The following is from the Michigan Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending June 19.
Temperatures were fairly moderate at the beginning of the week, but heated up later reaching into the upper 80s and even low 90s in some parts of the Lower Peninsula.
Mid-week rains were welcomed by many farmers, facilitating good progression of crop growth, but some farmers in the east reported that the rain came too hard too fast, and counties in the southern part of the state missed much of the rain and saw continued dry conditions.
There were 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork.
Winter wheat condition is mostly good; fungicide was applied to an increased number of wheat acres due to stripe rust.
Herbicide applications were being made in corn and soybeans; corn and soybeans on heavy soils were in good condition, but these crops on lighter soils were showing signs of drought stress.
Sunny weather over the weekend allowed many farmers to make dry hay; yields have varied in different locations. Oats have nearly fully emerged.
Dry beans made good progress in emergence, but some farmers reported they might need to replant if more rain does not arrive soon.
Fruit
While the mid-week rains helped in sizing fruit in the west and northwest regions, high winds and hail accompanied the rain in the southwest; damage to berries and tree fruits from this storm was still being assessed.
Apples ranged from 18 to 30 millimeters depending upon variety and site; frost rings were reported in some orchards in the southwest while in the northwest, fire blight symptoms appeared in some orchards.
Pears were at 15 to 25 millimeters in diameter. Hand thinning continued in peaches and plums.
Final swell in apricots began; harvest is expected in a few weeks.
Sweet cherry harvest began in the southwest; bird pressure was reported as high across the state as fruit has gained size and color.
A large crop of tart cherries was expected in the northwest, which were at pit hardening.
Strawberry harvest was in full swing; some reports of problems with sap beetles and smaller fruit from later blooms were re-ported.
Blueberries were at the green fruit stage with a heavy fruit set; Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) were being trapped at sites in the southwest and west central regions.
Bloom was ending in juice and hybrid wine grapes in the southwest, while in the northwest, wine grapes were in a pre-boom stage. Summer raspberries were in the green fruit stage and cranberries were in bloom.
Vegetables
Pepper and eggplant transplanting was mostly complete in the southwest. Yellow squash, zucchini and cucumber harvest was expected to begin soon.
Pickling cucumbers, winter squash and pumpkins were being seeded in the eastern region. Onions were showing strong development despite fairly prominent insect pressure.
Asparagus harvest in Oceana County was nearing completion with most fields expected to be shut down soon.
Carrot growth and condition in the western region looked good as scouting and spraying activities continued.
Potato hilling, cultivation, and side dressing was ongoing in the central region. Late plantings of sweet corn continued as weather allowed.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2015 and 5-year average) showed: corn emerged, 96, 92, 99, 98; soybeans emerged, 93, 76, 95, 90; winter wheat headed, 93, 88, 96, 98; winter wheat ma-ture, 8, 1, 1, 0; dry edible beans planted, 84, 70, 73, 79; dry edible beans emerged, 34, 7, 41, 43; alfalfa hay, first cutting, 79, 63, 68, NA; alfalfa hay, second cutting, 4, 0, 2, NA; other hay, first cutting, 57, 42, 41, NA; oats emerged, 95, 91, 99, 99; oats headed, 27, 13, 40, 44.