Some Rain Falls, but More Needed
Published: Friday, June 16, 2023
The following is from the Michigan Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending June 11.
The first measurable rain in weeks showed up Sunday, which helped to alleviate the abnormally dry weather thus far in the 2023 growing season.
There were 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork.
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, counties in the north-central and southern most counties in the Lower Peninsula were in moderate drought while the rest of the Lower Peninsula's major crop growing counties were abnormally dry.
Despite the welcomed Sunday rain, fields needed additional precipitation.
First cutting hay was reported to be of good quality but short on tonnage. Growers were concerned about regrowth and prospects for additional cuttings due to lack of rainfall.
Corn, soybean and wheat conditions all suffered due to lack of moisture.
Dry bean growers continued to plant the 2023 crop. Some growers waited to plant until after Sunday's rains because topsoil was too dry.
Fire conditions remain rated in the "extreme" category in Northern Michigan.
Fruit
Lack of precipitation increasingly became problematic, especially in small fruit and young trees. Many farmers have been irrigating for some time and expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
In the Southwest, apples ranged from 22-30 mm; June drop was underway. In the Southeast, King fruit observed in Novi, Fenton and Romeo were in the 22-24 mm range, while in Almont fruitlets were closer to 15 mm.
In the West Central, apple fruit ranged from 14-25 mm in size. In the Northwest, Gala and Honeycrisp measured 12 mm.
In the Southwest, Montmorency tart cherries averaged 13 mm and were starting to show a hint of straw color. Crop potential for the area was still good, but reportedly less than full in West Central and Northwest Michigan.
Farmers began hand-thinning peaches in the South. In the Southwest, peach fruit size averaged about 30 mm; June drop was occurring.
In the Southeast, peach pits at Fenton and Romeo were still soft enough to be cut through with a knife with sizes up to 25 mm. In the Northwest, peach fruitlets were 18-20 mm.
In the South, blueberry bloom finished. Many varieties began showing green fruit.
Vegetables
Early field plantings of several vegetable crops were at or nearing harvest as growers contended with protracted hot and arid weather conditions.
Among the crops approaching harvest were broccoli and zucchini. Plantings of fall pumpkins and hard squash had commenced, and sweet corn succession plantings continued.
Transplanting of peppers into plastic mulch was ongoing. Meanwhile, the heat was leading to an increase in size for summer squash and tomatoes.
Pest activity was beginning to pick up on celery and onions, as was weed growth in asparagus fields, prompting further use of insecticides and herbicides.
Topsoil moisture was rated very short, 43%; short, 48%; adequate, 9%; surplus, 9%.
Subsoil moisture was rated very short, 47%; short, 39%; adequate, 14%; surplus, 0%.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2022 and five-year average) showed: corn planted, 97, 91, 96, 90; corn emerged, 89, 72, 84, 75; soybeans planted, 98, 92, 89, 81; soybeans emerged, 83, 62, 72, 67; winter wheat headed, 86, 58, 81, 71; barley planted, 84, 75, 89, 77; barley emerged, 79, 58, 73, 60; dry edible beans planted, 76, 28, 57, 41; dry edible beans emerged, 38, 1, 4, 11; alfalfa hay, first cutting, 72, 40, 51, 46; other hay, first cutting, 74, 23, 28, 25; oats emerged, 94, 87, 92, 85; oats headed, 14, 2, 9, 8.
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