State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date For week ending 06/10/01 Issue NH-CW2301 Volume 21, Number 6 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) June 11, 2001 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary For the week ending June 10, 2001, there were 6.4 days available for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 0% very poor, 5% poor, 30% fair, 57% good, 8% excellent. Major farm activities included: planting row crops and vegetables, spreading manure, transplanting, cutting hay and haylage, and spraying for weeds, insects, and fungus. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year --------------------------------------------- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 7 3 0 Short 8 12 1 Adequate 79 64 61 Surplus 6 21 38 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 8 0 0 Short 7 27 1 Adequate 81 64 63 Surplus 4 9 36 --------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Cool, dry, sunny weather last week allowed farmers to finish up the planting of most major crops. More heat is needed to speed up development. Potato planting has been completed in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the crop was mostly emerged in both states. Maine potatoes were nearly all planted and were ahead of last year and the five-year average for percent emerged. Oat and barley crops in Maine are now in and are mostly emerged. Silage corn planting in New England was nearing completion last week and was in good condition. Sweet corn planting continued to be ahead of schedule. Shade tobacco transplanting was nearly finished. Both shade and broadleaf tobacco crops were in good condition. Farmers cut hay and chopped haylage this past week and were preparing for their second cutting; yields were low for the first cut crop. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Growers were actively spraying fruit crops for weeds and insects. The monitoring of fruit tree crops in parts of New England continued, as frost damage earlier in the spring caused a below average prediction for harvest. Strawberry harvesting began in some areas. Bees were being removed from blueberry fields in Maine after doing an excellent job pollinating the crop. Their help will be needed shortly for cranberries; the crop just started to enter into early bloom stage. Massachusetts' cranberry growers predict cranberry weevil and other pests will be a problem this year. VEGETABLES: Farmers planted sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers and other vegetables. Asparagus, rhubarb, radish, and lettuce were being harvested. Fungicide applications were made and cultivation continued. Sweet corn was beginning to tassel. Roadside stands were busy, as newly harvested vegetables were set out for sale. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND --------------------------------------------------------- --Percent Planted-- Percent Crop 2001 2000 5-yrAvg Emerged Condition --------------------------------------------------------- Potatoes Maine 99 95 95 45 Excel/Good Mass 100 100 100 90 Good Rhode Isl 100 100 99 95 Good/Excel Oats, ME 100 99 99 95 Excel/Good Barley, ME 100 100 99 95 Excel/Good Silage Corn 95 65 85 80 Good Sweet Corn 85 70 75 65 Good Tobacco Shade 95 95 95 -- Good Broadleaf 60 50 55 -- Good Dry Hay -Percent Harvested- First Cut 35 25 35 -- Good/Fair -------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- Fruit Fruit Crop Stage* Set Size Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Apples Petal Fall Avg/B.Avg Avg Good/Fair Peaches Petal Fall B.Avg/Avg Avg/B.Avg Fair Pears Petal Fall B.Avg/Avg B.Avg/Avg Poor/V.Poor Strawberries Petal Fall Avg Avg Good/Excel Cranberries,MA Bud/EB -- -- Good Blueberries Highbush Petal Fall Avg Avg Good/Fair Wild,ME Petal Fall A.Avg Avg Good ---------------------------------------------------------- * EB = Early Bloom Weather Summary For the Week ending Sunday, June 10, 2001 --------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 36 81 58 -2 0.07 1.77 NH 28 86 58 -3 0.00 2.05 VT 35 82 58 -4 0.00 1.44 MA 42 82 63 +0 0.00 1.09 RI 48 84 65 +3 0.00 0.13 CT 44 83 63 -2 0.00 0.31 -------------------------------------- Weather Information Table AIR CUM SINCE MAR 1 TEMPERATURE GROWING DEGREE DAYS ----------- BASE-50F BASE-60F STATION LO HI AVG DFN TOT DFN TOT DFN ------- -- -- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- MAINE Albion 41 79 59 -4 296 -27 42 -12 Allagash 39 70 54 -4 219 +66 24 +18 Augusta_ME 49 79 62 +1 374 +82 86 +43 Bangor 43 78 61 +0 345 +106 59 +32 Barnard 45 76 60 +2 288 +99 38 +22 Bath 40 79 60 -1 255 +22 41 +16 Bethel 43 79 59 -3 297 +43 42 +10 Brassua_Dam 40 72 55 -2 202 +74 9 +7 Brunswick_ME 47 79 62 +2 300 +67 61 +36 Caribou 42 69 56 -3 300 +116 46 +29 Corinna 44 76 60 +0 336 +96 51 +24 Danforth 38 75 58 -3 253 +52 24 +4 Dover-Foxcroft 42 75 58 -1 259 +70 22 +6 Durham 39 79 59 -4 276 -30 45 -2 East_Hiram 41 78 59 -3 269 +16 44 +13 Eustis 38 70 54 -3 161 +26 6 +5 Frenchville 44 66 54 -5 260 +107 42 +36 Gray 49 79 63 +3 365 +141 92 +74 Greenville_ME 44 69 57 -2 249 +49 24 +5 Guilford 41 78 57 -2 251 +62 33 +17 Hollis 43 81 60 -1 292 +73 55 +37 Houlton 36 71 57 -3 271 +83 35 +17 Kennebunkport 44 76 60 -4 263 -82 65 +10 Livermore_Falls 39 79 59 +0 308 +116 56 +40 Moosehead 41 73 56 -1 211 +83 15 +13 New_Sharon 41 81 61 +3 365 +173 78 +62 Patten 43 71 56 -4 211 +23 16 -2 Portage 45 71 56 -3 310 +126 67 +50 Portland_ME 47 78 62 +2 315 +91 68 +50 Rangeley 38 73 55 -2 170 +42 4 +4 Sebec_Lake 42 76 58 -1 267 +67 32 +13 Vanceboro 43 73 58 -2 254 +74 23 +12 Waterville 44 80 61 -2 324 +1 52 -2 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 46 86 63 +1 378 +61 95 +39 Benton 42 74 58 -3 287 +19 36 -1 Berlin_AG 40 74 59 -2 302 +55 37 +4 Bethlehem 38 73 57 -4 269 +2 28 -10 Concord 42 79 60 -3 384 +67 84 +28 Diamond_Pond 39 67 52 -4 177 +54 23 +23 First_Conn_Lake 34 70 52 -4 127 +4 1 +1 Greenville 40 82 58 -4 295 +6 58 +16 Keene_AP 43 79 59 -6 393 -12 74 -19 Lakeport 47 79 62 +1 393 +114 82 +38 Marlow 37 82 57 -7 251 -101 30 -39 Mt_Washington 32 48 40 -3 2 +2 0 +0 North_Conway 46 80 62 +1 401 +118 99 +55 Otter_Brook_Lk 43 79 59 -6 346 -59 52 -41 Plymouth 28 78 58 -3 283 +53 39 +11 Rochester 47 84 64 +1 409 +51 123 +52 Weare 45 79 60 -4 323 -29 66 -3 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 36 76 56 -5 202 -68 17 -22 Bethel 36 81 59 -1 315 +70 43 +9 Burlington_VT 45 78 61 -3 483 +111 123 +42 East_Haven 35 74 55 -3 234 +53 19 +0 Island_Pond 37 72 56 -3 252 +69 27 +8 Montpelier 39 73 57 -4 289 +27 39 +1 Morrisville_AG 36 74 56 -5 217 -30 19 -16 Mount_Mansfield 40 63 49 -4 103 +39 4 +4 Northfield 38 76 58 -2 288 +72 31 +5 Pownal 44 75 58 -4 348 +71 56 +13 Rochester 39 78 58 -2 280 +35 24 -10 Rutland_AG 40 75 59 -6 338 -79 43 -59 Sunderland 37 75 57 -7 269 -124 24 -62 Sutton 40 74 57 -2 263 +82 33 +14 Townshend_Lake 43 82 60 -3 320 -28 51 -20 Union_Vill_Dam 39 79 59 -5 308 -53 30 -45 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 46 79 61 -1 391 +124 85 +49 Boston 56 80 67 +2 549 +105 177 +88 Greenfield 43 82 61 -5 411 -34 96 -6 New_Bedford 50 79 64 -1 470 +31 115 +31 Otis_AFB 54 77 65 +4 426 +144 110 +74 Plymouth 47 79 62 -1 421 +111 91 +44 Walpole 48 80 64 +1 513 +154 148 +83 West_Medway 46 82 63 +0 505 +146 140 +75 Westover 50 81 64 -3 545 -5 159 +14 Worcester 50 76 62 +1 451 +132 125 +76 Worthington 44 76 59 -3 320 +46 63 +24 RHODE ISLAND Providence 53 80 66 +2 563 +163 170 +94 Woonsocket 48 84 64 +2 524 +170 159 +103 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 44 79 60 -7 404 -118 92 -47 Bridgeport 53 80 67 +3 568 +109 154 +44 Hartford_AP 48 80 64 -3 559 +44 162 +26 Norfolk 45 81 59 -2 377 +108 84 +48 Norwich 50 83 65 +0 552 +97 149 +45 Thomaston_Dam 