new-eng-crop-weather State NEW ENGLAND WEEKLY CROP WEATHER Week ending date 09/29/02 Issue NH-CW3902 Volume 22, Number 23 (issued weekly on the Internet, May - October) September 30, 2002 - 4 pm Agricultural Summary FALL HARVEST UNDERWAY For the week ending September 29, 2002, there were 5.4 days suitable for field work across New England. Pasture condition was rated as 10% very poor, 29% poor, 40% fair, 20% good, 1% excellent. Rain showers fell throughout New England near the end of the week. Field crops, fruit, and vegetable harvests continued. Warm weather over the weekend aided sales at farm stands and pick-your-own operations. Major farm activities included: harvesting silage corn, hay, potatoes, apples, pears, cranberries, and late season vegetables; plowing harvested fields, planting cover crops and spreading manure. SOIL MOISTURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------- Soil Rating This Week Last Week Last Year ---------------------------------------------- -- Percent -- Topsoil Moisture Very Short 6 22 8 Short 33 35 48 Adequate 57 43 43 Surplus 4 0 1 Subsoil Moisture Very Short 28 32 33 Short 32 33 26 Adequate 37 35 41 Surplus 3 0 0 ---------------------------------------------- Field Crops Report Silage corn harvest continued despite the rain showers and half the crop was harvested by week's end. Farmers continued to harvest second and third cuttings of hay before the start of the cold weather. Maine's oat and barley harvest neared completion. Potato farmers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island made good progress harvesting tubers during the week. Maine's potato harvest fell behind last year and normal as of September 29, as growers delayed vine desiccation on late varieties to allow rains to improve size. Connecticut River Valley tobacco growers took advantage of damp conditions to take down tobacco and bundle it for sale. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report FRUIT: Orchardists continued to make good progress harvesting apple and pear crops. Fruit drop was heavy at many locations, some of which was caused by the heavy rain showers. Almost all the peaches were harvested by week's end. Massachusetts' cranberry harvest moved into full gear this past week. Rain showers helped fill reservoirs which should aid farmers who wet harvest cranberries. However, the rains came too late to increase berry size for many varieties. Full crop potential is also expected to be off due to heavier than expected cranberry fruit rot. VEGETABLES: Growers stayed busy harvesting late season vegetables which included squash, pumpkins, cabbage, onions and gourds. The summer vegetable season was winding down; the remaining sweet corn, tomatoes and peppers were being picked. There were a few reports of light frost. Farm stands, farmers markets and pick-your-own operations were aided by the seasonably warm temperatures over the weekend. Crop Progress Tables FIELD CROP PROGRESS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND -------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition -------------------------------------------------------- Barley, ME 99 95 90 Good/Excellent Oats, ME 99 95 90 Good/Excellent Potatoes Maine 35 50 45 Good Mass 65 70 75 Good Rhode Isl 85 95 80 Good/Fair Silage Corn 50 70 50 Good/Fair Sweet Corn 99 95 95 Good/Fair Tobacco Shade 100 100 100 Good/Fair Dry Hay Second Cut 99 95 90 Good/Fair Third Cut 80 75 75 Fair --------------------------------------------------------- FRUIT CROP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Percent Harvested -- Crop 2002 2001 5-yrAvg