State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 07/21/02 Issue NH-CW2902 Volume 22, Number 13 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) July 22, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary DROUGHT-LIKE CONDITIONS PERSIST For the week ending July 21, 2002, there were 6.2 days suitable for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 1% very poor, 15% poor, 26% fair, 37% good, 21% excellent. Northern New England states recorded slightly below average temperatures last week along with some rainfall, while southern states underwent exact opposite conditions. All states continue to experience drought-like conditions, and it has been necessary for many growers to irrigate, where available. Major farm activities included: planting vegetables; harvesting tobacco, strawberries, highbush blueberries, peaches and vegetables; weeding, tilling and cultivating fields; sidedressing fields with fertilizer; cutting dry hay and chopping haylage; mowing orchards and around fields; monitoring for pests and disease; irrigating, where necessary and available; applying fungicides and insecticides. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 11 7 2 Short 32 21 19 Adequate 47 62 77 Surplus 10 10 2 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 10 7 0 Short 28 20 26 Adequate 60 70 70 Surplus 2 3 4 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report First and second crops of hay were cut last week; farmers have had an easier time making dry hay since rainfall has lessened. Oat and barley crops in Maine were rated in good to excellent condition. Potato condition also ranged from good to excellent in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and growers cultivated and applied fungicides last week. Broadleaf tobacco harvest has begun in Massachusetts, Connecticut harvest is expected to begin soon. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Strawberry harvest is nearing completion in New England and fields continue to be renovated. Raspberry and highbush blueberry picking was active last week, and peach harvest is currently underway. Pears remain in poor condition, particularly in Connecticut. Maine wild blueberry fields are looking extremely spotty due to uneven pollination this year. Massachusetts cranberry growers are awaiting significant rainfall to size up the berries, and in the meantime are irrigating bogs. VEGETABLES: Where irrigation was available, vegetable growers took advantage of it and gave their crops a drink. Newly harvested sweet corn is showing up at farmers' markets and roadside stands, always a popular item. Beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, greens, lettuce, peas, peppers, radish, spinach, squash, tomatoes and zucchini continued to be harvested last week. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME -- -- -- Good/Excellent Oats, ME -- -- -- Good/Excellent Potatoes Maine -- -- -- Excellent/Good Mass -- -- <5 Good Rhode Isl -- -- -- Good Silage Corn -- -- -- Good/Fair Sweet Corn 5 15 10 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 10 10 15 Good/Fair Broadleaf <5 -- <5 Good/Fair Dry Hay First Cut 95 95 90 Good/Fair Second Cut 45 55 35 Good Third Cut -- 10 <5 Good/Excellent --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples -- -- -- Good/Fair Peaches <5 <5 <5 Good/Fair Pears -- -- -- Poor Blueberries Highbush 15 15 15 Good Wild, ME -- -- -- Good Cranberries,MA -- -- -- Good/Fair Strawberries 99 99 99 Good/Fair ---------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, July 21, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 41 90 65 -4 0.05 2.05 NH 37 91 66 -2 0.15 3.14 VT 38 90 66 -2 0.00 3.05 MA 46 94 71 +0 0.00 3.63 RI 54 95 72 +2 0.00 0.40 CT 53 95 74 +2 0.18 2.57 ---------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Weather Information Table Weather Summary For New England Agricultural Statistics Service Prepared By AWIS, Inc. For the Period: Monday July 15, 2002 To: Sunday July 21, 2002 AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 49 85 65 -6 813 -239 260 -106 Allagash 41 81 61 -5 520 -162 143 -12 Augusta_ME 56 84 68 -3 970 -33 373 +32 Bangor 50 84 67 -2 902 +6 331 +57 Barnard 46 82 64 -4 744 -30 227 +23 Bath 51 82 66 -4 801 -101 262 -20 Bethel 48 83 65 -5 