45 81 61 -3 447 +73 102 +30 Willimantic 47 81 64 +1 569 +192 163 +92 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ------ --- ---- ------ --- ---- MAINE Albion 0.55 -0.29 2 3.21 -0.15 8 Allagash 1.70 +1.00 4 3.56 +0.73 12 Augusta_ME 0.77 +0.00 2 3.63 +0.34 10 Bangor 0.32 -0.46 3 1.96 -1.23 11 Barnard 1.23 +0.39 2 3.18 -0.11 10 Bath 0.36 -0.51 3 3.90 +0.54 8 Bethel 0.37 -0.54 2 4.00 +0.53 8 Brassua_Dam 1.58 +0.68 4 3.50 +0.21 12 Brunswick_ME 0.47 -0.40 2 5.38 +2.02 10 Caribou 0.71 +0.08 5 3.33 +0.60 15 Corinna 0.68 -0.16 2 3.13 -0.13 8 Danforth 0.57 -0.27 5 3.44 +0.07 15 Dover-Foxcroft 0.97 +0.13 3 2.79 -0.50 11 Durham 0.27 -0.57 2 4.24 +0.96 8 East_Hiram 0.16 -0.74 1 3.77 +0.33 7 Eustis 1.24 +0.47 4 4.23 +1.15 11 Frenchville 1.65 +0.95 5 3.41 +0.58 14 Gray 0.42 -0.41 2 4.01 +0.83 10 Greenville_ME 0.53 -0.31 3 2.43 -0.86 13 Guilford 1.26 +0.42 3 3.97 +0.68 10 Hollis 0.16 -0.70 2 4.62 +1.24 8 Houlton 1.44 +0.67 5 4.11 +1.03 16 Kennebunkport 0.14 -0.77 1 3.49 -0.01 9 Livermore_Falls 0.57 -0.41 1 4.22 +0.63 9 Moosehead 0.87 -0.03 4 2.78 -0.51 13 New_Sharon 0.65 -0.33 2 4.60 +1.01 10 Patten 1.55 +0.78 5 3.88 +0.80 17 Portage 1.77 +1.14 5 3.46 +0.73 14 Portland_ME 0.23 -0.60 3 4.22 +1.04 11 Rangeley 0.69 -0.15 3 3.92 +0.75 14 Sebec_Lake 1.31 +0.47 3 3.48 +0.19 11 Vanceboro 0.96 +0.19 5 3.27 +0.10 15 Waterville 1.06 +0.22 3 4.36 +1.00 10 NEW HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 0.02 -0.70 1 4.47 +1.61 12 Benton 0.36 -0.54 3 3.34 +0.01 13 Berlin_AG 0.37 -0.58 1 2.57 -0.91 8 Bethlehem 0.20 -0.71 4 3.37 +0.08 16 Concord 0.02 -0.70 1 4.45 +1.59 9 Diamond_Pond 1.14 +0.09 4 4.68 +0.78 15 First_Conn_Lake 2.05 +1.00 5 6.48 +2.58 12 Greenville 0.16 -0.73 1 4.46 +0.99 13 Keene_AP 0.00 -0.84 0 1.32 -2.11 5 Lakeport 0.73 -0.11 1 5.16 +1.80 10 Marlow 0.49 -0.42 1 4.16 +0.51 13 Mt_Washington 1.63 -0.21 3 6.81 -0.16 13 North_Conway 0.19 -0.74 1 3.45 -0.20 7 Otter_Brook_Lk 0.56 -0.28 1 5.59 +2.16 13 Plymouth 0.44 -0.40 2 4.32 +0.77 13 Rochester 0.03 -0.81 1 3.88 +0.49 10 Weare 0.23 -0.68 1 4.30 +0.65 11 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 0.42 -0.68 1 4.93 +0.68 11 Bethel 0.69 -0.22 1 3.52 -0.30 9 Burlington_VT 0.27 -0.50 2 2.06 -0.88 10 East_Haven 0.56 -0.42 3 4.04 +0.44 11 Island_Pond 0.44 -0.54 3 3.37 -0.30 12 Montpelier 0.61 -0.23 2 2.26 -0.92 13 Morrisville_AG 0.19 -0.72 2 2.10 -1.38 12 Mount_Mansfield 1.44 -0.08 3 5.81 +0.34 13 Northfield 0.39 -0.38 1 2.73 -0.43 7 Pownal 0.75 -0.35 1 4.51 +0.26 12 Rochester 0.70 -0.21 2 3.43 -0.39 12 Rutland_AG 0.37 -0.47 2 3.11 -0.15 14 Sunderland 0.50 -0.33 2 4.11 +0.78 15 Sutton 0.57 -0.41 3 3.40 -0.20 13 Townshend_Lake 0.00 -0.77 0 5.72 +2.60 14 Union_Vill_Dam 0.51 -0.26 2 3.08 -0.15 14 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 0.29 -0.55 1 3.62 +0.35 14 Boston 0.01 -0.75 1 2.04 -0.84 13 Greenfield 0.56 -0.35 2 7.60 +3.99 15 New_Bedford 0.00 -0.87 0 7.05 +3.70 11 Otis_AFB 0.01 -0.76 1 4.40 +1.17 12 Plymouth 0.02 -0.82 1 6.63 +3.19 12 Walpole 0.00 -0.84 0 4.17 +0.99 13 West_Medway 0.06 -0.78 1 4.07 +0.89 13 Westover 0.13 -0.85 1 5.71 +1.89 12 Worcester 0.03 -0.88 1 3.95 +0.13 15 Worthington 0.45 -0.46 1 7.34 +3.37 14 RHODE ISLAND Providence 0.00 -0.78 0 5.53 +2.26 10 Woonsocket 0.01 -0.93 1 6.56 +2.89 13 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 0.31 -0.60 1 5.88 +2.16 13 Bridgeport 0.01 -0.81 1 4.13 +0.71 11 Hartford_AP 0.11 -0.80 1 5.98 +2.26 12 Norfolk 0.30 -0.80 1 6.87 +2.64 16 Norwich 0.00 -0.79 0 6.88 +3.22 10 Thomaston_Dam 0.27 -0.71 1 5.03 +1.11 12 Willimantic 0.01 -0.87 1 4.20 +0.55 11 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 2001: 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: Weather has been very good for farming. Field corn looks good. Hay crop is fair.Ross Eddy (FSA), Hartford/Tolland: Early in the week producers were looking for dry places to plant in the meadows along the CT river. By Thursday the ground had gotten to where it could be worked. Grass was cut and baled; however, much more was chopped. Early strawberries were picked. Setting out of peppers and tomatoes continued. IPM pest message reported that cutworms and cucumber beetles have been found. Marsha Jette (FSA), New London: Producers taking advantage of the sunshine and making hay. Reports of first cuttings that have recovered nicely with rain, but are actually like second growth. Pastures in the southern part of the county that were non-existent before rain have recovered somewhat.Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Disappointing hay/haylage harvests from first cutting; fields that yielded 40 loads last year only provided nine this year. Fruit trees are slowly providing evidence of potential for dramatically reduced harvests, with expected production from 0% to 50% of normal. Temperatures improved to 80's, and farmers remain optimistic that life will go on! Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Haymaking is in full swing after the rains. Starting to see some weed control program breaks due to early season dry weather, herbicides didn't activate in time and weeds are breaking through. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Potatoes: Crops all planted. Potatoes emerging rapidly with both heat and moisture. Growers busy applying herbicides. Steve London (Ext), Southern Aroostook: Very good growing conditions at this time. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Strawberries are heavy in blossom. Farmers are harvesting green chop. Janet King/Jennifer Zweig (FSA), Somerset: Corn planted and up approximately three inches. Potatoes planted and leafing out. First crop grass cut, about 60% complete. Hail reported in Madison. Two inches of rain over southern Somerset helped crop conditions. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Rains last week and yesterday (Sunday) have helped. Some poor weed control in corn fields from extended dry period after sprays were applied. Hay and haylage harvest has started with some farms all done with first cutting. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Some hay being cut, but crop is down. Vegetable crops looking good. Some areas got heavy rain from thunder showers over the weekend. Thrip infestation in some blueberry fields burned last fall. David Yarborough (Ext), Washington: Wild Blueberries: Pollination completed. Excellent pollination. Bees being moved out of fields. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: The recent rains have helped considerably. Most corn is out of the ground and looking good. Some folks had a good first cut of hay; others thought the production was a little short. All vegetables appear to be doing well. Sunday gave us some thunder showers and hail; not a good combination for some areas. We have had reports of hail damage to apples. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: We have caught up on rain, now we need some heat. We'll have to wait and see how crops rebound from last week's frosts. Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: There was some spotty hail, but little damage reported. Hay harvest is getting into full swing. Grass is coming up in some crop fields and needs to be controlled. Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: Planting of field crops is winding down. Potatoes, corn, and oats have all emerged. The rain over the past weekend was a needed blessing. First crop hay being cut, and by most reports is a lighter harvest than usual. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Field corn nearly all planted. Hay being harvested for both silage and dry hay. Most operators irrigated the fields to prevent hurt to sensitive plants in case of frost. It is not hard to get buried in plowed fields. The county has had over seven inches of rain in the previous two weeks. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: Cool weather has slowed crop development. Vegetable growers continue to plant and cultivate. Early varieties of cranberries are starting to bloom and growers are applying fungicide and fertilizer. The first cutting of hay is underway with yields being slightly below average. Warm weather is needed to push all crops along. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Beginning to harvest strawberries. First and second plantings of sweet corn. First appearance looking good. Hope it holds up. First cutting of hay looking OK. Many are chopping the first cutting. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Back into a dry period again, with the need for some irrigation. No frost nights during the week. First open blossoms; fruit rot fungicide applications will begin. Growers are trying to decide which beds to flood during bloom to destroy the crop. Terrible outbreak of cranberry weevil, particularly since it has evolved resistance to Lorsban, the only insecticide left that worked until recently. It looks like it will be a bad insect year, with fireworm, gypsy moth, spanworm, and Sparganothis fruitworm very much in prevalence. Weeds are really beginning to proliferate in beds managed less than in previous years. Beehives should start arriving this week. David Rose (FSA), Bristol: Planting continues. Finally, a week of decent weather. Farmers busy making hay. Rhubarb and asparagus continues to be harvested. A few strawberries beginning to ripen. Warm weather has certainly helped to get things growing. Apples, peaches and pears sizing up. Peas flowering and some sweet corn showing tassel. Hay crop somewhat light due to dry spring. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Cool and dry weather allowed all farms to catch up on planting and to harvest first cut hay or haylage. Most fields have dried out after two weeks of rainy conditions. In general, field conditions have improved during the past week. Standing water has receded, but many crops will need extra fertilizer. Tobacco producers are watching their transplants closely for signs of blue mold. Apple growers are waiting for "June drop" to determine early season damage. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: The past week was very cool and dry. Warmer temperatures and lots of sunshine is needed. Everybody is planting - sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tobacco, squash, cucumbers, etc. Top-dressing and cultivating many crops due to past heavy rains. Harvesting hay, lettuce, asparagus, and rhubarb. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Bruce Clement (Ext), Cheshire: Beautiful weather all week allowed farmers to complete corn planting and turn to harvesting haylage and some dry hay. Vegetables coming along, but are a little behind normal. Strawberries starting to size up. Tom Buob (Ext), Grafton: First cut of hay continuing at a rapid pace. Showers early in the week interrupted progress. Corn planting finishing up. Corn looks good. Nutsedge and annual grass weed problems due mostly to dryness after spraying. Regrowth on grass and alfalfa looks good to excellent. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Fruit growers monitoring pest and crop development and applying sprays for pest control, if needed. Peach crop set is poor. Apple crop set variable between orchard blocks and within the orchard blocks. Mowing orchard floor and weed spraying under trees. Field Crops: Planting and weed spraying corn fields. Farmers are continuing to try to make haylage and baled hay between rain showers. Vegetables: Transplanting tomato and pepper plants, and making successive plantings of vegetable crops. Harvesting asparagus and rhubarb. Striped Cucumber Beetle can be found in vine crops. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Farmers are cutting hay and finishing hay land and pasture seedings. Cutworms, maggots and white grubs are causing problems at this time. Sweet corn being planted. Blueberries were fertilized for the second time. Fewer apple scab sprays this year. Some frost injury to apple and peach crops. Cool temperatures have slowed growth of sweet corn and other warm season crops. Rain from the preceding week made a huge difference in the appearance of crops. Hail damage to fruit crops reported in some areas. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: Strong winds and a heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon. Dry weather and sunny days most of the week. Hay and haylage harvest in full swing. Harvesting greens, radishes, asparagus. Weeding, applying protective sprays, and irrigating. Monitoring vegetable fields, small fruits, and apple and fruit orchards for problems. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Haying is going at a good clip, partly because of the weather, but mostly because the crop is thin. Some straw being harvested. Fungicides being applied to potatoes. Summer crops going well. Farmers finally catching up after all the rain. The pastures look good. Roadside stands filling up with peas, lettuce, flowers, hanging baskets and customers. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Baling straw. Low yields due to no rain and not enough warmth. Other projects and crops progressing nicely. The sunny days this week have really gotten the market crops growing like weeds! VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: Great week for fieldwork. Almost everyone started mowing grass. Clear and warm weather was just what we needed. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Harvesting of first cut hay, mostly as haylage - either chopped or as round bales. Some small square bales done, also. Completion of corn planting. Nice week weather-wise, but cool at night. Corn seems to be a little slow growing. Hay crop yield below normal. Larry Hamel (NRCS), Orleans: Great weather for most farm activities! Corn planting about complete and germination looks excellent. Haying and haylage harvest is in full swing, with several farmers reporting first crop completed and manure now being spread for second crop needs. Moisture levels seem very good, except for a few wet spots in fields that caused a few delays with equipment getting bogged down. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: Haylage harvest is in full swing and some baled hay has been done. Some grass crops are short due to the drought in April. Some late-planted corn is being done to make up for the shortage of first cut hay. Jeff Carter (Ext), Addison: Harvesting first crop hay as haylage. Two-thirds of crop knocked down this week. Grasses headed out, alfalfa in bud stage. Spreading some liquid manure on hay crop stubble. Pastures slow to regrow. Burdocks doing great. Corn crop looks good, but not great. Mostly all planted and emerged. Good weed control, some cutworms. Richard Noel (FSA), Grand Isle/Franklin: Chopping, baling hay going like gang busters! Manure going on as we speak. Excellent cropping weather, just a little shower on 6/7: 0.06 in. Corn looks good. Could use some more rain any time. Some alfalfa the early birds cut is back up 6-8 inches. Second cut looking good for them! Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Big haying week. Good weather. Good drying conditions. Everyone got a real good start on first cut hay. Nearly all of the corn is planted. Some are spreading manure after they get that hay off. Soil getting dry. Rain in the forecast for today. Some chilly nights last week, very close to frost. Summer weather. 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 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 ***********************