Aug. 8, 2007

Photos and Graphics Click for larger images

Audio MP3(1.9 Mb) Audio Script

COLLEGE STATION – Drying in wait – that's what grasslands across Texas are doing as producers work to cut the abundant hay and make bales between rains, according to Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

Good quality hay comes from grasses that are cut before the plant begins making seed. But once it's cut, the grass has to be rolled or squared into bales while it is dry or it will begin to rot into mush that isn't suitable for feeding livestock, said Wayne Thompson, Extension agent in Harris County.

"Many producers are taking the risk to cut the grass between rains, hoping to have time to bale it before it rains again," Thompson said. "What I am hearing over and over again from producers is that we just got over a drought with no hay and no grass, and now we have all kinds of hay."

But, he said, the abundance of green pastures will not accomplish their potential if producers are not able to cut, bale and store it for later use.

Grass that matures to produce a seed head becomes more fibrous and thus less digestible and lower in protein, he said.

"The weather has been so humid and wet that if a bale is wet inside, the fungi in it will begin to grow and decompose the grass," Thompson said. "Mold also can be produced and that causes lung problems in horses if they eat such hay.

"A hay that is cut from grass before it matures into seed; that is what you want," he added.

Reports from Extension across the state follow:

PANHANDLE: Temperatures dropped below normal for a couple of days but were about average the rest of the week. The cool front that temporarily dropped temperatures also brought from one-fourth to 3 inches of rain. Fall planting and land preparation is under way. Soil moisture is very short to surplus. Corn is fair to excellent. Irrigation is heavy. Spider mites and corn borers are active. Gray leaf spot is showing up in some fields. Cotton is mostly fair. Cotton aphids have increased across the area. Peanuts are mostly good. Sorghum is about 30 percent headed and is in mostly good condition. Soybeans are mostly good. Range grasses continue to dry out from the lack of rain and hot temperatures. Cattle are in excellent condition.

SOUTH PLAINS: Temperatures have been mild, with rainfall up to 3 inches. Corn is in good to excellent condition. Some fields are starting to dry, and ensilage harvest has begun. Cotton is in fair to good condition, though a portion of the crop was planted late. Aphid pressure has increased in cotton fields. Grain sorghum is in good condition with promising yield potential. Peanuts are in good condition. Pumpkins have grown rapidly. Producers are applying fungicides for powdery mildew problems. Pastures and ranges are in good condition and providing excellent grazing. Livestock are in good condition.

ROLLING PLAINS: More showers moved across the area dropping from 1-4 inches of rain. The showers halted haying operations and increased fly populations. Before the rainfall, crops were beginning to dry during the hot days. The cotton crop is outstanding. Pastures are in good shape as the rains have kept the grass green. Livestock are in good to excellent condition. Ponds are full and in good condition.

NORTH: Soil moisture ranges from adequate to surplus. Some areas received enough rain to cause temporary road closings and flooding. Corn is in good to excellent condition. Soybeans and sorghum are in good condition. Asian soybean rust has been confirmed at low levels and some farmers are spraying. Grain sorghum is starting to mature. Row crops are looking good. Cotton is in fair to good condition. Winter wheat and oats are being harvested. Hay producers are cutting and baling between rains. Rangeland and pastures are in good to excellent condition.

EAST: Hornflies continue to trouble cattle. Producers are trying to cut and bale hay between showers. Rain has hit some parts of the district hard and given relief to others. Cotton crop still needs drying conditions. Melons still are being harvested. Temperatures are increasing.

FAR WEST: Cotton crop is fair to good. Cotton is setting bolls and growth regulator is being applied in some areas. Sorghum crops are doing fair to good with most fields heading and coloring. Rainfall has been good across most of the area, with amounts up to 10 inches. Pastures range from very poor to execellent. Cattle are doing well.

WEST CENTRAL: Temperatures have been mild with extremely high humidity. Cotton remains in good to excellent due to recent moisture, but some hay was lost due to rains. Sorghum is doing very well. Rangelands and pastures are in excellent condition. Livestock remain in fair to excellent condition and are receiving very little supplemental feeding. Fungus diseases on pecans are slowing down as conditions dry out.

CENTRAL: Hay producers are still cutting hay. Production has been excellent when producers can get it baled. Cattle remain in good shape. Trees are having some stress and bacteria problems. Pecan trees, while loaded, are showing fungus problems.

SOUTHEAST: No report received.

SOUTHWEST: The region has greened up, and forage availability has improved, but the recent rain caused flooding and soil erosion, and stopped the corn and sorghum harvests. The rain also caused some discoloration to grain sorghum and some sprouting in the sorghum head, causing market quality discounts. Open, clear weather is helping to dry fields so that harvesting may be resumed while cotton and peanuts continue to grow.

COASTAL BEND: A few days without rain have allowed grain and rice harvests to resume. Most of the harvested grain sorghum is poor quality. Cotton is opening rapidly with warmer days; however, the crop lost a great deal of production potential during July with too much rainfall. The ground is too wet for hay cutting. Cattle are in great shape.

SOUTH: With drier conditions, producers resumed sorghum and corn harvesting after an almost two-week standstill. Early sorghum and corn yields are below average to fair despite the abundance of rainfall. Cotton continues to develop well and defoliation of cotton has begun. Livestock conditions, and native and improved pastures are still excellent.