846 -64 284 +6 Brassua_Dam 44 79 62 -4 610 -19 170 +35 Brunswick_ME 56 84 68 -2 895 -7 327 +45 Caribou 46 77 63 -4 683 -57 209 +23 Corinna 50 84 65 -4 833 -47 269 +10 Danforth 42 82 62 -7 673 -167 198 -52 Dover-Foxcroft 45 82 62 -5 653 -121 186 -18 Durham 52 84 67 -5 886 -177 319 -68 East_Hiram 47 86 65 -4 874 -35 295 +17 Eustis 44 80 61 -4 590 -32 142 +18 Frenchville 47 75 62 -4 602 -80 179 +24 Gray 57 83 68 -2 1009 +125 400 +133 Greenville_ME 49 77 64 -4 713 -72 223 +15 Guilford 45 85 63 -5 641 -133 171 -33 Hollis 49 87 67 -1 960 +106 358 +112 Houlton 41 82 63 -4 724 -40 226 +24 Kennebunkport 51 86 66 -6 824 -302 275 -148 Livermore_Falls 48 90 67 +0 886 +116 327 +129 Moosehead 42 82 61 -4 615 -14 161 +26 New_Sharon 52 88 68 +2 997 +227 388 +190 Patten 45 81 63 -4 647 -117 187 -15 Portage 48 81 64 -3 682 -58 214 +28 Portland_ME 55 83 69 -1 967 +83 361 +94 Rangeley 46 81 62 -3 601 +8 152 +42 Sebec_Lake 44 82 63 -5 735 -50 216 +8 Vanceboro 46 81 64 -4 695 -78 205 +0 Waterville 55 85 67 -4 898 -154 332 -34 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 50 86 68 -3 1070 +39 413 +56 Benton 44 85 65 -3 873 +10 307 +76 Berlin_AG 45 84 65 -3 827 -35 270 +26 Bethlehem 42 83 63 -5 765 -98 238 +6 Concord 47 88 70 +0 1175 +144 503 +146 Diamond_Pond 44 77 59 -5 526 -28 125 +42 First_Conn_Lake 45 79 60 -4 523 -31 119 +36 Greenville 51 86 70 +2 1010 +78 380 +101 Keene_AP 48 88 71 +0 1173 -3 487 +36 Lakeport 52 88 70 +1 1124 +158 455 +137 Marlow 45 86 67 -3 874 -185 310 -54 Mt_Washington 37 63 50 +2 83 +62 4 +4 North_Conway 51 91 68 -2 1036 +74 418 +105 Otter_Brook_Lk 48 87 69 -3 1062 -114 415 -36 Plymouth 44 86 65 -3 868 +29 291 +57 Rochester 52 89 69 -2 1119 +19 448 +46 Weare 50 83 68 -2 1026 -33 390 +26 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 50 84 67 -1 985 +93 365 +108 Bethel 48 88 68 +3 1037 +195 412 +175 Burlington_VT 52 86 69 -3 1178 +53 498 +75 East_Haven 41 83 62 -4 767 +65 240 +73 Island_Pond 44 81 62 -3 763 +71 238 +83 Montpelier 45 83 66 -2 935 +62 334 +80 Morrisville_AG 45 82 64 -4 783 -76 244 -9 Mount_Mansfield 38 70 57 -3 455 +106 93 +61 Northfield 46 86 66 -1 935 +153 325 +118 Pownal 52 83 68 +0 1003 +105 376 +113 Rochester 49 85 66 -1 895 +53 313 +76 Rutland_AG 50 83 66 -5 991 -182 368 -77 Sunderland 48 84 67 -3 932 -197 324 -87 Sutton 45 81 63 -3 789 +87 248 +81 Townshend_Lake 53 87 70 -2 1094 +5 432 +35 Union_Vill_Dam 44 89 68 -3 987 -115 377 -25 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 52 85 69 +1 1125 +197 451 +161 Boston 60 91 74 +0 1469 +155 694 +149 Greenfield 48 93 73 +2 1280 +17 557 +49 New_Bedford 52 94 72 -3 1317 +20 551 +27 Otis_AFB 54 91 71 +0 1203 +186 481 +128 Plymouth 51 94 72 +0 1246 +177 530 +139 Walpole 53 91 72 +2 1317 +193 588 +171 West_Medway 50 91 72 +0 1347 +223 602 +185 Westover 55 91 75 +1 1466 +14 697 +62 Worcester 54 85 70 +0 1202 +165 514 +157 Worthington 49 87 69 +2 1030 +125 402 +136 RHODE ISLAND Providence 58 95 75 +3 1475 +237 695 +198 Woonsocket 54 91 72 +2 1316 +210 584 +190 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 53 92 72 -3 1231 -177 527 -85 Bridgeport 63 94 77 +3 1539 +214 736 +176 Hartford_AP 57 94 76 +3 1554 +153 756 +147 Norfolk 55 88 72 +5 1193 +284 499 +228 Norwich 57 94 74 +2 1417 +143 657 +148 Thomaston_Dam 54 95 74 +5 1351 +245 603 +211 Willimantic 53 93 73 +4 1367 +247 618 +216 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 0.71 -0.06 4 2.73 -0.39 14 Allagash 0.45 -0.41 3 5.57 +2.30 14 Augusta_ME 0.05 -0.65 2 1.76 -1.14 12 Bangor 0.49 -0.28 2 1.94 -1.14 13 Barnard 0.72 -0.08 4 3.46 +0.14 16 Bath 0.41 -0.22 4 2.28 -0.54 14 Bethel 0.77 +0.00 3 1.85 -1.45 11 Brassua_Dam 0.44 -0.47 2 3.27 -0.43 12 Brunswick_ME 0.36 -0.27 4 1.68 -1.14 13 Caribou 1.06 +0.15 5 6.86 +3.50 17 Corinna 0.29 -0.48 2 2.93 -0.20 11 Danforth 1.51 +0.60 4 5.43 +1.91 14 Dover-Foxcroft 0.65 -0.15 4 2.13 -1.19 14 Durham 0.18 -0.59 3 1.84 -1.35 12 East_Hiram 0.91 +0.12 3 1.85 -1.45 12 Eustis 0.38 -0.46 1 3.57 +0.23 12 Frenchville 0.95 +0.09 4 4.35 +1.08 16 Gray 0.26 -0.44 1 1.44 -1.49 9 Greenville_ME 0.72 -0.08 4 3.13 -0.19 15 Guilford 0.64 -0.16 3 2.99 -0.33 15 Hollis 0.94 +0.22 4 3.29 +0.17 14 Houlton 2.05 +1.21 5 6.55 +3.29 19 Kennebunkport 0.50 -0.20 4 2.44 -0.51 11 Livermore_Falls 0.15 -0.62 3 2.61 -0.65 14 Moosehead 0.48 -0.43 2 3.49 -0.21 