June 20, 2007

Audio MP3(2.1 Mb) Audio Script

COLLEGE STATION – In a word, "wet" describes most of Texas. And while the moisture is beneficial to most crops - except wheat and other crops awaiting harvest - it also has produced abundant weeds, according to Texas Cooperative Extension officials.

For some, that means checking ponds which may have dried up in recent years to determine what plants are growing and whether they need to be managed, according to Dr. Mike Masser, Extension pond management specialist.

"Management of most aquatic plant species depends on properly identifying the desirable or nuisance plant," Masser says. "Aquatic plants are generally one of four groups for management purposes: algae, floating plants, submerged plants, and emergent plants."

On the Web site, http://aquaplants.tamu.edu, Masser helps people decide whether to simply control various pond plants for beneficial reasons or to eliminate them to help the pond's health.

The site offers a variety of photos, as well as links to control methods for nuisance plants.

Extension officials offered these reports about conditions throughout Texas:

PANHANDLE: Temperatures were about average but then dropped to about 5-10 degrees F below normal. Some light, isolated rain fell. Soil moisture is mostly adequate. Corn is mostly good, while cotton is mostly fair. Recent weather has not been favorable for cotton growth, and thrips have been a problem. Peanuts are fair to good. Sorghum is about 75 percent planted, and stands are mostly fair to good. Soybeans are fair to good. A mostly good wheat crop is about 15 percent harvested. Armyworm-damaged wheat kernels have been reported in loads delivered to elevators. Range conditions are mostly good. Cattle are in excellent condition even though horn flies continue to be a problem.

SOUTH PLAINS: Rainfall tapered off and allowed saturated fields to dry up. Cotton is in fair to good condition, from newly emerged to the six-leaf stage. Cotton seedling disease is hampering development in many fields. Wheat harvest began. Corn and sorghum are in good condition. Peanuts are in fair to good condition. Pastures and ranges are in good to excellent condition. Cattle are in good to excellent condition.

ROLLING PLAINS: Wheat harvest is almost over, but high humidity and afternoon showers are causing delays. Yields have been above average. Cotton planting is nearly complete and fields are doing well, except for some weed problems. Pastures are in great shape with plentiful grazing and hay. Cattle are in good condition.

NORTH: Soil moisture ranges from adequate to surplus. Corn is in good condition and 75 percent silked. Soybeans are in fair condition. Sorghum and cotton are in good condition. Winter wheat is in fair condition, but only up to 30 percent harvested because of rain. Damaging rain and high winds have caused wheat and oat losses. Oats harvesting continues. Rice is in good condition. Hay baling slowed because of the rains. Vegetable crops are suffering from excess moisture. The range and pastures are in good condition. Cattle are looking great.

EAST: Horn flies continue to be a problem for cattle. Watermelon crop is good. Hay producers are harvesting high tonnage with good quality. Some hay producers are having problems getting cut forage dry enough to bale. A good crop of blueberries is being harvested. Peaches are also producing well. Grasshoppers are a problem in some pastures.

FAR WEST: Soil moisture ranges from very short to surplus, and crops and pastures are in very poor to excellent condition. Cotton is in very poor to excellent condition. Sorghum is in good to excellent condition. Winter wheat is in very poor to good condition. Rainfall reports for this week range from 0.2 inch to 6.5 inches. Fall-planted onions have been harvested, with spring-transplanted onions beginning to bulb. Some ranchers are considering purchasing more livestock. Melons should be harvested around July 4.

WEST CENTRAL: Scattered showers fell in many areas. Soil moisture is very good. Wheat harvest is under way with above-average yields. Cotton planting is in full swing with good moisture conditions. Many hay fields are being cut and baled as fields dry out. Some summer forage crops are being planted. Range and pastures continue good growth. Livestock remain in good to excellent body condition. The pecan crop is excellent.

CENTRAL: Rains have made pastures and hay fields look good. Livestock and wildlife are in good condition. The wheat yield has declined due to rainfall and moist conditions. Cotton had a rough start but has made some recovery.

SOUTHEAST: Nothing reported.

SOUTHWEST: Excellent rainfall in May and June has made the region green. Corn, sorghum, cotton, peanuts, watermelons and cantaloupes are making good progress. Corn and sorghum have some fungal leaf spots. Ranchers now have a relatively abundant supply of weeds, but the better quality grasses have not fully recovered after the 23-month drought. Wheat, oats, processing beets, green beans and squash harvesting continues.

COASTAL BEND: Spotty showers fell, but otherwise the region was hot and dry. Row crops look good to excellent for harvest. Grain sorghum is maturing rapidly with hot days. Some cotton is blooming, and pest pressure remains low. Weed control continues in some pastures. Lots of hay is being cut and baled. Cattle remain in good condition.

SOUTH: Soil moisture is generally adequate. Mid- and western parts of the region report corn as100 percent silked. The cotton crop has progressed very well under ideal cotton-growing conditions. Most fields of early-planted dryland sorghum are good to fair. The grain sorghum and cotton yield outlooks are outstanding. Livestock are still in good condition, and native range and pastures are in excellent condition.