June 28, 2005

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COLLEGE STATION – Parts of Texas have entered critically dry stages and various crops are beginning to suffer, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

"While much of South, Central and East Texas are suffering from a very dry spring, an area that's really hurting is a strip along the Red River, about 50 miles deep," said Dr. Travis Miller, Extension program leader for soil and crop sciences.

Farmers in Lamar and Camp counties have begun cutting corn and soybeans for hay since grass is in short supply and crops are drying from drought, Miller said.

"There are maybe five or six counties in that area that are severely dry," he said. "Also, much of the eastern part of the state south along the Sabine River is in much the same condition. Much of that area hasn't had a first hay cutting and pastures are in very poor condition. Normally by now they would be getting a second cutting."

Much of the dryland cotton in the Rio Grande Valley and adjacent counties in south Texas is being abandoned, he said.

"We've gone from surplus moisture to severe drought in several locations across the state," said Miller, though the High Plains and parts of the Rolling Plains are above average.

And the outlook isn't too bright considering Texas' high temperatures during July and August.

"If you look at the climatological forecast, much of Texas is predicted to have above average temperatures for the next three months," he said.

"According to climatic models, most of the state is an even toss-up as far as probabilities for precipitation. Forecast models are unable to forecast if it's going to be above-, below- or average moisture conditions. Average summer weather conditions in much of Texas are hot and dry, and little relief is projected in the near future for those areas affected by the current drought."

However, Miller doesn't anticipate a shortage of surface water. Above-average winter rains have left a great deal of water in Texas reservoirs.

"In particular, the lakes that feed irrigated agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley are in much better shape than they have been in many years. We were fortunate we caught a lot of water in the dams, so irrigated agriculture should be OK there," he said.

The following livestock, crop and weather conditions were reported by Extension districts:

PANHANDLE: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Higher-than-average temperatures and open weather was reported. Corn was rated fair to excellent; no major pest problems were reported. Cotton improved with the warm, dry weather; most stands were rated fair to good. Some fields began to square, and thrips were still a major pest problem. Peanuts were rated good with no major insect or disease problems. Sorghum planting made excellent progress. Stands were rated fair to excellent. Soybeans were in good condition. Late sunflowers continued to be planted. Wheat harvest made excellent progress. Dryland yields varied from 10 to 60 bushels; irrigated yields ranged from 40 to 90 bushels. Rust caused some reduction in yield. Cattle were in good condition. Horn flies continued to be a nuisance.

SOUTH PLAINS: Soil moisture is short. Hot, dry conditions were reported. Cotton made good progress with warm temperatures. Cotton fields previously destroyed were replanted with sorghum and sunflowers. Weed control was under way. Thrip infestations continued. Crops progressed well. Irrigation began in many areas. Peanuts grew well and early-planted fields pegged. Wheat harvest wound down. Yields were not as good as anticipated for sandier soils. Pastures and rangelands remained in fair condition. Livestock were in good condition.

ROLLING PLAINS: Soil moisture is short. Hot, dry and windy conditions were reported. Daytime high temperatures of 100 F were reported. Wheat harvest was almost complete. Cotton planting finished. Producers completed replanting fields destroyed by storms. Some producers sprayed for weeds. Pastures were in fair condition. Hot, dry conditions hampered forage production and hay fields. Most hay cuttings yielded only 50 percent to 60 percent of a normal yield. Livestock looked good. Cattle gains slowed rapidly. Some producers implemented supplemental feeding. Fly, blister beetle and Japanese beetle populations increased dramatically.

NORTH: Soil moisture is very short to short. Drought-like conditions continued at a critical level. Crops suffered from lack of rain. Corn and soybeans were rated very poor to good; corn was 60 percent silked. Cotton and sorghum were in poor to good condition; cotton was 30 percent to 95 percent squared and sorghum was 40 percent to 95 percent headed. Peanuts were rated poor to fair; 35 percent pegged. Rice was in fair condition. Wheat was rated fair to excellent. Pastures and rangelands were in very poor to fair condition. Pastures and hay meadows dried up. Hay production was low. Some producers fed supplemental feed and talked of dispersing herds. Livestock water sources ran low. Livestock were still in good shape.

EAST TEXAS: Soil moisture is short. Irrigated and dryland melon production was rated very good. All other crops needed rain badly. Pastures were stressed from lack of moisture. Hay production was short. Many producers were behind at least one cutting. Livestock was in fair condition. Some supplemental feeding took place. The shortage of rainfall forced producers to better manage water sources for livestock.

FAR WEST: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Hot days and warm nights were reported. Pastures, rangelands and livestock were in poor to good condition. Rangeland and forage condition declined due to the hot weather and lack of moisture. Some insect problems were reported in alfalfa crops. Cotton planting was almost completed; 35 percent to 60 percent was squaring. Winter wheat was in good to excellent condition. Oats were completely harvested and in fair to good condition. Pecan casebearers were monitored.

WEST CENTRAL: Soil moisture is short. Mild weather with cool mornings was reported. High afternoon temperatures dried the soil. Late-planted cotton grew extremely fast. Producers tried to finish planting. Sorghum fields rapidly turned color. Baling was noted in a few forage sorghum fields. Wheat was harvested; no Karnal bunt was found. Hay operations ran at full speed. Regrowth and fertility programs were slow. Rangelands and pastures remained in good condition and continued good growth. Livestock were in fair to good condition. Cattle prices remained strong. Pecan outlook was good; irrigation was underway.

CENTRAL: Soil moisture was short. Pastures, rangelands and livestock need rain. Improved pastures yielded much less on second hay cuttings. Melon harvest continued with fair yields. Corn silage harvest began. Some spider mites were observed in cotton fields.

SOUTHEAST: Soil moisture is short. Hot, dry conditions continued. Pastures were very dry. Hay quality and yield were low. Corn dried down quickly. Soybeans and cotton needed rain. Peanut planting stopped due to dry conditions. Cattle prices remained strong. Calf weaning is expected to begin soon due to dry conditions. Watermelons were harvested.

SOUTHWEST: Soil moisture is short. Very dry conditions continued. Corn and sorghum fields dried down. Pastures and rangelands went into mid-summer dormancy early. Cotton and peanuts made good progress under heavy irrigation. Peach harvest continued. Potato, onion and cabbage harvests ended. Cantaloupe, green beans and red beet harvests continued; good yields were reported. Watermelon harvest gained full momentum for the July 4 weekend.

COASTAL BEND: Soil moisture is short. Hot, dry weather was reported. Crops and pastures needed rain. Cotton held good form. Corn dried down. Sorghum harvest began in early-planted fields. Large quantities of hay were put up. Livestock were in good condition; some were supplemented with hay.

SOUTH: Soil moisture is very short. Very hot and dry conditions continued. Grain sorghum harvest gained momentum. Rangelands and pastures declined severely. Irrigation continued on corn, cotton and other crops. Onion harvest was completed. Some supplemental feeding was required on over-grazed pastures..