Aug. 16, 2007

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COLLEGE STATION – In many cases, high temperatures across the state are just what producers ordered, reported area Texas Cooperative Extension officials.

Many areas have been extremely wet and needed the dry-down to promote growth in the cotton and forage crops, Extension agents reported. Some grasses are stressing in the high temperatures, but overall crop production is benefitting from the summer warm-up that finally arrived.

The following condition reports are from Extension officials:

PANHANDLE: Temperatures were above average all week with 100 degree plus (F) reported on several days over much of the area. Isolated thunderstorms brought some moisture, but most of the region received no rain. Soil moisture is rated very short to adequate with most areas reporting short to adequate. Corn is rated fair to excellent with most areas reporting good. Much of the crop is entering the dent stage. Irrigation remains heavy. Spider mites are on the increase and corn borers continue to be very active. Cotton is rated mostly fair with much of the crop setting bolls. Cotton aphids continue to increase. Peanuts are rated mostly good with no pest problems. Sorghum is about 70 percent headed and rated mostly good with no pest problems. Soybeans are rated mostly good with no pest problems. Range grasses continue to dry out from the lack of rain and hot temperatures. Cattle are in excellent condition.

SOUTH PLAINS: Weather has been hot and dry this week with highs reaching in the mid to upper 90s F. Corn is in good to excellent condition and is currently being harvested for ensilage. The harvest should be in full swing by the middle of next week. Cotton is in fair to good condition and progressing well with warmer weather. Irrigation continues on cotton. Grain sorghum is in good condition, but will need an open fall to reach maturity because of a late start with planting. Peanuts continue to be in good condition. Pumpkins are doing well, with harvest expected around mid- to late-September. Pastures and ranges are in good condition. There is some drying of pastures due to heat, but quantity is mostly good. Cattle are in good to excellent condition.

ROLLING PLAINS: Temperatures have been in the 100s F this week. The cotton crop definitely needed this warmer weather. Pastures are still looking good and green, although ranchers are worried how much hot weather the grass can withstand. Livestock are in good condition. Even though the warmer weather has been good on crops and pastures, producers are ready for another rain.

NORTH: Soil moisture is adequate. Warmer temperatures and dryer conditions prevailed this past week. Summer has hit with 100-plus F temperatures. Soils are beginning to dry out. These high temperatures have stressed grasses, which have shallow root systems from drought and recent saturated soils. Hay harvest is in full swing with producers just now getting the second cut completed due to extended rain periods this spring. Despite a shortage of hay-baling equipment, the dryer conditions have helped forage producers harvest a bumper crop. The hay crop is mature, and quantity is there but not quality. An estimated one to one-and-a-half cuttings of hay were lost due to wet weather in the early summer. The corn and soybean harvests are beginning. Yield prospects soybeans, corn and grain sorghum are excellent. Sorghum harvest is getting started. Wheat has been harvested, but losses are still being added. Livestock are in good condition. Insect populations are very high. Range and pasture conditions are good to excellent. Drying time is needed. No rain has been received for the past several days now. More rain is needed to keep grasses growing in the pastures so there will be more hay to cut.

EAST: Rainfall has stopped and conditions are extremely hot, quickly drying out the sandy soils. Pastures are in good condition and the hay harvest continues. Forage quality is low, but the next cutting is expected to have higher yields and better quality. Cattle are in good to excellent condition. Spring calves are being weaned. Blueberry and blackberry harvest is near completion. Tree diseases are an increasing problem. There are reports of fall armyworm outbreaks in hayfields. Many people are preparing their fall gardens. Weather conditions have gone from an extended spring to extremely hot temperatures with high humidity. Goats have had serious problems with internal parasites this year.

FAR WEST: Soil moisture ranges from very short to adequate, and crops and pastures are in very poor to good condition. Cotton is in poor to excellent condition. Sorghum is in good condition. Very hot temps and scattered precipitation reported across the region, with Terrell County reporting 2.17 inches of rainfall. Pecans are in good condition, with very little aphid pressure. Cotton was sprayed with growth regulators to control vegetative growth and enhance fruiting. Perennial grasses are doing well. Recent rains have complicated the melon harvest in the Coyanosa area. Shrimp production is on schedule for an October harvest. Cotton farmers are saying the potential is there for four-bale-an-acre cotton, which could salvage some of last year's poor production. The alfalfa crop is stable, and is seeing moderately high prices. More hay is coming off about every six weeks.

WEST CENTRAL: Temperatures reached into the upper 90s F. Soil moisture remained in good condition in most counties. Crops continue to look good. Most hay producers are cutting and baling as fast as possible. Quantity is excellent, but quality is low. Some fields are being prepared for fall planting. Corn harvest is in full swing. Cotton needs to be monitored for bugs. Bollworm egg quantity appears to be very high due to moisture. Range and pastures continue good growth. High temperatures will cause rangelands to decline rapidly. Livestock are in fair to good condition. Producers are beginning to supplement cattle with proteins.

CENTRAL: Hot, dry weather is finally allowing hay baling. Corn yields look promising. Cotton is three to four weeks behind its normal schedule. Soybeans set pods and began to dry down and dessicate. Early-planted grain sorghum showed poor yields, while fields planted later were good on both bushel weight and moisture. Producers are beginning the planning stages for winter wheat, oats and ryegrass. The heat prevented cattle from grazing during the middle of the day. Cattle remain in good shape.

SOUTHEAST: Not available.

SOUTHWEST: Hot, dry weather has prevailed since the last significant rainfall during July 28-30. The region remains green, however. Forage availability is above average for this time of the year. The hot, dry weather and good moisture conditions continued to help cotton make good progress. Peanuts are also making good progress. The corn and sorghum harvest resumed after delays of three to four weeks. Sorghum received some market quality discounts, due to the excessive rain in July. Hay cutting and baling resumed, but a substantial amount of the early hay was lost to excessive rain. There was fruit drop in pecan orchards due to saturated soils and in susceptible varieties, due to scab disease. Early planted cabbage is struggling in the heat.

COASTAL BEND: The dry, hot weather has helped grain harvest and cotton maturation. In some areas, field crop adjusters are evaluating damage levels to determine if sorghum fields will be harvested. Cotton will be below average on yield and quality.

SOUTH: Dry, hot conditions this week in the western parts of the region caused quite a bit of corn harvesting activities. Grain sorghum harvesting was also very active this week. Fields of grain sorghum were dry enough for harvesting equipment to get into water-logged areas. Seed-bed preparations or preparations for fall planting have also started in some fields in the area. Most cotton is still setting bolls, and producers are concerned harvest may not begin until late October if plant growth continues under current levels. In the mid-parts of the region, cotton defoliation continues, and the sorghum harvest has concluded. Range and pastures are in good to excellent condition. Livestock are in excellent condition.