Maryland & Delaware
Weekly Crop and Weather Report

CW24-08										            09/15/2008

Maryland crops improving, Delaware still dry

Western and Central portions of Maryland as well as the lower Eastern Shore reported improved field conditions and good crop development following several rain showers over the last week.  Delaware, however, reported continued dry conditions even with rainfall received last Tuesday.  Days suitable for fieldwork were 5.2 in Delaware and 5.8 in Maryland for the week ending September 14, 2008.  Soil moisture was rated short to adequate in Delaware with some still rated very short.  Soil moisture was mostly adequate in Maryland.  Pasture conditions in Maryland were rated fair to good while Delaware was rated very poor to poor.

Alfalfa hay harvest continued in both States.  The third cutting was nearly complete and the fourth cutting was still progressing with 52 percent complete in Maryland and 28 percent complete in Delaware.  Harvest of other hay continued.  The corn harvest was under way in Delaware.  Corn condition in Maryland was fair to good, in Delaware, mostly fair.  Corn progress improved for all stages over the previous week.  Crop weather reporters in Delaware said that early soybeans were hurt by the continued dry spell over the summer.  Early planted soybeans had no pods or poorly filled pods.  Growers also expressed concern about pod worms and whether the benefit of aerial spraying would outweigh the high cost of application.  Maryland soybean quality ranged pretty evenly from very poor to good, though the highest percentage was rated as good.  In Delaware, soybeans quality was mostly fair.

No problems were reported with the vegetable or fruit harvest.  The apple harvest was 20 percent complete in Delaware and 59 percent complete in Maryland with good quality.  Peach harvest was nearly complete and was a little ahead of the same time last year.  Harvest of all the major fruit and vegetable crops continued as the season was winding down.

CROP PROGRESS FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Item | Maryland | Delaware
| This | Last | Last | 5 Year | This | Last | Last | 5 Year
| Week | Week | Year | Average | Week | Week | Year | Average
Alfalfa Hay, 3^rd  cutting | 99 | 98 | 95 | 93 | 98 | 93 | 100 | 97
Alfalfa Hay, 4^th cutting | 52 | 36 | 68 | 46 | 28 | 23 | 35 | 40
Apples, harvested | 59 | 56 | 63 | 50 | 20 | 18 | 41 | 36
Cantaloups, harvested | 93 | 90 | 95 | 93 | 96 | 94 | 90 | 92
Corn, dough | 99 | 95 | 0 | 17 | 100 | 100 | 71 | 91
Corn, dent | 88 | 80 | 94 | 86 | 95 | 91 | 98 | 94
Corn, mature | 68 | 47 | 67 | 57 | 75 | 59 | 77 | 72
Corn, harvested for grain | 27 | 23 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 22
Corn, harvested for silage | 65 | 45 | 0 | 48 | 50 | 10 | 0 | 58
Cucumbers, harvested | 91 | 89 | 91 | 88 | 90 | 87 | 85 | 88
Lima Beans, harvested | 61 | 58 | 63 | 68 | 58 | 49 | 53 | 63
Other Hay, 3^rd cutting | 76 | 71 | 54 | 62 | 61 | 56 | 71 | 87
Other Hay, 4^th cutting | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10
Peaches, harvested | 98 | 90 | 96 | 95 | 98 | 94 | 94 | 93
Potatoes, harvested | 100 | 99 | 99 | 94 | 98 | 94 | 78 | 91
Snap Beans, harvested | 90 | 89 | 91 | 93 | 89 | 86 | 95 | 95
Soybeans, setting pods | 95 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 92 | 86 | 87 | 92
Soybeans, turning color | 48 | 33 | 44 | 32 | 26 | 18 | 40 | 29
Soybeans, dropping leaves | 28 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 13 | 21 | 16
Sweet Corn, harvested | 92 | 89 | 92 | 92 | 93 | 88 | 93 | 89
Tomatoes, harvested | 91 | 87 | 91 | 89 | 89 | 83 | 90 | 88
Watermelons, harvested | 94 | 93 | 96 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 93

CROP CONDITION FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Item | Maryland | Delaware
| VP | P | F | G | EX | VP | P | F | G | EX
| Percent | Percent
Apples | 0 | 1 | 17 | 79 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 68 | 9
Corn | 2 | 16 | 39 | 34 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 46 | 17 | 9
Pasture | 3 | 23 | 41 | 30 | 3 | 35 | 48 | 13 | 3 | 1
Soybeans | 20 | 21 | 24 | 29 | 6 | 13 | 32 | 44 | 8 | 3
VP-Very Poor, P-Poor, F-Fair, G-Good, EX-Excellent

SOIL MOISTURE CONDITION FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 14, 2008

| Maryland | Delaware
Condition by Percent | Topsoil Moisture | Subsoil Moisture | Topsoil Moisture | Subsoil Moisture
| This | Last | This | Last | This | Last | This | Last
| Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week
Very Short | 1 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 40 | 45
Short | 31 | 26 | 43 | 36 | 45 | 33 | 53 | 47
Adequate | 67 | 64 | 51 | 48 | 42 | 39 | 7 | 8
Surplus | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0

WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Station | Precipitation ^1/ | Temperatures
| | Since Jan 1 |
| Total | | Depart | | | | Depart
| this | | From | | | | from
| Week | Total | Normal | High | Low | Average | Normal
Maryland
Baltimore/Washington AP | 0.88 | 30.67 | 2.91 | 88 | 55 | 73 | -1
Frederick | 1.40 | 32.81 | 6.35 | 87 | 57 | 70 | 2
Frostburg | 2.98 | 37.33 | 4.28 | 85 | 54 | 64 | -2
Hagerstown | 0.87 | 23.42 | -2.79 | 88 | 57 | 71 | 0
Mechanicsville | 0.57 | 31.38 | 0.57 | 88 | 60 | 72 | -1
Patuxent River | 0.63 | 30.54 | 1.84 | 89 | 65 | 75 | 3
Ocean City | 0.08 | 24.56 | -6.92 | 90 | 56 | 76 | 4
Salisbury | 0.76 | 27.80 | -3.74 | 90 | 48 | 74 | 1
Sharpsburg | 1.08 | 31.74 | 5.18 | 89 | 54 | 70 | 2
Stevensville | 0.20 | 35.68 | 6.93 | 87 | 58 | 72 | -2
Washington, DC (Reagan National) | 0.67 | 33.53 | 7.35 | 92 | 68 | 77 | 2
Delaware | | | | | | |
Dover | 0.34 | 23.06 | -6.95 | 89 | 55 | 73 | -1
Georgetown | 0.18 | 19.19 | -11.43 | 93 | 54 | 76 | 4
Wilmington | 0.06 | 25.52 | -2.37 | 87 | 57 | 73 | 1
          ^1/Precipitation totals as of 7 A.M. on recorded date.
Weather data is provided by the Agricultural Weather Information Service, Auburn, Alabama and is considered       preliminary.

Published by
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service - Maryland Field Office
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, Maryland  21401
(410) 841-5740 		Fax (410) 841-5755

In cooperation with 
The Maryland Department of Agriculture
And
The University of Maryland Extension System