Condition ---------------------------------------------------------- Apples 60 60 60 Good/Fair Peaches 99 99 99 Good/Fair Pears 50 75 60 Very Poor/Poor Cranberries,MA 15 20 15 Good/Fair ---------------------------------------------------------- Weather Summary For the week ending Sunday, September 29, 2002 ---------------------------------------------- AIR TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION STATE LO HI AVG DFN LO HI ---- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ME 26 83 57 +5 0.12 2.88 NH 24 88 57 +4 0.84 2.36 VT 29 80 56 +3 0.83 4.07 MA 34 87 63 +6 0.68 4.64 RI 43 82 66 +7 1.79 3.89 CT 39 84 63 +5 1.53 3.03 ---------------------------------------------- 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 September 23, 2002 To: Sunday September 29, 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 32 79 58 +2 1890 -211 711 -79 Allagash 26 73 53 +4 1325 -8 446 +123 Augusta_State_A 40 79 61 +6 2268 +240 997 +251 Bangor_Intl_Arp 34 78 60 +6 2122 +273 888 +266 Barnard 32 74 56 +4 1759 +185 633 +181 Bath 35 78 59 +4 1869 -36 683 +23 Bethel 34 80 58 +5 1999 +179 781 +185 Brassua_Dam 29 76 55 +5 1540 +238 524 +214 Brunswick_ME 37 75 60 +5 2113 +208 869 +209 Caribou_Municip 32 70 55 +6 1634 +200 595 +217 Corinna 34 78 58 +6 1889 +157 690 +150 Danforth 28 74 55 +4 1590 -85 524 -1 Dover-Foxcroft 32 79 55 +4 1589 +15 523 +71 Durham 34 78 59 +3 2038 -127 818 -23 East_Hiram 33 77 58 +5 1966 +154 747 +157 Eustis 31 74 53 +3 1447 +184 459 +176 Frenchville 32 71 56 +7 1506 +173 545 +222 Gray 42 79 60 +6 2355 +476 1064 +427 Greenville_ME 36 73 57 +5 1730 +143 623 +160 Guilford 30 76 56 +5 1511 -63 474 +22 Hollis 33 82 59 +6 2122 +391 875 +343 Houlton 33 74 56 +6 1675 +177 606 +182 Kennebunkport 37 73 59 +1 1893 -417 697 -240 Livermore_Falls 31 83 58 +7 2049 +506 847 +418 Moosehead 33 75 55 +5 1502 +200 481 +171 New_Sharon 32 79 57 +7 2166 +623 919 +490 Patten 33 71 56 +6 1626 +128 573 +149 Portage 30 73 57 +7 1713 +279 639 +261 Portland_ME 39 77 61 +6 2233 +354 948 +311 Rangeley 30 75 54 +5 1497 +267 464 +200 Sebec_Lake 30 77 57 +6 1753 +166 617 +154 Vanceboro 33 73 56 +4 1680 +66 574 +96 Waterville 38 79 60 +4 2089 -12 855 +65 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 37 80 59 +4 2308 +279 984 +245 Benton 34 73 55 +3 1938 +275 746 +270 Berlin_AG 34 77 56 +4 1863 +196 684 +187 Bethlehem 31 73 54 +2 1709 +50 597 +121 Concord 35 84 60 +5 2519 +490 1174 +435 Diamond_Pond 31 67 52 +4 1318 +212 385 +180 First_Conn_Lake 32 77 53 +5 1306 +200 355 +150 Greenville 35 88 57 +3 2164 +327 910 +325 Keene_AP 36 81 60 +3 2434 +153 1083 +170 Lakeport 40 80 61 +8 2508 +621 1154 +509 Marlow 32 77 54 -2 1827 -237 679 -68 Mount_Washingto 24 56 43 +7 306 +245 14 +14 North_Conway 35 78 58 +6 2297 +425 1019 +386 Otter_Brook_Lk 38 80 58 +2 2254 -27 950 +37 Plymouth 32 77 57 +5 1964 +325 749 +272 Rochester 40 88 61 +4 2454 +267 1116 +266 Weare 39 79 57 +2 2232 +168 941 +194 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 32 73 55 +1 2069 +299 819 +268 Bethel 37 74 57 +4 2177 +496 910 +406 Burlington_Intl 37 73 59 +4 2538 +381 1185 +344 East_Haven 29 73 53 +3 1709 +333 613 +276 Island_Pond 31 72 54 +4 1721 +353 601 +276 Montpelier 34 70 55 +3 1997 +305 771 +259 Morrisville_AG 31 73 55 +3 1801 +114 649 +133 Mount_Mansfield 33 60 49 +4 1065 +352 259 +193 Northfield 34 72 55 +4 2015 +479 773 +351 Pownal 37 78 57 +4 2062 +286 797 +245 Rochester 36 72 56 +3 2012 +331 785 +281 Rutland_AG 34 72 56 +0 2123 -130 860 -31 Sunderland 34 77 56 +0 1989 -168 754 -60 Sutton 33 72 55 +6 1793 +417 645 +308 Townshend_Lake 38 79 59 +4 2311 +175 984 +163 Union_Vill_Dam 35 75 56 +1 2154 +2 905 +77 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 40 81 61 +7 2410 +573 1056 +458 Boston/Logan_In 50 84 65 +4 3085 +418 1610 +403 Greenfield 41 82 61 +3 2633 +171 1222 +183 New_Bedford 45 81 67 +5 2781 +73 1316 +73 Otis_AFB 50 79 65 +7 2656 +466 1235 +379 Plymouth 45 80 64 +7 2646 +405 1238 +343 Walpole 43 82 63 +6 2746 +504 1327 +441 West_Medway 40 85 63 +7 2776 +534 1342 +456 Chicopee/Westov 39 82 61 +0 2895 +64 1445 +118 Worcester 47 79 62 +6 2547 +454 1178 +402 Worthington 34 79 58 +4 2136 +317 870 +295 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 50 80 67 +7 3087 +545 1607 +491 Woonsocket 43 82 64 +7 2727 +519 1301 +457 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 39 78 59 -1 2431 -276 1060 -175 Bridgeport/Siko 50 80 66 +4 3144 +392 1641 +344 Hartford/Bradle 43 84 64 +5 3096 +396 1603 +373 Norfolk 42 78 59 +6 2417 +603 1050 +477 Norwich 46 83 65 +6 2890 +353 1432 +338 Thomaston_Dam 43 82 62 +5 2669 +473 1232 +398 Willimantic 43 80 64 +7 2765 +522 1324 +457 1-WEEK PRECIP 4-WEEK CUM PRECIP ------------- ----------------- TOTAL TOTAL STATION INCHES DFN DAYS INCHES DFN DAYS ------- ----- ---- --- ----- ---- --- MAINE Albion 2.02 +1.25 3 3.67 +0.64 9 Allagash 0.35 -0.46 2 2.80 -0.64 10 Augusta_State_A 1.78 +1.01 4 3.26 +0.36 9 Bangor_Intl_Arp 2.12 +1.35 3 3.81 +0.61 10 Barnard 2.23 +1.32 3 4.82 +1.18 11 Bath 1.95 +1.25 2 4.04 +1.24 7 Bethel 1.15 +0.38 1 2.40 -0.73 8 Brassua_Dam 1.46 +0.62 2 3.56 +0.16 11 Brunswick_ME 2.88 +2.18 4 5.92 +3.12 9 Caribou_Municip 0.78 +0.02 3 3.84 +0.62 14 Corinna 2.48 +1.65 2 4.52 +1.11 6 Danforth 2.35 +1.57 3 4.72 +1.36 11 Dover-Foxcroft 1.62 +0.71 4 3.45 -0.19 10 Durham 1.93 +1.21 3 4.24 +1.42 9 East_Hiram 1.62 +0.87 3 4.87 +1.95 10 Eustis 1.64 +0.94 2 4.05 +1.17 9 Frenchville 0.54 -0.27 2 3.15 -0.29 14 Gray 2.87 +2.10 3 5.27 +2.39 8 Greenville_ME 1.80 +0.89 2 4.56 +0.92 12 Guilford 2.47 +1.56 3 5.64 +2.00 13 Hollis 2.22 +1.45 4 4.31 +1.27 9 Houlton 1.91 +1.14 3 4.89 +1.52 10 Kennebunkport 2.30 +1.53 4 4.65 +1.76 9 Livermore_Falls 1.82 +1.04 2 3.39 +0.05 9 Moosehead 1.72 +0.88 2 4.51 +1.11 10 New_Sharon 1.56 +0.78 2 3.51 +0.17 8 Patten 1.40 +0.63 3 4.37 +1.00 11 Portage 0.90 +0.14 2 3.19 -0.03 12 Portland_ME 1.73 +0.96 5 3.60 +0.72 11 Rangeley 1.46 +0.78 3 3.42 +0.52 11 Sebec_Lake 2.26 +1.35 3 4.46 +0.82 10 Vanceboro 2.00 +1.11 3 4.53 +0.91 10 Waterville 2.28 +1.51 4 3.67 +0.64 10 NEW_HAMPSHIRE Barnstead 1.71 +1.08 3 3.63 +1.02 10 Benton 1.04 +0.34 2 3.77 +0.81 7 Berlin_AG 1.42 +0.71 1 3.64 +0.58 6 Bethlehem 1.40 +0.70 2 4.17 +1.18 9 Concord 1.33 +0.70 4 3.63 +1.02 10 Diamond_Pond 0.84 -0.01 4 4.74 +0.99 12 First_Conn_Lake 1.68 +0.83 2 5.36 +1.61 6 Greenville 2.36 +1.66 3 3.39 +0.48 6 Keene_AP 1.42 +0.79 3 3.49 +0.70 6 Lakeport 2.06 +1.36 3 3.77 +1.02 8 Marlow 1.64 +0.87 3 3.10 -0.02 6 Mount_Washingto 1.59 +0.00 2 5.91 -0.98 9 North_Conway 1.36 +0.56 2 2.92 -0.28 7 Otter_Brook_Lk 1.32 +0.69 3 3.90 +1.11 10 Plymouth 1.26 +0.55 3 3.53 +0.63 8 Rochester 1.09 +0.32 4 2.55 -0.44 8 Weare 1.16 +0.39 3 2.83 -0.29 7 VERMONT Ball_Mt_Lake 1.60 +0.76 3 3.79 +0.26 12 Bethel 1.85 +1.01 2 5.15 +1.61 8 Burlington_Intl 3.75 +3.05 2 6.35 +3.27 8 East_Haven 2.21 +1.49 2 5.19 +2.00 9 Island_Pond 1.93 +1.23 4 6.74 +3.60 10 Montpelier 1.66 +1.03 5 3.94 +1.26 11 Morrisville_AG 2.34 +1.57 3 6.30 +2.99 10 Mount_Mansfield 4.07 +2.77 4 12.04 +6.28 14 Northfield 1.83 +1.13 3 3.92 +0.94 8 Pownal 2.58 +1.74 3 5.56 +2.03 8 Rochester 2.51 +1.67 3 6.38 +2.84 8 Rutland_AG 1.23 +0.47 3 4.24 +0.91 6 Sunderland 1.42 +0.68 3 3.23 -0.02 7 Sutton 2.19 +1.47 3 5.21 +2.02 9 Townshend_Lake 1.74 +1.04 2 3.58 +0.52 8 Union_Vill_Dam 1.89 +1.12 3 4.41 +1.33 9 MASSACHUSETTS Ashburnham 1.93 +1.26 3 3.27 +0.55 10 Boston/Logan_In 1.68 +0.98 4 3.39 +0.54 10 Greenfield 1.54 +0.77 3 2.98 -0.21 9 New_Bedford 1.85 +1.12 4 4.46 +1.30 12 Otis_AFB 4.02 +3.18 5 5.94 +2.79 11 Plymouth 1.57 +0.66 4 3.92 +0.09 12 Walpole 1.87 +1.03 4 4.47 +1.01 9 West_Medway 1.47 +0.63 3 3.73 +0.27 8 Chicopee/Westov 1.81 +1.04 3 3.15 -0.14 8 Worcester 2.42 +1.44 3 3.97 +0.23 9 Worthington 1.68 +0.84 3 3.21 -0.21 11 RHODE_ISLAND Providence 2.03 +1.26 4 5.25 +2.00 10 Woonsocket 1.79 +0.95 4 4.54 +1.00 9 CONNECTICUT Bakersville 1.66 +0.82 3 2.91 -0.63 8 Bridgeport/Siko 1.56 +0.86 3 5.89 +3.02 9 Hartford/Bradle 1.82 +0.98 3 3.23 -0.31 8 Norfolk 1.74 +0.83 3 3.94 +0.09 9 Norwich 2.53 +1.65 4 7.70 +4.09 10 Thomaston_Dam 1.64 +0.73 4 3.54 -0.21 9 Willimantic 2.21 +1.30 3 4.88 +1.22 9 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: Rain fell at the end of the week, but not enough to slow field corn harvest. Dawn Pindell (FSA), Windham: Corn silage chopping progressing with results varying from good grain and small stalks to great harvest. Light rain reduced dust in fields and gave a boost to new seedings. Apple cider and winter squash are good. Nancy Welsh/Karen Lockman (FSA), New Haven: Heavy rains and strong winds during the week. Cool temps and with heavy dew at night. Winter squash has cracked. Apples and pears are being harvested. Poor yields on silage being harvested. Richard Meinert (Ext), CT Cooperative: Rain was welcome but we needed it a month or two ago. Corn silage harvest continued through the rain. Pumpkin sales growing as homeowners build fall lawn decorations. Corn mazes seem to be doing well this year. MAINE - Marvin Hedstrom, Northern Aroostook: Harvesting rest of small grains. Potatoes: Harvest continues. Potato quality very good; yields on later varieties better than anticipated. Harvesting conditions excellent with growers covering ground rapidly. Albert Dow (NRCS), Piscataquis: Heavy rain Friday brought greener landscape. Donna Lamb (Ext), Piscataquis: Recent rains have helped the pastures come back. Rick Kersbergen (Ext), Waldo: Finally some rain to green things up. Corn harvest almost done. Apple yields seem to be smaller. Trudy Soucy (FSA), Knox/Lincoln: Bush hogging and flail mowing on blueberry fields now going on. Rain arrived Friday night, most areas getting 1 to 2 inches. Michael Tardy (FSA), Androscoggin: Harvest is winding down. Many farmers are getting fields and equipment ready for winter. Some silage corn is still going through the chopper and ending up in the bunker. Most producers had a light crop. Market gardens and apples are still plucking away. Parker Rand (FSA), Cumberland/York: Recent rain has helped, apples have sized nicely. Some potato growers are gambling and waiting to kill as potatoes are responding as well. Things are starting to green up and we are heading into fall! Gary Raymond (FSA), Franklin: We need some rain from some of these hurricanes and lots of snow this winter to get those ground water levels back up. Harvest is easy because the dry fields are very easy to work. FALL IS HERE!!! Laura Rand (FSA), Oxford: The rain received the first of the week was a blessing. Grass has started to get green again!!! Cooler nights have set in and frost has been reported in the valleys. Silage and potato harvest well underway. MASSACHUSETTS - Arthur Williams (FSA), Berkshire: Harvesting continues. Last full week of sweet corn. Final summer vegetable push. One report of 90 percent crop failure in apples, also some pumpkin crop failures. Frost warnings, no hard frost. 