather and scattered showers. Rain last week brought some relief to tight water supplies in the Massachusetts cranberry region. Growers are hopeful there will be sufficient water for frost protection. White cranberry harvest is expected to begin this week. VEGETABLES: Roadside stands did good business over Labor Day weekend, selling a variety of fresh vegetables. Growers welcomed last week's rain, but for some vegetable crops the moisture came too late to help. Sweet corn harvest continued and completed fields were cut and plowed under. Last week growers harvested many vegetables including cucumbers, eggplant, greens, onions, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn and tomatoes. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME 55 70 50 Good/Excellent Oats, ME 30 45 40 Good/Excellent Potatoes Maine 5 5 5 Good/Fair Mass 40 30 45 Good/Fair Rhode Isl 55 55 40 Good/Fair Silage Corn <5 5 5 Fair/Good Sweet Corn 75 75 70 Fair/Good Tobacco Shade 95 85 95 Good/Fair Broadleaf 95 90 95 Good/Fair Dry Hay First Cut 100 100 99 Good Second Cut 90 90 80 Good/Fair Third Cut 50 45 35 Fair --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples 20 15 15 Good/Fair Peaches 85 70 70 Good/Fair Pears 10 30 20 Very Poor/Poor Blueberries Highbush 95 95 95 Good Wild, ME 100 99 95 Good Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Fair/Good ---------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, September 1, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 29 88 61 -2 0.00 1.44 NH 34 87 61 -2 0.04 1.58 VT 37 85 61 -2 0.05 1.46 MA 41 87 65 -2 0.15 2.06 RI 47 85 67 -2 0.26 1.50 CT 47 87 66 -3 0.49 2.50 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Weather Information Table Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. For the Period: Monday August 26, 2002 To: Sunday September 1, 2002 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 34 81 61 -5 1576 -248 611 -115 Allagash 30 79 55 -5 1089 -125 362 +48 Augusta_State_A 40 83 65 +0 1852 +85 840 +150 Bangor_Intl_Arp 37 82 64 +0 1743 +129 757 +178 Barnard 36 81 61 -1 1461 +56 540 +107 Bath 37 79 62 -4 1549 -101 599 -17 Bethel 36 88 63 +0 1632 +31 654 +95 Brassua_Dam 36 79 59 -1 1262 +92 429 +130 Brunswick_ME 39 81 63 -2 1732 +82 750 +134 Caribou_Municip 34 79 58 -3 1338 +31 487 +120 Corinna 37 82 62 -1 1583 +41 609 +94 Danforth 34 79 60 -3 1315 -187 439 -67 Dover-Foxcroft 38 79 60 -2 1317 -88 449 +16 Durham 36 82 63 -4 1691 -183 710 -70 East_Hiram 34 83 61 -2 1636 +42 648 +94 Eustis 36 81 58 -2 1195 +58 373 +101 Frenchville 34 77 57 -3 1234 +20 447 +133 Gray 44 83 66 +2 1918 +293 892 +298 Greenville_ME 41 80 60 -2 1413 -3 517 +74 Guilford 38 78 58 -4 1280 -125 412 -21 Hollis 34 84 62 -2 1766 +238 756 +246 Houlton 35 79 59 -2 1378 +13 501 +91 Kennebunkport 41 77 61 -7 1568 -408 611 -242 Livermore_Falls 30 87 63 +3 1700 +317 728 +316 Moosehead 36 84 58 -2 1229 +59 390 +91 New_Sharon 37 86 63 +3 1829 +446 806 +394 Patten 38 78 60 -1 1347 -18 489 +79 Portage 38 81 60 +0 1400 +93 528 +161 Portland_ME 39 83 64 -2 1819 +194 800 +206 Rangeley 36 80 59 +0 1228 +127 386 +132 Sebec_Lake 35 83 61 -2 1450 +34 523 +80 Vanceboro 38 79 60 -3 1387 -40 489 +35 Waterville 39 83 64 -2 1720 -104 736 +10 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 42 82 63 -2 1919 +140 847 +156 Benton 40 79 60 -2 1614 +137 641 +188 Berlin_AG 38 81 61 -1 1546 +58 579 +103 Bethlehem 40 79 59 -3 1429 -48 508 +54 Concord 39 84 64 +0 2085 +306 997 +306 Diamond_Pond 42 75 57 -2 1081 +75 317 +119 First_Conn_Lake 38 80 59 +2 1070 +64 295 +97 Greenville 38 86 62 -2 1811 +202 785 +238 Keene_AP 41 82 64 -3 2025 +43 925 +84 Lakeport 45 85 65 +2 2058 +388 969 +357 Marlow 38 78 59 -7 1561 -240 600 -92 Mt_Washington 39 60 47 +3 240 +179 12 +12 North_Conway 38 84 64 +2 1914 +254 881 +280 Otter_Brook_Lk 43 83 63 -4 1894 -88 834 -7 Plymouth 37 80 61 -2 1627 +162 641 +183 Rochester 40 87 64 -2 2019 +122 936 +154 Weare 42 82 62 -3 1848 +47 801 +109 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 44 80 61 -3 1756 +203 726 +213 Bethel 44 81 62 +0 1824 +350 784 +318 Burlington_Intl 47 85 65 +1 2104 +200 1006 +220 East_Haven 37 81 59 -1 1446 +208 525 +203 Island_Pond 39 78 59 -1 1434 +212 512 +204 Montpelier 44 78 60 -2 1657 +156 651 +171 Morrisville_AG 39 80 59 -4 1472 -24 532 +47 Mount_Mansfield 42 72 55 +1 878 +228 220 +154 Northfield 41 82 59 -2 1677 +310 661 +263 Pownal 47 76 61 -3 1729 +170 695 +181 Rochester 46 82 63 +1 1659 +185 664 +198 Rutland_AG 46 79 61 -5 1767 -196 730 -88 Sunderland 45 78 61 -5 1669 -212 653 -95 Sutton 43 79 60 +1 1488 +250 541 +219 Townshend_Lake 47 82 62 -3 1923 +62 851 +95 Union_Vill_Dam 40 84 62 -4 1805 -72 778 +14 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 48 80 64 +1 2000 +383 908 +342 Boston/Logan_In 54 85 68 -3 2539 +287 1344 +281 Greenfield 47 84 65 -3 2197 +80 1057 +115 New_Bedford 49 82 67 -5 2278 +9 1092 +13 Otis_AFB 55 81 67 -1 2167 +319 1025 +258 Plymouth 49 83 65 -3 2178 +269 1045 +233 Walpole 46 84 64 -3 2280 +340 1136 +322 West_Medway 46 85 65 -2 2313 +373 1150 +336 Chicopee/Westov 46 84 66 -5 2434 +14 1250 +67 Worcester 48 81 64 -2 2102 +292 1003 +288 Worthington 44 83 62 -2 1795 +213 763 +232 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 53 85 68 -1 2547 +400 1347 +359 Woonsocket 47 82 65 -2 2267 +359 1117 +341 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 47 81 62 -8 2065 -269 947 -171 Bridgeport/Siko 57 83 68 -4 2607 +301 1384 +261 Hartford/Bradle 50 86 67 -3 2584 +257 1367 +252 Norfolk 50 79 64 +1 2030 +444 921 +386 Norwich 51 86 67 -2 2416 +252 1236 +258 Thomaston_Dam 50 84 64 -2 2266 +379 1099 +345 Willimantic 50 83 65 -2 2303 +380 1134 +348 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.26 -0.57 1 1.11 -2.25 8 Allagash 0.00 -0.91 0 0.45 -3.27 4 Augusta_State_A 0.43 -0.28 1 0.91 -2.10 5 Bangor_Intl_Arp 0.25 -0.52 3 0.73 -2.33 9 Barnard 0.07 -0.81 1 0.58 -2.79 8 Bath 1.05 +0.32 2 1.88 -1.11 7 Bethel 0.26 -0.63 1 0.76 -2.86 8 Brassua_Dam 0.00 -0.84 0 0.60 -2.76 4 Brunswick_ME 1.28 +0.55 2 3.04 +0.05 10 Caribou_Municip 0.01 -0.89 1 0.48 -3.16 4 Corinna 0.20 -0.71 1 0.80 -2.66 6 Danforth 0.00 -0.91 0 1.72 -1.99 6 Dover-Foxcroft 0.00 -0.88 0 0.64 -2.73 5 Durham 0.92 +0.22 1 1.55 -1.28 8 East_Hiram 0.86 +0.05 1 1.54 -1.85 7 Eustis 0.00 -0.76 0 0.06 -3.01 2 Frenchville 0.13 -0.78 2 2.27 -1.45 7 Gray 1.10 +0.40 1 1.47 -1.14 7 Greenville_ME 0.00 -0.88 0 0.39 -2.98 5 Guilford 0.10 -0.78 2 1.13 -2.24 10 Hollis 1.44 +0.71 1 2.02 -0.81 7 Houlton 0.12 -0.79 2 1.09 -2.60 8 Kennebunkport 0.85 +0.14 1 2.23 -0.59 6 Livermore_Falls 0.18 -0.73 1 0.58 -3.15 7 Moosehead 0.00 -0.84 0 0.58 -2.78 4 New_Sharon 0.12 -0.79 1 0.64 -3.09 6 Patten 0.00 -0.91 0 0.67 -3.02 5 Portage 0.00 -0.90 0 0.43 -3.21 3 Portland_ME 0.94 +0.24 1 1.24 -1.37 5 Rangeley 0.08 -0.80 2 0.40 -3.24 7 Sebec_Lake 0.08 -0.80 1 0.51 -2.86 8 Vanceboro 0.05 -0.78 1 0.97 -2.05 7 Waterville 0.16 -0.67 1 0.59 -2.77 7 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.96 +0.26 1 1.92 -1.06 9 Benton 0.46 -0.42 1 1.35 -2.26 6 Berlin_AG 0.10 -0.83 1 0.67 -3.21 6 Bethlehem 0.13 -0.82 1 2.15 -1.92 9 Concord 1.20 +0.50 1 1.91 -1.07 8 Diamond_Pond 0.04 -1.06 1 1.10 -3.51 5 First_Conn_Lake 0.16 -0.94 1 1.22 -3.39 6 Greenville 1.58 +0.73 1 2.23 -1.41 4 Keene_AP 1.28 +0.47 2 3.42 -0.07 7 Lakeport 1.25 +0.46 1 2.07 -1.24 8 Marlow 1.36 +0.55 1 2.80 -0.53 6 Mt_Washington 0.12 -1.77 2 3.38 -4.13 10 North_Conway 0.56 -0.32 2 1.00 -2.61 11 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.40 +0.59 3 2.80 -0.69 7 Plymouth 0.92 +0.11 1 2.23 -1.25 8 Rochester 0.95 +0.18 1 1.95 -1.26 6 Weare 1.31 +0.50 2 2.20 -1.13 6 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.46 +0.49 2 2.68 -1.23 8 Bethel 0.35 -0.66 1 1.49 -2.67 6 Burlington_Intl 0.28 -0.62 1 1.16 -2.50 9 East_Haven 0.05 -0.94 1 0.86 -3.40 8 Island_Pond 0.07 -0.94 1 1.60 -2.74 7 Montpelier 0.19 -0.63 2 1.70 -1.77 9 Morrisville_AG 0.26 -0.76 2 1.34 -3.00 7 Mount_Mansfield 0.21 -1.45 1 2.77 -4.00 12 Northfield 0.24 -0.60 1 1.98 -1.43 7 Pownal 1.40 +0.43 2 2.39 -1.52 8 Rochester 0.35 -0.66 1 1.82 -2.34 7 Rutland_AG 0.39 -0.52 1 1.27 -2.53 6 Sunderland 1.22 +0.31 1 3.11 -0.46 7 Sutton 0.08 -0.91 1 1.29 -2.97 9 Townshend_Lake 1.43 +0.56 1 3.31 -0.29 8 Union_Vill_Dam 0.68 -0.13 1 1.67 -1.62 8 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.23 +0.49 2 2.99 -0.14 9 Boston/Logan_In 0.89 +0.13 2 2.01 -0.94 7 Greenfield 1.82 +1.03 3 2.73 -0.58 9 New_Bedford 0.18 -0.76 2 0.84 -2.99 8 Otis_AFB 0.80 +0.01 2 1.25 -1.85 6 Plymouth 0.40 -0.58 3 1.31 -2.36 9 Walpole 0.95 +0.04 2 2.59 -0.99 6 West_Medway 1.27 +0.36 3 2.34 -1.24 7 Chicopee/Westov 1.14 +0.30 2 1.80 -1.41 8 Worcester 1.25 +0.34 2 2.56 -0.91 8 