From Texas Cooperative Extension, this is your weekly Texas Crop and Weather Report for February 6, 2007.
PANHANDLE: Regional temperatures were below average all week. Snow melt is limiting field preparation for spring planting. Cotton gins continue to be active. Wheat is mostly fair to good. Range conditions are rated from very poor to good. Cattle are in fair to good condition. Wet conditions and cold temperatures are causing cattle considerable stress. Supplemental feeding continues.
SOUTH PLAINS: Soil moisture is adequate. This week remained cold with some light snow accumulation. Limited amounts of field work occurred this week, including some deep-breaking and listing of beds. Wheat is in fair to good condition. Though wheat leaf tips are burned back from the extremely cold temperatures, the crop is expected to benefit from the moisture received. Pastures and ranges are in fair to good condition. Cattle are in good condition and supplemental feeding continues.
ROLLING PLAINS: Supplemental feeding of cattle continued in full swing as cold temperatures arrived. The recent cold snap has caused more hay to be fed. The wheat prospects are still good for grain, and the chances for an above-average crop could improve with good weather. Soil moisture remains plentiful in the upper 6 inches of the soil profile in most wheat pastures. Wheat pasture however is in short supply but should improve as days become longer and warmer. Greenbugs are still present in most fields but are generally only a problem in later-planted wheat. Early planted fields appear to be outgrowing the green bug damage.
NORTH: Soil moisture ranged from adequate to surplus. Conditions across some areas remain very wet. Sub-soil moisture is improving. Winter wheat is in good to fair condition. The range is from good to very poor in some areas. Weather conditions continue to be cold with little precipitation. The winter pastures are doing well with recent rains. Where they can get into the fields, farmers are preparing for spring planting. Soil moisture for corn planting continues to be a concern. Supplemental feeding of livestock is ongoing, with some grazing available from winter pastures.
EAST: The area continued to experience light rains and cold temperatures. Hay supplies are running very short. Cattle prices holding. No damage due to cold temperatures or saturated soil conditions was reported. Very wet conditions in the region made winter pastures good to excellent but hindered field operations, including feeding. Cattle are in good condition; hay supplies are depleted. Cattle are holding their condition fairly well, but the lack of grazing is taking a toll – especially on already thin cattle.
FAR WEST: Soil moisture ranges from very short to surplus, and crops and pastures are in very poor to good condition. Winter wheat is in very poor to excellent condition. Oats are in poor to good condition. Supplemental feeding continues. Widely scattered showers were reported across the region, but yielded no significant accumulations. Temperatures began warming up the latter part of the week.
WEST CENTRAL: Cool temperatures continued. Most areas have reported scattered showers. Soil moisture is improving. Winter crops are doing very well with recent moisture. Rangeland and pastures are improving with good growth of forage and winter forbs. Supplemental feeding of livestock continues to increase. Livestock are in fair condition. Goats and sheep are beginning to kid and lamb.
CENTRAL: Soil moisture is adequate, which has helped small grains; sunny weather is needed to help all forages. Hay is scarce, and the cattle and pastures are in poor condition. Producers are hoping for dry conditions to enable them to complete fertilization and prepare land for the corn planting.
SOUTHEAST: Cold, overcast conditions have stopped the growth of winter crops. Soils are saturated. The weather has been very wet, and producers fear cattle, already in poor condition, will be lost if the trend continues. Rain continues to delay land preparation and fertilization for the spring crops. Hay feeding continues. Limited hay sales continue, though there isn't much hay to sell.
SOUTHWEST: Total rainfall accumulation for the month was 2.6 inches, twice the long term average for January, but the soil profile remains relatively dry. Forage availability has improved as a result of the recent rainfall, but cold weather is keeping a lid on major forage production. The cold weather has helped conserve moisture. Fields are ready for early corn, cotton and sorghum planting. Normal crop and forage production will not be sustained unless additional rainfall is received. Potato planting and the harvesting of cabbage, spinach and some carrots resumed as fields dried from the recent rain.
COASTAL BEND: Overcast weather with scattered showers was reported. Cold weather prevailed, with temperatures below normal. Sunshine is needed to help grasses take advantage of considerable rainfall. Supplemental feeding continues for livestock.
SOUTH: Soil moisture conditions throughout the region ranged from adequate to surplus. Colder weather and frequent precipitation has stymied the cabbage harvest but benefitted dryland wheat and oats. Native range and pastures continue to show cool-season forage production as a result of light rain in various areas. Growing conditions for spinach and broccoli were very good. There has been some planting the coming season. Some pastures and rangeland have standing water which has made early calving difficult.
From Texas Cooperative Extension, this has been your weekly crop and weather report. From Overton, Texas, I'm Robert Burns