2.5 to 3 inches of rain this week. Paul Russell (FSA), Southeast Massachusetts: Cranberry growers are expressing disappointment over the size and quality of their crops. The fruit is small and there is more rot than expected. The early varieties are a big disappointment however, growers are hopeful the late varieties will be closer to normal. The region got some much needed rain this past week helping to fill reservoirs for growers who need harvest water. Vegetables harvest winds down this week as growers finish harvesting an extremely poor crop of pumpkins and squash. Shellfish continue to have excellent growth with a very soft market. Growers are waiting for their field corn to dent before starting harvest with the crop severely stunted because of drought. Kip Graham (FSA), Worcester: Third cutting hay is wrapping up. Many farmers are moving rapidly in chopping silage corn. They are seen out there very early in the morning 'till way after the sun goes down into the night chopping corn. Very few vegetables being harvested, trying to beat the early frost. Farm stands still going strong trying to keep their doors open as much as possible before that killer frost. Frank Caruso (Ext), Plymouth: Cranberries: Harvest moving into full-bore. Crops have been as expected, with average to small berries. Horror stories of fruit rot, preventing some loads from being delivered. Possible frost night (the first) last night. John Devine (FSA), Franklin: Rain on Friday brought welcome relief from the drought. Farmers have been busy cutting silage and harvesting fall crops. Potato producers are reporting that their harvested yields are better than normal, especially on rotated or irrigated land. Silage producers are reporting that the 2002 yield is very high in spite of the weather. Most believe that the corn crop benefitted from timely rains. Ted Smiarowski, Jr. (FSA), Hampshire/Hampden: A few days of rain caused tobacco to dampen. Many growers took down tobacco to bundle for sale. The harvest of summer vegetable crops is winding down. Fall harvest is full speed with harvesting silage corn, apples, cabbage, potatoes, winter squash and many more fall crops. Gary Guida, Worcester: Still no frost. Picking tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Fall crop harvest complete. Seeding down rye, removing plastic and mowing along fields. Excellent weekend for retail farm stands, as sales of fall related items did extremely well. Mum sales picked up. However, this is a time of diminishing revenue as year-long customers start making their "final big purchase." With that in mind, do retail stores have to GIVE AWAY mums at a ridiculous price? Don't they make enough money? Apparently not. NEW HAMPSHIRE - Amy Ouellette (Ext), Belknap: Apple, plum and pear harvests are in full swing with several varieties being harvested. Pumpkins and winter squash harvest coming along nicely. Retail farm stand, farmers' market and garden center businesses are busy with fall sales. Many vegetable harvests are coming to an end. Farmers are busy plowing crops under, preparing soil and planting cover crops. Carl Majewski (Ext), Cheshire: Generally pleasant weather most of the week, with significant rainfall on Friday. Second cut hay is mostly done, and most of the third cut is being chopped or put into wet round bales. Some alfalfa almost ready for a fourth cut. Corn harvest is going strong - weather has generally been cooperative, and some farms are already done. Apple harvest and PYO continues - now harvesting Macouns. Vegetable farms still harvesting