Big Storms Roll Through Michigan
Published: Friday, September 1, 2023
The following is from the Michigan Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending Aug. 27.
Last week thunderstorms and high winds brought an abundance of rain to the south-central and southeast parts of the Lower Peninsula.
There were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork.
Strong thunderstorms, high winds and tornados last week negatively impacted some field crops in southern Michigan. Some farmers reported more than 3 inches of rain at their farms from localized heavy rains last Thursday evening.
Weather early in the week was conducive for hay cutting and baling. Corn silage harvest was underway on some farms.
Other activities last week included assessing damages from storms, planting cover crops, and prepping harvest equipment.
Fruit
Weather last week was volatile with hot, humid conditions and strong storms. In the Southwest, apple varieties Zestar and early season Premier Honeycrisp were harvested. Red blush development was very good on these varieties and on Gala.
In the Southeast, McIntosh harvest was expected the week of Sept. 6. Paula Reds, Ginger Golds and Premier Honeycrisp were being harvested in the Southeast.
In the West Central, apples were sizing well. Some varieties such as Zestar, Honeycrisp and Minneiska were developing a red color. Harvest of early apple varieties, such as Zestar, Paula Red and Ginger Gold, began for some growers.
In the Southwest, peach harvest continued with Glowingstar, Contender and Coralstar all harvested. A few farmers reported certain varieties had distorted fruit, including button fruit and less than full yields.
In the Southeast, Red Haven harvest was mostly wrapped up and growers started to harvest late season cultivars.
In the West Central, peaches continued to size and fresh market varieties were being harvested. The recent rains enhanced fruit size over the last few weeks.
Vegetables
Michigan vegetable producers experienced a wide range of weather conditions as they moved ahead with harvesting of late-season plantings.
Tomato harvests continued for both fresh market and processing varieties, with some areas reporting issues with fruit quality.
Harvest was also underway for onions and potatoes. New cases of late blight were detected in New York, but none had been reported in Michigan to date.
Insect activity was noted on a number of crops, including pumpkins, squash and sweet corn, prompting growers to employ pesticides to protect their vegetables.
Topsoil moisture was rated very short, 1%; short, 12%; adequate, 59%; surplus, 28%.
Subsoil moisture was rated very short, 2%; short, 17%; adequate, 72%; surplus, 9%.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2022 and five-year average) showed: corn silking, 95, 89, 100, 98; corn dough, 64, 47, 83, 75; corn dented, 24, 15, 33, 29; corn harvested for silage, 8, 1, 7, 4; soybeans blooming, 95, 88, 100, 98; soybeans setting pods, 85, 79, 97, 91; soybeans dropping leaves, 2, NA, 4, 3; barley mature, 90, 80, 89, 89; barley harvested, 50, 35, 57, 59; dry edible beans blooming, 95, 90, 100, 97; dry edible beans setting pod, 65, 46, 92, 89; dry edible beans dropping leaves, 16, NA, 17, 15; alfalfa hay, second cutting, 93, 81, 99, 97; alfalfa hay, third cutting, 65, 55, 69, 63; alfalfa hay, fourth cutting, 9, 2, 3, 3; other hay, second cutting, 85, 69, 99, 89; other hay, third cutting, 37, 21, 46, 31; oats mature, 90, 75, 96, 97; oats harvested, 60, 41, 80, 80.
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