Nov. 1, 2006

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COLLEGE STATION – Too much rain in some parts of the state and not enough in others continues to be the story for Texas agriculture this autumn, according to Texas Cooperative Extension officials.

Depending on the crop, rainfall amounts were alternately helpful – where newly sown seed is trying to sprout – or a nuisance – where harvests were delayed, Extension experts reported.

"For the most part, the rainfall was beneficial for pastures," said Dale Fritz, Extension administrator for Southeast Texas. "Pastures have made some late-season growth for grazing or hay production."

Heavy rain last week in parts of Texas, plus the surge of water that drained into creeks and rivers bound for the Gulf Coast, flooded pastures in several southeastern counties. Extension officials in Orange County reported that 29 inches of rain fell there in two weeks, putting virtually all of the area's pastures underwater. Fritz said much of that water now has receded.

"Of course we will need some dry periods in order to make the late season hay," he said. "Also, many ranchers had planted winter pastures and the rainfall was beneficial to get a good stand and early season growth."

He added that the recent heavy rainfall prevented a more timely harvest of ratoon rice.

Ratoon rice is a second crop of rice that regrows from the stubble of the main crop after the first harvest, Fritz explained.

"The fields will need to dry out in order to allow combines to harvest. Some crop loss will be experienced due wet fields," he said.

The following are reports from Extension districts around the state:

PANHANDLE: Temperatures were slightly above-average until a cold front dropped them below normal. Soil moisture is mostly short to adequate. Corn is mostly harvested, and yields are down as much as 20 percent. The cotton harvest is about 13 percent complete. Peanut harvesting continues with lower yields and variable grades. The sorghum harvest is about 15 percent complete. Wheat planting continues, and stands are mostly fair to excellent. Cattle are on early-planted fields. Rangeland conditions are mostly fair to good.

SOUTH PLAINS: With the exception of one day with wind gusts to 60 mph, weather was mild in the mornings, with warm afternoons and cool evenings. Soil moisture is adequate. The cotton harvest is under way, and the corn harvest is nearing completion. Many peanut acres have been dug and are waiting to be thrashed. Wheat is emerging in good condition. Sorghum also is in good condition. Pastures and ranges are in fair to good condition. Livestock are in good condition.

ROLLING PLAINS: Light showers left less than one-half inch on most areas. High winds followed, zapping the moisture. Wheat and oats are growing well. Beet armyworms are not damaging wheat much. The cotton harvest was delayed. Pastures have slowly greened up and are providing grazing for cattle. Livestock are in good condition.

NORTH: Soil moisture is very short to adequate. Up to 1.75 inches of rain fell across the area, but runoff water is still needed to refill stock ponds. All crop conditions have improved. Cotton is in good condition as harvest nears completion. Wheat is in fair to good condition and 75 percent planted with 80 percent emerged. Oats are 60 percent to 90 percent planted. Some producers are looking for hay. The cattle market is active.

EAST: A much-needed rain fell in most areas, improving conditions for planting winter pastures and forages. With cooler temperatures, permanent pasture conditions did not improve much. Cattle are in fair to good condition with supplemental feeding. The liquidation of cattle herds slowed. Hay supplies remained extremely short to non-existent.

FAR WEST: Temperatures were mild, and only trace amounts of rain fell in parts of the region. Soil moisture ranged from very short to adequate. Rangeland, pastures and cotton range from very poor to excellent condition. Winter wheat is in very poor to good condition. Oats are in fair to good condition.

WEST CENTRAL: Temperatures cooled, and scattered rain fell in some areas. Top soil dried due to windy conditions. Producers continued to bring cotton to gins. Field preparations and planting of small grains continued. Wheat and oats looked good. Rangeland and pastures showed signs of recovery, and farmers were able to cut Bermuda grass pastures for hay. The cool-season grass transition is under way, with winter forage emerging. Hay supply remains short. Some supplemental feeding of livestock began. The pecan harvest continued, but yields are lacking.

CENTRAL: The peanut harvest was nearly complete, and yields are poor. Pecan quality is good but nut size varies. Much of the area received rain. Some producers sprayed for armyworms.

SOUTHEAST: Late rains delayed cotton harvest in several counties but helped ease the drought. Much-needed run-off water helped refill tanks. Fall calving is in full swing. Bermuda grass growth slowed. More oat, wheat, ryegrass and clovers for winter pasture were planted because of the rainfall. Cattle sales are down. The peanut crop is ready to be dug. The wheat crop was nearly destroyed by floods a couple of weeks ago. This week's rain essentially destroyed what remained. Livestock are doing fine in spite of the rain.

SOUTHWEST: The region remains very dry. Only about 7 inches of rain have fallen since January, about 70 percent below the long-term average rainfall. Forage availability is scarce. Farmers are heavily irrigating where possible. Small grains and other crops which were planted without irrigation are not growing. Spinach, cabbage, green beans and cucumbers for pickling are making excellent progress under heavy irrigation. The pecan harvest is winding down with excellent quality and prices.

COASTAL BEND: More rain was received with temperatures near normal. Small grains were planted for winter supplementation. Field activities, including cotton stalk destruction, were on hold until soils dry. Good forage growth occurred in pastures and ranchers were cutting hay.

SOUTH: Most of the region had adequate soil moisture. A soaking rain boosted dryland wheat and oat crops. Spinach, cabbage and carrot planting was delayed due to rain. Early-season sugarcane and citrus harvests gained momentum. Fall vegetable crops progressed. Rangelands responded well to rainfall and cooler growing conditions. Supplemental feeding of livestock decreased. Hay baling operations continued.