14 New_Sharon 0.24 -0.53 3 3.29 +0.03 13 Patten 1.50 +0.66 3 4.12 +0.86 14 Portage 1.71 +0.80 4 7.83 +4.47 16 Portland_ME 1.65 +0.95 3 2.78 -0.15 11 Rangeley 0.46 -0.31 3 4.66 +1.47 14 Sebec_Lake 0.70 -0.10 3 2.02 -1.30 14 Vanceboro 1.33 +0.56 5 4.60 +1.52 19 Waterville 0.31 -0.46 4 3.97 +0.85 15 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.68 -0.04 4 2.02 -0.81 12 Benton 0.69 -0.08 3 3.45 +0.26 9 Berlin_AG 1.53 +0.69 4 3.67 +0.21 12 Bethlehem 2.37 +1.49 4 5.44 +1.90 13 Concord 0.62 -0.10 3 1.79 -1.04 8 Diamond_Pond 0.99 -0.06 3 3.89 -0.29 13 First_Conn_Lake 1.20 +0.15 4 5.67 +1.49 14 Greenville 0.78 -0.06 4 1.66 -1.70 7 Keene_AP 0.46 -0.38 2 1.81 -1.46 4 Lakeport 0.15 -0.69 2 1.35 -1.81 10 Marlow 1.17 +0.40 2 3.14 -0.06 7 Mt_Washington 2.31 +0.77 3 6.51 +0.00 13 North_Conway 0.88 +0.04 4 1.91 -1.54 11 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.63 -0.21 2 2.13 -1.14 8 Plymouth 0.15 -0.75 3 2.16 -1.26 11 Rochester 0.21 -0.56 2 1.04 -2.06 7 Weare 0.69 -0.08 2 1.75 -1.45 8 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.99 +0.08 2 2.47 -1.33 8 Bethel 0.71 -0.14 3 2.12 -1.25 11 Burlington_VT 0.00 -0.84 0 3.59 +0.32 9 East_Haven 1.08 +0.12 3 4.77 +0.94 14 Island_Pond 1.15 +0.18 3 3.60 -0.24 13 Montpelier 0.99 +0.29 3 4.74 +1.89 12 Morrisville_AG 1.22 +0.29 2 6.88 +3.21 11 Mount_Mansfield 0.48 -0.97 2 8.48 +2.57 11 Northfield 0.53 -0.24 1 4.38 +1.35 8 Pownal 0.72 -0.19 3 3.51 -0.29 9 Rochester 0.45 -0.40 3 4.02 +0.65 12 Rutland_AG 0.93 +0.04 2 2.06 -1.35 9 Sunderland 0.77 +0.09 2 3.22 +0.50 7 Sutton 1.31 +0.35 2 5.25 +1.42 13 Townshend_Lake 0.59 -0.18 2 1.78 -1.13 8 Union_Vill_Dam 0.39 -0.38 3 2.39 -0.51 12 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.73 -0.11 3 1.66 -1.70 9 Boston 0.25 -0.38 3 2.21 -0.40 6 Greenfield 0.29 -0.55 3 2.31 -1.08 9 New_Bedford 0.05 -0.63 1 1.00 -1.81 5 Otis_AFB 0.06 -0.57 1 0.27 -2.36 5 Plymouth 0.02 -0.75 2 0.23 -2.85 5 Walpole 0.71 -0.06 3 1.57 -1.61 7 West_Medway 0.34 -0.43 2 1.47 -1.71 4 Westover 0.68 -0.13 3 1.50 -1.93 10 Worcester 0.66 -0.18 4 2.08 -1.45 6 Worthington 3.44 +2.46 3 4.33 +0.53 8 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.07 -0.63 1 0.28 -2.59 5 Woonsocket 0.40 -0.46 3 1.37 -2.22 8 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 2.57 +1.87 2 3.11 +0.12 7 Bridgeport 0.33 -0.53 1 1.46 -1.96 4 Hartford_AP 1.32 +0.62 2 1.70 -1.29 7 Norfolk 1.10 +0.19 2 2.77 -1.11 7 Norwich 0.21 -0.63 1 0.49 -2.74 4 Thomaston_Dam 0.33 -0.61 1 0.94 -2.73 5 Willimantic 0.88 -0.10 2 1.49 -2.24 8 Summary based on NWS data. DFN = Departure From Normal (Using 1961-90 Normals Period). Precipitation (rain or melted snow/ice) in inches. Precipitation Days = Days with precip of 0.01 inch or more. Air Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2002: AWIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For detailed ag weather forecasts and data visit the AWIS home page at www.awis.com or call toll free at 1-888-798-9955. Other Agricultural Comments and News CONNECTICUT - Howard Rood (FSA), Fairfield/Litchfield: Heavy rains fell Friday afternoon. There was some erosion on open fields and farm roadways. Most crops really needed the rain. Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Very dry, all those who have irrigation are using it! Harvesting sweet corn, summer squash, cukes, blueberries and beans. Early field corn is tasseling and drying up in normally dry spots. Making second cut hay and silage. Some still working on first cut. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Orchards using trickle irrigation. Nice plump blueberries, early peaches. Corn is "pineappling" in dry soils and hay fields are toasting, with no real rain in sight. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Temps have been hot and humid. One afternoon of thunderstorms, rain was spotty. Areas in counties received a tenth of an inch to an inch and over. First peaches (clingstone) being harvested, along with green beans and cucumbers. We are still in drought conditions, still down twelve inches of rain. Joyce Meader (Ext), Windham: Some corn was "pineappling" due to dry conditions. Heavy rain on Friday night was needed. Wish it had come down slower. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Growers applying fungicides, some foliar feeding being done. Most growers have completed final hilling. Minor insect problems. No reports of blight being found. Growth has pretty much caught up to previous years. All crops doing very well. Heavy rain showers have caused a few washouts. Some barley has lodged. Pam Hickey (Ext), Central Aroostook: Farmers are applying fungicides and insecticides in amongst continuing showers. Some cultivation continuing. The crop is growing excellent. Some blossoms are appearing. The potato crop looks very good. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Potato growers are behind on cultivation. Despite receiving lots of water, the crop looks good. Some corn borer activity has been reported. Grain crops also look good at this time. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Showers most days keeps farmers from getting dry hay into barns. Excellent year for raspberries. Janet King (FSA), Somerset: Strawberries are just about finished being harvested. Raspberries and black raspberries are being picked, blueberries are ripening and should be ready to pick very soon. Corn in the fields looks good. Hay crop is very good this year. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Periodic thunderstorms have made harvesting dry hay a real challenge. Corn growth is still behind normal schedule. Strawberry harvest has been extended, with some fields still open for PYO. Sweet corn may hit the market this coming week. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Haying conditions with a good crop being reported. Blueberry raking begins next month. Uneven ripening of blueberries being observed due to inclement weather during pollination. Some areas getting showers frequently, others getting no rain at all. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Fruit Flies beginning to be captured on traps and insecticides are being applied. Fruit is approximately 20% blue, but ripening is very uneven. Crop development is a week or more behind normal. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: What a week! It was one of those weeks where we office folks wouldn't mind helping out in the fields (as long as we could have some breaks and lemonade readily available). Most all crops are doing great and are on schedule. Some of the first sweet corn has been harvested and found its way to the consumer's plate. Apples appear to be in good shape and good supply. The market garden stands are doing great business (there's nothing like fresh from your neighbor's fields). Two silage corn producers reported hail damage. One got hit especially hard with the corn shredded down to the ground in places. The weather has allowed most producers to do all the fieldwork they could accomplish in the daylight hours. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: Excellent week for haying. Some second crop hay has been harvested. A few showers during the week and at night were welcomed, but we could use more. Laura Rand/Marcia Hall (FSA), Oxford: Oxford County producers are irrigating their crops because the soil is so dry. Farmers are still harvesting first cut hay and some are starting on second cut hay. Strawberries are still being harvested. Market garden producers are concerned with the ongoing drought, as the rain we have received to date is not sufficient. MASSACHUSETTS - Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: The rain was a welcomed sight last week. Crops that are being harvested include cucumbers, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, broccoli and some cabbage. All crops continuing to grow through this heat and humidity. Fairly normal rate of growth for most crops for this time of year. Overall, it's looking like a good crop year. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Only spotty blossoms remain. Fruit has set up well, but irrigation is a constant, every 3-4 days. Only rain will sufficiently size up the fruit and this is the critical time for sizing. There may be small berries at harvest otherwise; frustrating, if you are a farmer. Applications of Avaunt still going on for cranberry weevil. Fruit rot showing up in some locations. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Hot, muggy weather continues to push crops. Rain on Thursday and Friday gave non-irrigated fields their first taste of water in a month. Shade tobacco growers have started their first picking this week. Mechanical cucumber harvesting also started this week and the crop looks very good. Some silage and grain corn fields are beginning to tassel this week. Roadside stands have been busy selling sweet corn and tomatoes. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: Very dry for the beginning of the week. Then we had a million dollar rain which saved all the crops. Started harvesting broadleaf tobacco, topping continues. All summer crops are in season with good supply. Growers are always busy cultivating, fertilizing, and scouting for pests and diseases. Japanese beetles are active. Gary Guida, Worcester: Harvesting squash, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans. Thunderstorms brought much needed water here; however, they were widely scattered and even farms on the other side of town did not receive rain. Finished renovating strawberry field. Mowing around fields and roto-tilling between plastic were major activities this week. Farm stand sales excellent with corn leading the way. Perennials still very strong during the week, annuals just about finished. Picking my own corn this coming weekend. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Blueberry and raspberry harvests in full swing. Strawberries are finished and renovation has begun. Drought stress is apparent in some strawberry and blueberry plantings. Several vegetable crops are ready for picking. Pepper harvest just started. Second cut hay still happening. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Dry, sunny weather has allowed many to perform field operations throughout the week. Silage corn is growing well, though the lack of significant rainfall has caused some isolated dry spots in certain fields. Hay crop regrowth for second or third cuttings is still fairly strong, and harvests are progressing well. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Frequent thunderstorms/showers make it a difficult year to put up dry hay, seems to be the wettest July in recent memory. Corn starting to put on noticeable growth, tasseling being seen. Topdress nitrate fertilizing should be completed. Strawberries now available. Peas, greens at stands, although a slow year for vegetable growers. Beekeepers seeing very good bee activity as honey sippers are being well filled. Scab noticeable in low managed apples. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: Early corn has grown tremendously over the past week to 10 days. Sufficient moisture for corn and grass. Third cut is growing rapidly. No sign of significant insect feeding at this point. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Field Crops: Hay cutting continued at a rapid pace during the week with both the first and second cuts being made. Most of the first cutting is only good for mulch hay. Vegetables: Growers are irrigating fields!! Harvesting an array of vegetables: beets, broccoli, cucumbers, greens, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, snap beans, summer squash and other vegetables. Sweet corn harvest began. Farmers kept busy cultivating, hoeing weeds, monitoring pest pressures, and spraying pesticides for insects and diseases, if needed. Starting to see potato leaf hoppers building up in numbers and Asiatic Garden Beetle has appeared. Fruit: Orchardists began harvesting first peaches. Blueberry and raspberry harvests continued. Blueberry fruit size is excellent. Strawberry growers finishing renovating beds and irrigating them. Orchardists busy monitoring for pests, spraying if needed, and mowing orchard floors. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Isolated hail storm on Monday and some rain on Friday evening. Excellent blueberry crops. Harvesting an array of vegetables including sweet corn, potatoes. Renovating strawberry beds. Irrigating vegetable fields. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: A couple of days of quick rain storms helped to water all crops. Third cutting of haylage is coming along nicely. Silage corn is starting to tassel and is looking good. Sweet corn is beginning to be harvested and first signs are a good crop. Strawberry picking is over for this year. Mixed reviews with regard to yields. Most raspberries are mature and are being harvested. Crop looks good. Other vegetables are coming along nicely and will be harvested soon. