Texas crop, weather
Most of the state's irrigated cotton fair to good
"Cotton in our area is looking pretty good," said Rick Auckerman, Texas AgriLife Extension agent for Deaf Smith County, west of Amarillo. "We're obviously behind in heat units, so we need some help, but the crop overall is in pretty good shape."
Auckerman noted that "pretty good" applies primarily to irrigated cotton.
"We have some dryland acres, but unfortunately a lot of ours received hail earlier so they've gone to other options," he said.
In parts of the Rolling Plains the dryland cotton crop is in trouble, though a good rain could still turn the situation around, said Ryan Martin, AgriLife Extension agent for Motley County, west of Vernon.
"Some producers are afraid it may be too late for moisture to turn this crop around," Martin said. "The majority of producers are still looking on the bright side that if conditions do change and some moisture comes in over the next few weeks they may still have a chance of making a pretty good crop this year."
In South Texas, most cotton has been harvested, said Dr. Gaylon Morgan, AgriLife Extension state cotton specialist.
"In the Rio Grande Valley, cotton has been harvested with yields about average," Morgan said. "Of course, dryland is pretty much non-existent from there up to the Gulf Coast region."
In the upper Gulf Coast, some of the better dryland yields were about a bale per acre, Morgan said. Other dryland fields were zero-ed out by crop insurance adjusters.
"But I saw quite a bit that was actually being shredded down," he said. "It was extremely erratic. You can go from a field that was about a bale per acre, to a half-mile down the road where it was more like a half bale, or even a quarter bale, depending upon the rain showers they've had."
More information on drought in Texas can be found at the Web site of the Drought Joint Information Center at http://agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.
The following summaries were compiled by AgriLife Extension district reporters:
CENTRAL: The region remained dry. Producers who baled hay after the late July showers saw poor yields. Stock tanks and creeks were low or dry, and producers continued to provide supplemental feed to livestock. The corn harvest was nearly completed. As crops were harvested, feral hogs moved in to find food.
COASTAL BEND: A few isolated areas received as much as 0.4 inches of rain, however most of the area remained dry. The continuing record high temperatures and dry conditions increased wildfire danger. Cotton harvest was about 50 percent completed. Producers continued selling livestock because of short supplies of hay and standing forage.
EAST: Thanks to previously received rains in some counties, hay harvesting was in full swing with better yields than earlier cuttings. However, many producers in drier areas were buying hay, with a few harvesting but seeing very sparse hay fields. There were some reports of armyworms and grasshoppers after the rains. Henderson and Wood counties reported an increase in hay sales to Central and South Texas. Livestock were in good condition. Wood County reported that dairy producers were hurting from the low price of milk. Feral hogs and deer were very active.
FAR WEST: Widely scattered showers brought from 0.1 to 1 inches of rain to parts of the region. Pecans passed the water stage of development. Alfalfa growers were starting their fourth cutting. Dryland cotton needed rain. Irrigated cotton looked good. Cotton bolls were growing but were not yet mature. Some fields were just setting bolls after an early infection of southwestern cotton rust. Sorghum looked good, but needed a rain to maintain growth. Chiles were in full bloom with fruit developing well.
NORTH: Cooler temperatures and recent rainfall helped crops and pastures. Soil moisture ranged from short to adequate. Corn was in fair to good condition and being harvested. Corn yields varied widely, but the trend was of a much lower than average yields. There were also reports of aflatoxin. Hay baling continued with much of the production being sent to South and Central Texas. Some producers were harvesting their third cutting. Grain sorghum and soybeans were in fair to good condition but not quite ready for harvest. Rice was in good condition. Cotton was in fair to good condition and setting bolls. Livestock were in fair to good condition. Rangeland and pastures were in poor to good condition.
PANHANDLE: Most counties received from 0.5 - 4.0 inches of rain, and soil moisture was adequate across much of the region. The rain rescued dryland sorghum and improved the overall condition of other crops. Corn, cotton, peanuts and soybeans were all in good condition. Corn was 50 percent to 75 percent in the dent stage. Cotton was 80 percent to 90 percent setting bolls, and sorghum was 35 percent to 85 percent headed out. AgriLife Extension agents reported producers had been spraying corn for armyworm and southwestern corn borer, but over all insect numbers have stayed low. Peanuts were sprayed for leaf spot. Rangeland improved and was in fair to good condition.
ROLLING PLAINS: Some counties received a little moisture; a very small area received more than 3 inches of rain. However, overall the region remained hot and dry. Some cotton showed signs of moisture-stress with plants starting to wilt. Most producers believe if some moisture comes during the next few weeks, dryland cotton could still make a crop. Others are less optimistic, reported AgriLife Extension county agents. Pastures and rangeland began to dry up. Water levels in stock ponds were very low. Livestock on rangeland were looking fair to good with some supplementation. Peanuts looked good, but producers continued to report major damage to the crop by feral hogs.
SOUTH: Very short soil moisture conditions continued due to the extremely hot temperatures. Peanuts were pegging and still under heavy irrigation. In the northern parts of the region, cotton was squaring and setting bolls. No crop activity was reported from the eastern parts of the region. Dryland sesame-seed fields were harvested in the western parts of the region due to extremely poor yield potential. Producers began to cultivate dusty fields in preparation for planting wheat and oats. Sorghum headed, but many producers were choosing to sell sorghum for hay rather than incurring the cost of harvesting grain because of low-yield potential. Fall planting preparations were ongoing in the southern parts of the region. Rangeland, pastures and stock tanks further declined. Ranchers continued to thin or liquidate entire herds.
SOUTH PLAINS: Spotty showers this week across the region brought from 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain. Temperatures were in the mid-to-high 90s. Soil moisture was short to adequate. Corn was maturing and in good condition. Cotton was fair to good. Where there has been adequate moisture, the crop has a good boll load. Dryland cotton lagged behind because of lack of rain. Irrigated sorghum was doing well, ranging in maturity from the vegetative to hard-dough stage. However, dryland sorghum was starting to show signs of stress from the heat. Sunflowers were in good condition. Some sunflowers were in full bloom while early planted sunflowers were nearly harvest-ready. Peanuts were in fair to good condition and continued to have disease problems. Pastures and ranges were in fair to good condition. Livestock were in mostly good to excellent condition.
SOUTHEAST: There were some spotty showers, with Walker County getting as much as 0.5 inches, but overall, the region was extremely hot and dry. Stock tank water levels were very low and pastures in many areas were in dire condition. Producers were baling crop residue – corn stalks, sorghum stubble and rice straw – to provide some filler for cattle, adding cottonseed and other supplements to boost the nutritional value.
SOUTHWEST: The region has been completely dry since the end of July when the southern part of the district received about 0.4 inches of rain. Record- or near-record high temperatures accompanied by hot, dry southerly winds aggravated the drought and increased the risk of roadside and field wildfires. The soil profile was very dry. Forage was nearly non-existent. The corn and sorghum harvests was completed. Cotton, peanuts and pecans made good progress under heavy irrigation.
WEST CENTRAL: A few counties reported scattered showers with good rains, but most of the region remained extremely hot and dry. Producers were fertilizing and performing other field preparations in preparation for small-grain planting. Producers continued cutting and baling hay, reporting good yields. Where there was rain, rangeland and pastures continued to improve. Some livestock loss was reported due to consumption of toxic plants in Coke County. The pecan orchards looked good, with growers spraying for shuck worms and weevils.
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