Kentucky Wheat growers were expecting a good crop this year, until of course, the floods came leaving many fields under water.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service, (NASS) Kentucky Field Office release information on May 11 stating just that. The crop condition was reported to be 55 percent good, and 20 percent excellent.
Even with a crop in good condition, the expected harvest is estimated to be 19.5 million bushels, which would be down 12 percent from last year due to fewer acres planted. Producers are still reviewing the damage and the report notes that warmer and drier weather will be needed the remainder of this month and into June to maintain a good quality crop and to get that expected yield.
The final 2009 burley tobacco harvest estimates were release last week, as well. The 161.3 million pounds represented an increase of 10 percent from the “147.0 million pounds produced in 2008. Average yields were 2,150 pounds per acre, up 50 pounds from the 2008 crop. Acreage harvested increased 5,000 acres to 75,000 in 2009. Average price per pound was estimated at $1.70 per pound, up 5 cents from the previous year,” according to NASS information.
Planting progress last week included a stalled corn crop due to the recent flooding. The intended acreage planted stood at 89 percent, up from the 51 percent mark of 2009. Much of that, by some early estimates as much as half will have to be replanted.
Soybean planting progress was reported at 11 percent, 9 percent above last year, and the same as the five-year average, noted the May 10 NASS report.
Still early in the year, only 5 percent of the burley tobacco crop had been planted as of May 9. Dark tobacco was ahead of those numbers with 10 percent of that crop making it into the filed, up 6 percent over last year.
By Tim Thornberry
Kentucky Correspondent
Michigan Growing degree days were still about two weeks ahead of normal for the week ending May 9, according to the Michigan office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
“We got an early start with good weather, but cool and damp weather last week kind of slowed things down,” said Dan Ledbury, an agricultural statistician at the Michigan NASS office.
Only four days were suitable for fieldwork for the week ending May 9. Ledbury said that the weather was starting to “average out.”
For field crops, some powdery mildew has been seen on wheat. Growers in the Thumb area were applying fungicide. Oats and barley were “progressing well.” Corn and soybean planting continued as conditions allowed.
In the central region, planting progress continued as the highest on record. Pre-emergence herbicide were being applied. In the south-central region, some soybeans have been under water for several weeks and growers were trying to decide if they should replant. Emerged sugar beets have their second leaf pair.
For the fruit crop, in the west central region apples were in bloom, in the southwest and southeast regions apples were in petal fall with fruit 4-6 millimeters in diameter. Peaches were at shuck in the west central, southwest and Grand Rapids regions and were at shuck split in the southeast.
Likewise, European plums, strawberries, sweet cherries, tart cherries, pears, blueberries and grapes were all in various stages of developments. Nothing negative was reported for any of these crops, except the apple pest spotted tentiform leafminer has been seen and pear psylla were laying eggs in the southeast and southwest.
For vegetables, many acres of black plastic were laid in preparation for the warm season. Rain helped the cole crops but also halted fieldwork towards the end of the week. In Ocean County, the asparagus harvest was under way. Frost damaged about half the crop; however, the extent of the damage wasn’t clear.
“I’m not sure if that means the spears were a total loss or not,” Ledbury said.
By Kevin Walker
Michigan Correspondent |