some corn, beans, and tomatoes. Steve Turaj (Ext), Coos: Corn silage harvest now going on full steam with concern of what tropical storm may bring. Field checks with FSA indicate good overall maturity with somewhat better than average yields. Potatoes also coming in. Grass regrowing well with cool, wet weather we've been experiencing. Cows on pasture to conserve feed supplies. Pumpkins featured at farm markets. High tunnel tomatoes still productive. Cool nights with scattered light frosts. Still no really hard freeze. Good heavy rain this weekend to recharge wells. Ably assisted this week by State Police and FSA to weigh farm trucks throughout county to compute actual loaded truck weights. George Hamilton (Ext), Hillsborough: Fruit: Apple harvest is in full swing with most growers concentrating on second picking McIntosh and Gala apples; working on Cortland and Macoun. Fruit size is excellent, but bruising can be a problem. Seeing a high amount of apple drop and with heavy rain showers on Friday sizeable number of apples dropped. Fall raspberries and pear harvest continued. Peach, plums, and blueberry harvest is completed. Vegetables: Harvesting wide array of vegetables, including warm season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. Harvesting cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, winter squash and pumpkins. Good demand for all vegetables continues. Farmers kept busy disking, cleaning up and planting cover crops on harvested fields. Field Crops: Field corn harvest in full swing. Second and third cuts of hay and haylage continue between showers. Some manure spreading on fields taking place. Cover crops were being planted in harvested fields. David Seavey (Ext), Merrimack: Apple harvest going well. Silage corn and vegetable harvest continues. Field corn harvest delayed on certain fields to improve ear quality. Winter squash and pumpkins were harvested. "Mum" sales are slow. Winter rye seedings following field clean up. Rain helped the drought situation but more is needed. Apple yield is down this year due to early spring frosts. Nada Haddad (Ext), Rockingham: No frost yet, which means harvesting still different vegetables. Harvesting apples, pumpkins. Apples: fruits could use some cooler night temperatures. Corn silage chopped earlier this season: as with the lack of rain, growth was poor. Pam Marvin (FSA), Sullivan: Harvesting of silage corn still progressing. Manure spreading and applying winter rye is ongoing. Much needed rain fell on Friday. Too late for the corn crop but good for restoring water supplies and watering orchards. The last of the hay crop and haylage being harvested. Farmers markets are still being held to sell their late vegetables and products. Geoffrey Njue (Ext), Strafford: The pastures are greening up due to the rain showers and cooler temperatures experienced in the week. Growers continue to harvest 3rd cut hay. Harvesting of sweet corn, pumpkins and other vegetables continued in the week. Fruit growers continued harvesting apples this week. Nurseries and garden centers continued to enjoy good sales for the fall garden mums. RHODE ISLAND - Karen Menezes (Ext), Newport: Some third cut hay being done, crop is very light. Harvesting field corn; yields down at lease 40%. Sweet corn yields for the season down 30%, unirrigated tomatoes down 60%. The high heat irritated the blossoms on the early peppers and they dropped like stones reducing the crop by 70-80%. The cool weather and rains have helped some of the later tomato and pepper crops. Farm ponds looking a little better after this weeks rain. Marilu