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: The week was very dry and hot. Fruit and vegetable growers were busy irrigating their crops because of lack of precipitation. Growers were also busy monitoring for pests and diseases and spraying when needed. Harvesting of strawberries is over. Growers are busy harvesting raspberries and vegetables. Harvesting of high bush blueberries has just started. Greenhouse and garden centers are winding down their annual plant season and doing more with perennials and woody ornamentals. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Hot, dry & windy is the name of the game. Irrigation pipes, wheels and trickle tubes are out in force. Cabbage planted, spraying potatoes, corn, pumpkins and summer crops. Trying to keep cultivation down to stop the dust from blowing. Lots of haying being done, pasture looks tired. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Rhode Island sweet corn is available at farm stands. Summer squashes and herbs are also in great supply. Salad vegetables have been good sellers during this hot weather! Lack of rain is still a problem for those without irrigation. Drought conditions are apparent throughout the state. Picking, grading, packing and selling are keeping producers busy at this time. One producer has reported silage corn "burned up" in the field. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Overall a very nice week for fieldwork. Farmers were able to dry grass if they desired. Quite a few cornfields saw applications of nitrogen. First cut fields were seeing applications of manure. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: We received a half-inch of rain last Friday, but we need more. Corn is just starting to tassel and ear out. Late first cutting showing signs of drought. Blueberry and raspberry growers are having excellent crops. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Corn growth excellent, sidedress nitrogen response evident. Some corn land fallow due to wet soil at planting. Grass regrowth is very slow, alfalfa regrowth moderate. Very dry soils in the area. Pasture regrowth slow. New seeding alfalfa looks good, just late and fewer than normal. Summer seeding of hay fields starting. Manure spreading on hay land. Richard Noel, Grand Isle/Franklin: Franklin County field work all over the place! Second cut hay going in and manure being spread on some farms. First cut on a few farms still being done for baled hay. Some corn is tasseling and some is barely out of the ground. Some ground being seeded and some still fallow. Farmers have pretty much given up on corn. I've heard of some farmers going to Canada to buy standing corn for their silage needs. I think it's going to be a tough winter for some. Sherwin Williams, Rutland: Cultivated and fertilized all vine crops. Sidedressed late corn with nitrogen. Started digging early potatoes for our stand. Still picking peas, started green beans and summer squash. Had to irrigate early corn and early potatoes. Corn will be later this year, last year started the 18th. Last week was dry, but yesterday gave us a beautiful, blessed half-inch of rain that will do a great job for entire garden. Chieftain potatoes a lovely picture in full bloom. Most all vegetables on market now. Have a good week. Reporters are from: Extension Service (Ext), Farm Service Agency(FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), or other knowledgeable individuals. Contact Information To receive this report every Monday evening, send an e-mail message to listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type subscribe usda-new-eng-crop-weather Statisticians: Emily McAllister, Robin Helrich Stat Assistant: Wayne Colpitt Deputy: David Luckenbach New England Agricultural Statistics Service National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Aubrey R. Davis, Director 22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor PO Box 1444 Concord, NH 03302-1444 Phone: (603) 224-9639 Fax: (603) 225-1434 Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov ****************** end of report ***********************