Summer Gives Way to Rain, Chill
Published: Friday, October 13, 2023
The following is from the Michigan Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending Oct. 8.
Cool, damp weather late last week slowed crop dry down.
There were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork.
Soybean harvest remained behind the five-year average. Corn for grain harvest slowed due to wet fields.
Dry bean harvest made good progress at the beginning of the week while temperatures were still warm and fields dry.
Winter wheat planting was well behind the five-year average pace.
Other activities last week included cutting and baling hay where weather permitted, soil testing and planting cover crops.
Fruit
Summer-like weather early in the week gave way to cooler temperatures later in the week.
Watercore was on the minds of farmers. It was observed on the Ridge and growers were considering it when making long-term storage decisions.
In the Northwest, farmers were moving through harvest. Honeycrisp and Gala were harvested heavily there.
In the West Central, Golden Delicious and early strains of Red Delicious were harvested while some farmers also started harvesting Idared and Rome for long-term storage.
On the Ridge, Gala harvest finished, and Honeycrisp harvest was almost complete. McIntosh strains, Red Delicious and Empire were next to be harvested.
In the Southwest, apple harvest primary focused on Fuji, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples.
Topsoil moisture was rated very short, 0%; short, 9%; adequate, 78%; surplus, 13%.
Subsoil moisture was rated very short, 2%; short, 18%; adequate, 76%; surplus, 40%.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2022 and five-year average) showed: corn dented, 96, 92, 99, 96; corn mature, 53, 35, 72, 70; corn harvested for grain, 13, 7, 15, 14; corn harvested for silage, 83, 67, 84, 83; soybeans dropping leaves, 87, 73, 93, 89; soybeans harvested, 17, 5, 29, 25; winter wheat planted, 27, 14, 52, 43; winter wheat emerged, 17, 5, 20, 19; dry edible beans harvested, 76, 52, 75, 65; alfalfa hay, fourth cutting, 75, 66, 79, NA; other hay, third cutting, 82, 75, 94, 79; sugarbeets harvested, 15, 14, 29, 31.
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