Soileau (FSA), All Counties: Heavy rain fell this week. Pastures are greening up again. Cover crops and fall seedings are nearing completion. The weather was beautiful for pick your own harvesting this past weekend. Seasonal temperatures are welcome after an outrageous summer of extreme conditions. VERMONT - John St. Onge (FSA), Lamoille: There was a lot of rushing around last week trying to get crops harvested before heavy rains arrived at week's end. Corn silage harvest is a little ahead of schedule with many finding better yields than they expected. There were a few pockets of killing frost on Sunday morning but no widespread frost as yet. Bill Snow (Ext), Orange: Another good soaking rain on the weekend with 2.4 inch in my rain gauge. A little rush on Friday to get in as much corn silage before the predicted heavy rain. Still no frost except some reports of light patchy frosts in the upper elevations on Sunday. Prediction: Should be colorful next weekend in higher elevations! Safety Alert: Had two silage truck turnovers in the past few days within 10 miles of each other. One of the drivers is in critical condition. Dave Blodgett (NRCS), Orleans: Farmers are cutting corn. Most corn looks good. The ears are fully developed and are in the dough to dent stage. Most of the third crop has been harvested. It looks like most farms will have adequate feed for the winter. Lynette Hamilton (FSA), Windham: We received about 2 inches of rain last Friday. Veggie growers reported that about all winter squashes have been picked with some Butternut smaller in size because of the dry weather. Other fall crops are onions and cabbage that are still in high demand with local stores. Apple producers are reporting smaller apples but good color. Forage corn harvest is in full swing with third cutting mixed in when the weather permits. Richard Noel, Franklin/Grand Isle: It's either feast or famine as far as the moisture levels! Over 2 inches of rain Friday and fields are starting to get cut up. Much corn being chopped and more will be done after it reaches dent or frost whichever is first! That corn is too early to chop now, crop is still too green, making moisture levels extremely high even for bunkers. Last of third crop being chopped when the sun shines. Manure being spread, tillage work being done. Farmers getting ground ready to put to bed for the winter! Dennis Kauppila (Ext), Caledonia: Hurricane dropped 2 inches of good rain here, very little run off from it. Corn chopping in full swing, finishing up haying. Fall foliage seems a little 'late.' Sherwin Williams, Rutland: With nice weather, many farmers have finished chopping corn. We are still seeding winter rye as crops are cleaned up. Early seeded fields show a nice green cover. 75 percent of potato crop has been dug with good average crop. Great crop of winter cabbage. Rain over the week has been a bonus to finish slow maturing squash, pumpkins and gourds. Into final season for market garden. Halloween in the air. People love to decorate, that makes for good sales on pumpkins, squash, Indian corn, corn stalks, gourds and apples. A fun time for folks and kids to come to market. Have a nice fall week. Chris Benedict (Ext), Chittenden: Last week we had low temperatures and huge amounts of rain. As Isidore hit the Northeast we had over 2" of rain in Northwestern Vermont. The apples are developing good and harvest is almost halfway through. Beautiful weekend in terms of 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: Dave Mikelson, 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 ***********************