Corn Maturity Advances with Heat
Published: Friday, September 3, 2021
The following is from the Michigan Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending Aug. 29.
The week was dominated by hot and humid weather with intermittent showers and thunderstorm activity.
There were 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork.
Steady moisture throughout August has helped corn condition remain strong while the heat and humidity has kept corn maturity ahead of the five-year average.
While recent rains have helped keep many soybean fields green, there were reports of drowned-out fields in some parts of the state.
In the East Central region, sugarbeet harvest began in earnest while dry bean harvest was expected to begin in the next week with the arrival of drier air.
Hay producers wrapped up second cuttings and progressed with third and fourth cuttings; wet fields and high humidity have made drying conditions difficult.
Oat and barley harvests continued as conditions allowed.
Other activities included hay hauling, scouting for pests and preparing equipment for harvest.
Fruit
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) numbers were high last week. Oriental fruit moth (OFM) catches began to increase last week in the Southwest which indicated that the third generation of OFM had arrived.
Late season peach varieties like Fantasia, Glowingstar, Gloria and PF24C were harvested in the Southwest.
Early season apple harvest in the Southwest continued. Pristine, Gingergold and Zestar were harvested there. Growers in the Grand Rapids area began harvesting Premier Honeycrisp and early strains of Gala.
Blueberry harvest was coming to an end in the Southwest. Late season varieties like Elliot and Aurora were harvested.
Blueberry harvest continued in the West Central and growers anticipated continuing to harvest berries for the fresh market well into mid-September.
Fruit quality of later season varieties was excellent. Growers were irrigating blueberries because soils were dry.
Vegetables
Throughout the state, producers faced hot and humid weather as the vegetable season began to wind down. There were some reported signs of storm, wind and disease damage in various vegetable crops.
Downy mildew presence remained substantial in cucumbers, while insect activity persisted in sweet corn fields. Fungicides and insecticides were applied where necessary.
Harvest of certain vegetables, such as potatoes and peppers, was underway. Moderate levels of supply for squash and zucchini were reported.
While weather-based risk for late blight remained at high risk for some areas, no late blight had been reported in Michigan for potatoes or tomatoes to date.
Topsoil moisture was rated very short, 2 percent; short, 30 percent; adequate, 64 percent; surplus, 4 percent.
Subsoil moisture was rated very short, 4 percent; short, 30 percent; adequate, 64 percent; surplus, 2 percent.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2020 and 5-year average) showed: corn dough, 87, 78, 84, 73; corn dented, 36, 20, 38, 31; corn mature, 1, 0, 1, 1; corn harvested for silage, 4, 1, 8, N/A; soybeans dropping leaves, 3, 0, 8, 4; barley mature, 95, 89, 92, N/A; barley harvested, 59, 36, 69, N/A; dry beans dropping leaves, 40, 8, 16, N/A; alfalfa hay, third cutting, 75, 68, 74, 57; alfalfa hay, fourth cutting, 7, 2, 8, N/A; other hay, third cutting, 41, 35, 24, 27; oats harvested, 81, 71, 94, 82.
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