Worthington 2.06 +1.15 2 2.75 -0.98 7 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 0.56 -0.28 2 1.39 -1.92 6 Woonsocket 1.22 +0.31 2 2.64 -1.00 7 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.34 +0.45 2 2.68 -0.66 7 Bridgeport/Siko 2.07 +1.37 2 2.65 -0.25 6 Hartford/Bradle 1.11 +0.22 2 1.95 -1.39 6 Norfolk 1.66 +0.61 2 3.02 -1.12 9 Norwich 2.50 +1.59 2 3.08 -0.50 6 Thomaston_Dam 1.27 +0.29 4 2.59 -1.28 9 Willimantic 1.14 +0.23 2 2.00 -1.57 6 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 2002: 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: Rain toward the end of the week helped some crops - was too late for others. Field corn looks better. Third cutting of hay is good. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Harvesting sweet corn, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash and cukes. Some getting ready to harvest silage corn. Showers Thursday and Monday were welcome. Most completed tobacco harvest. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Alas, rain, glorious rain arrived with 2 plus inches in most parts of the county. Crop field events well attended with corn seed type postings lending an Iowa cornbelt feel to local silage areas. Dairy meeting, large crowd concerned with Milk Income Loss Contract and sharing information about good production. Peaches are sweet and range from small to fist size. Sweet corn over mature due to hot weather - still selling well. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Three days of rain helped crops. We received varying amounts of rain around the two counties. Producers are chopping corn. Peaches are big and juicy. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Growers harvesting a few potatoes primarily for processing. Also, harvesting grain. Working on harvesting equipment. Starting to apply vine desiccants. Drought conditions continue. This will definitely have an adverse effect on potato yields. Grain yields are about average. Rain at this time will do little to improve yields with the exception of some late maturing varieties. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Grain harvest still in progress. Vine dessicants are being applied, some potatoes being harvested. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Potatoes on normal spray schedule. Some early varieties being harvested. Grain harvesting going on. No rain this week, potatoes showing stress from drought. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Very dry. Little growth. Frost in places September 1. Temperature dropped about 10 degrees the last hour or so before sunrise. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Fields are very dry. Corn on well drained soils is showing a lot of drought stress. Had a few isolated showers in the county, but nothing of significance. Janet King (FSA), Somerset: Everything is very dry. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Sales of fresh produce at roadside stands starting to slow down. Blueberries are done. Fall work to begin soon. Another week without rain. Fire danger is high. Silage corn is wilted, with poor ear development. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Crop harvest finished this week. Cool evening temperatures improved crop quality. Fruit size very large. Mid-coast fields are very dry with patches of dead plants. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: Another dry week with one day giving us a little sip. Many of the silage corn folks are chopping. The crops are brown and will get no more growth. Others are hanging in there and hoping that the crop matures a little more and gains more feed value. The other crops seem to be ok. Some market garden producers have told us that squash and pumpkins aren't doing well. The wet spring stunted or destroyed their growth. The season is coming to an end. One farmer today mentioned that soon he'll be watching for the frost. Brrr! Not yet. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Irrigated summer vegetables and apples are being harvested, most other crops are drying up and turning brown. Rain would be welcomed, but it will come too late for most crops. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: FIRST FROST!!! This was not good news for pumpkin and squash growers in lower elevations. Apple harvest is under way. Silage corn should be harvested early because of drought. Some ears are smaller than usual. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Cooler weather has set in and the nights have dropped down as low as the 30's in the valleys. Soil is very dry and the dust is flying in the fields. Oats are harvested and a light crop has been reported. Second crop hay reported to be light also. Rain received overnight, however not enough to get the soil damp. MASSACHUSETTS - Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: Much needed rain arrived over the weekend. Too little too late for the crops, but it will provide cranberry growers some badly needed water for frost protection and harvest. Vegetable growers are winding down a very disappointing season. All crops were poor due to drought and heat and consumers did not shop farm stands during the extended hot spell. Shellfish growers continue to enjoy solid growth in both quahogs and oysters, however the market continues to be soft. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Fall crops are looking better after this rain, but if we get any more rain, the pumpkins may begin to rot. The rain was a welcomed sight. There was a late set for some fruit... lost some pumpkins in the previous heat. Bugs are beginning to invade the sweet corn. Using insecticide to keep them in control. The fall crops are looking better at this time. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Much welcomed rain fell on Thursday and Monday, totaling 2-3 inches in most places. This will help the later varieties size up. It will help water supplies, but we need much more water. White berry harvest will begin this week. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Rain fell all day yesterday, for the first time since the beginning of June. Some farmers starting to chop silage. Quality varies greatly. Still harvesting all crops at this time. Pumpkins and winter squash will be short this year. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Scattered showers and cooler temperatures allowed for a nice week for harvesting late-summer and fall crops. Most dairy farms are cutting hay and getting ready to harvest corn silage. The majority of these farms are reporting that grain and forage yields should be good in spite of the drought. The apple harvest is also starting now. This year's crop is lighter than normal with growers reporting frost rings on some acreage. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Three days of excellent soaking rains will help all fall crops and newly established fall cover crops. Producers started harvesting corn silage, winter squash, pumpkins, onions, and Indian corn. Vegetable growers continue scouting for insects and diseases, especially with the cool, damp weather arriving. Tobacco harvest concluded. Gary Guida, Worcester: Did it have to rain on Labor Day? Busy weekend at farm stand with corn, tomatoes, and mum sales. Rain has definitely helped pumpkins and remaining sweet corn, but was too late for other crops in the field. Army worms starting to appear in corn. Renovated strawberry field starting to show signs of life and growth. The big surprise this weekend - perennial plant sales continue! NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Some sweet corn unable to be harvested due to drought damage. Vegetable crops being irrigated. Pumpkin and early apple harvests have begun. Sale of fall mums underway. Pastures very dry in most places. Tina Savage (Ext), Carroll: Much cooler weather and a little moisture, feels like fall! Pumpkins and winter squash suffering from heavy deer damage. Mums are moving out of garden centers due to loss of flowers to drought. Cinch bugs and Tomato Horn worms are rampant. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Pleasant weather most of the week - finally a good soaking rain all day Thursday. Third cut haylage is just about finished. Still working on third cut or remaining second cut for dry hay. Field corn looks good, early dough stage, and farmers are starting to get corn choppers ready for harvesting in a week or two. Late planted field corn still in blister or early milk stage. Sweet corn, tomatoes, melons, and a wide variety of other produce still available at farmers' markets and stands. Harvest of early apple varieties continues; the recent rain is expected to help later varieties achieve better size. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Generally a warm, dry week for the Lancaster Fair. Cool nights, one night approaching possible frost. A little rain, about typical for this time of year. Corn ears beginning to fill out. Some nice second cut hay being put up. Sweet corn fairly abundant as well as other summer veggies. Blueberries about done. Late summer variety raspberries ripening. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Gearing up for corn harvest and finishing up third cut. Some fourth cut being harvested. Still quite dry despite showers. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Peach, plum, and fall raspberry harvest continued. Highbush blueberry harvest is winding down. Starting to finishing up Paula red apple harvest. Apple growers continue to move bins into orchards, getting ready for McIntosh apple harvest. Vegetables: Harvesting wide array of summer vegetables, and starting to harvest some fall vegetables like winter squash and pumpkins. Farmers kept busy monitoring pest pressures and spraying pesticides for insects and diseases if needed. Discing down crop residue on harvested fields. Field Crops: Continued cutting hayfields for dry hay and haylage. Farmers making new forage seedings. Some farmers starting to gear up for corn silage harvest and some farmers have already started. Weather: Drought conditions continued throughout the county until we had nice all-day showers occurring on Thursday - gave some relief along with cooler weather. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Apple harvest underway. Early spring freeze has reduced the size of the apple crop. Warm season vegetables being harvested. Orchards finished mowing. Dry conditions prevail. A few spot showers were helpful. Regrowth of hay crop is poor. Some sweet corn and field corn on sandy river bottom soils were lost to drought. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: A nice week with cool temperatures and a few days of rain. Certainly helped all crops, especially silage corn and hayfields. Corn harvesting in some spots will be starting soon. Fourth cutting of haylage is looking good. Harvested sweet corn fields being cut and plowed under. Late summer fruits and vegetables can still be found at some roadside stands. The start of the pumpkin season is just around the corner. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: Last week was cool and we had much needed rain showers by the weekend. The showers are a great help for the pastures and third cut hay. Corn, field vegetables and field cut flowers will also benefit from the showers. Vegetable growers continued to harvest different vegetables. The fruit growers continued to harvest peaches and also continued to monitor for apple maggots and to do the final spraying if necessary. Garden centers and nurseries hope that the rain showers will improve their businesses for the fall planting. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Harvesting sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and some third cut hay. Cabbage doing well considering the tough start. Pumpkins, winter squash and gourds doing well, starting to harvest some. Roadside stands looking great. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Dusty fields made for dirty work up until early Saturday morning when showers began to fall. Thankfully, the afternoon cleared in time to keep sales brisk at roadside farm stands. Apples are coming in now. The price of retail sweet corn fell dramatically this week. Freshly dug potatoes are selling well. The rain continued Saturday night and into Sunday with periods of rainless cloud conditions. Predictions of more rain are in the forecast. Let's hope it comes soon in the form of overnight showers so as not to impede the many chores that await our producers! VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Dry conditions still persist with no soaking rains in sight for the northern part of the state. Cooler, partly cloudy weather and morning fog has helped to mitigate the dry conditions. A few farmers have started opening up their cornfields by chopping around the edges. Looks like harvest for corn silage may start a little early this year. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Only a little rain during the week, which was better than none at all. Some hay and haylage harvest, but otherwise a slow week. Corn in this area is in milk stage, but different stages in different areas. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: We had rain all day Thursday and into Friday we received 2 inches in Vernon VT. Apple growers are reporting that they are having a good season on trees that were not hit by frost last spring. Some field corn is being harvested because of the dry weather. Alfalfa is being cut for the third time with good production. George Cook (Ext), Lamoille: One day of rainy weather, although not enough to do any good. Fields showing signs of drought stress, corn leaves curling. Early color showing up in some trees; another indicator of drought stress. Hay, silage going in, some early corn chopping beginning. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Some hay harvest, some manure on hay stubble. Getting ready to start corn harvest this week, is still mostly immature corn. Grass growth still stopped, very dry soil. Alfalfa came through ok, summer seedings of hay coming up with uniform stands. Richard Noel, Franklin/Grand Isle: Getting very dry up here! Corn starting to roll and some on light soils has turned brown. Grass not growing at all at this point. Only where there is some stored up moisture. Legumes doing well. All sorts of field work going on. Farmers can travel anywhere, even over the ruts they made in June! Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Another dry week. This was driest August on record in St. Johnsbury. Working on second and third cut hay. Starting to think about chopping corn. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Sprayed potatoes last time for blight. Seeding fields to rye soon after picking. Enough moisture so rye germinating is good. Tomatoes finally gave up their green and we are starting to pick best crops of peppers in a long time. A real nice gentle 3/8 inches of rain. Rained all day, so did a good job. Picked produce for commercial exhibit at Rutland fair, a tradition with us for many years. Most vegetables in good shape, but vine crops still not mature. Feels like Fall and Fair in the air. Have a happy week. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. AUGUST 2002 CROP WEATHER SUMMARY: Dry weather and high heat prevailed in New England for the majority of August, similar to conditions during August 2001. Where irrigation was not available, the lack of rain had a negative impact on many different field crops, fruits and vegetables. Condition of the second and third crops of hay slowly declined as the dry month wore on. Silage corn leaves were curling and growth was stunted as growers geared up for harvest. Potato harvest was active in Rhode Island and Massachusetts during August, at or ahead of normal. No major problems from disease had surfaced as Maine potato growers prepared for harvest, but the crop was expected to produce low yields due to the lack of moisture during growth. Maine oat and barley harvest was behind normal as of the 25th, but the crops were rated in excellent to good condition. The harvest of shade and broadleaf tobacco was close to being wrapped up by the end of the month. Both crops were rated in good to fair condition; acreage and yield losses were anticipated from an outbreak of blue mold disease. Peach harvest was active during August, and apple and pear harvests were gaining momentum at month's end. Pear condition remained very poor throughout the month, damaged by unfavorable conditions during the spring. Maine's wild blueberry harvest was complete by month's end, with a smaller than average crop expected; bushes were damaged during last year's dry weather, and cool, wet conditions during pollination this year did not improve matters. Cranberries in Massachusetts were also struggling from the dry conditions. The berries were smaller than average in most locations; farmers held back from irrigating as much as they dared, in order to reserve water to protect berries during the upcoming frost season. 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 Stat Assistant: Wayne Colpitt 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 ***********************