Michigan
Michigan’s corn and soybeans continue to be behind schedule this growing season. Gerald Tillman, deputy director of the NASS Michigan Field Office, said, “Corn is far behind its usual stage of development for this time of year. A long, warm fall will be necessary” to get the crops to maturity.

“We’re 2-3 weeks behind normal in any part of the state for corn and soybeans. We need this month of October to be like today, then we’ll make it,” Tillman said of Oct. 1, which was sunny and in the mid- to upper-50s throughout much of western Michigan.
“The soybean crop is not going to be a record yield this year, but corn is looking pretty good if we can get the growing degree days in and get it to mature.”

For the week ending Sept. 27, farmers reported 80 percent of corn had reached dent stage, compared to 95 this time last year. Only 19 percent of the corn crop was reported to be mature last week, compared to 55 last year. It falls extremely short of the five-year average of 63 percent.

Soybeans were showing signs of maturity with 83 percent showing turning leaves, compared to 96 this time last year, while 53 percent of the crop was dropping leaves, compared to 77 one year ago.
The first morning of October brought Lower Michigan its coldest temperatures of the season so far with a widespread killing frost, but Tillman is optimistic crops will continue to mature. Harvest of silage corn continued and was nearing completion in some areas. Wheat planting continued throughout much of the state.

By Shelly Strautz-Springborn
Michigan Correspondent

Kentucky
The weather has dominated agriculture news in Kentucky for most of the growing season, with a wetter and cooler summer than normal. The last full week of September was another soaker, leaving only a couple of days suitable for fieldwork.

The conditions created problems for corn and soybean producers and left some of what’s left to cut of the tobacco crop, wet in the field. According to the Sept. 27 crop and weather report from the NASS Kentucky Field Office, only 18 percent of corn had been harvested, compared to 36 last year and well off the five-year average of 53 percent.

The report also noted 78 percent of corn was mature, behind 92 for 2008 and the five-year average of 94 percent. Despite the slow harvest, the condition of the crop is listed as mostly good-to-excellent.

Soybean harvest is just beginning and the crop is rated 1 percent poor, 9 fair, 53 good and 37 excellent. As of Sept. 27, 2 percent of soybeans were harvested, behind last year’s 6 percent, and 10 percent for the five-year average.

The weather hasn’t been kind to tobacco harvest. Seventy-nine percent of the burley crop has been cut, behind the 89 percent level from last year and the five-year level. Sixty-eight percent of dark tobacco has been cut, compared to 83 percent last year and the five-year average of 86 percent.

For some of the housed tobacco, houseburn and scattered occurrences of mold were because of high humidity and wet weather.

An upside to the rain is that pastures are likely to improve this late in the season, leaving farmers hopeful there will be plenty of hay, something they haven’t seen for a couple of years thanks to drought.

The last available information from the NASS listed conditions as 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 21 fair, 52 good and 20 excellent.

By Tim Thornberry
Kentucky Correspondent

Tennessee
Prior to September rain, Tennessee’s cotton forecast was 560,000 bales, an increase of 6 percent over 2008. The yield was expected to average 960 pounds per acre, up 51 from 2008, which would set a new record. But that may be in jeopardy.

“Boll rot is showing up in cotton. (We) need drier weather so harvesting can commence,” said Shelby County extension agent Mike Dennison.

High hopes for large yields of corn and soybeans might be all wet after September’s showers.

“Heavy rain throughout the week has saturated the soils and caused minor flooding and added to an already wet month. (There are) some reports of corn and soybeans sprouting in the fields,” said Calvin Bryant, Lawrence County extension agent.

Farmers were hoping for 30-year record soybean production in the state, predicted at almost 63 million bushels, an increase of 26 percent over 2008. Yields were expected at 40 bushels per acre, six above last year’s and the third-highest on record.

Harvest is at nearly 2 million acres, up 100,000 over last year. By Sept. 1, more than 90 percent of the crop was setting pods.
Tennessee corn in September was forecast at 79.7 million bushels, up 7 percent from a year ago. Yields were expected at 135 bushels per acre, 17 above 2008. Farmers expected to harvest 590,000 acres for grain, 40,000 fewer than last year.

As of Sept. 1, nearly all corn had reached the dough stage, with more than 80 percent denting, trailing the normal pace. Over half of silage acreage has been harvested. By Sept. 1, nearly 80 percent of the crop was in good-to-excellent condition.

“Corn producers did limited harvest between rain events and where field conditions would support combines. About 80 percent of the crop is still in the field,” explained Ed Burns, extension agent for Franklin County.

By Tesa Nauman
Tennessee Correspondent

Published on Oct. 7, 2009