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Texas Crop, Weather Report


COLLEGE STATION -- Warmer weather and sunshine dried out fields in parts of the state, allowing farmers back into fields, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel. However, some parts of the state received more moisture, which continued to be a mixed blessing.

Corn planting was spotty in some areas, particularly central Texas, and farmers were unable to take full advantage of the added moisture to pastures and wheat because they couldn't get into the fields to fertilize. But the moisture, where there were warmer conditions, greened up pastures and relieved the strain on stressed hay supplies.

High winds came to the Far West region, which was another mixed blessing. The wind dried out soils, allowing farmers to do fieldwork, but it also dried out grasses, increasing the danger of wildfire.

"With most hay supplies wiped out, producers are grateful for the warmer temperatures," said Aaron Low, AgriLife Extension agent in Cherokee County, south of Tyler. "Warm-season grasses are beginning to germinate. Ryegrass fields are doing well with warmer temperatures and recent rainfall. Most producers are waiting on fields to dry up so they can begin fertilizing."

"No corn has been planted due to wet conditions," said Derek Scasta, AgriLife Extension agent in Navarro County, Corsicana. "This puts corn growers two weeks behind the ideal planting date at this stage. This may cause a shift in acres to grain sorghum and cotton. Wheat and oats have made significant progress."

"We finally got a few clear, warm days without rain and the producers were finally able to get some corn planted," reported Jared Ripple, AgriLife Extension agent in Williamson County, south of Temple.

"Weather conditions for most of the week have been much improved in terms of temperature and sunshine," said Mark Currie, AgriLife Extension agent for Polk County, east of Huntsville. "Green-up of pastures is still slow due to cool night temperatures. Many producers are completely out of hay and are hopeful grazing will be soon. In the meantime, they are feeding (protein) cubes, purchasing hay and whatever reasonably price method of feeding they can find to get by until grass comes on."

"Very windy conditions this week with extreme fire danger," reported Jesse Lea Schneider, AgriLife Extension agent in Presidio County, south of Fort Davis. "The loco weed (locoweed -- one word)- crop was continuing to grow quickly and in large numbers. There were some reports of nonnative yearlings consuming the weed and suffering the results. Most cattle were on supplemental feed and consuming large amounts of mineral."

The following summaries were compiled by AgriLife Extension district reporters:

CENTRAL: Some producers were able to plant corn. It was hoped that others will be able to plant this week before another rainfall. Other producers were considering shifting to grain sorghum and cotton. Wheat and oats have made significant progress. All stock water tanks were full. Cattle producers were feeding less hay thanks to warmer weather. The spring calving season was under way.

COASTAL BEND: Fields began to dry out, and farmers were busy planting and applying fertilizers. Corn planting neared completion; sorghum planting was well under way; and cotton planting began. Warmer days and nights raised soil temperatures. Rangeland conditions improved. Forages were still in short supply, and most producers found supplemental feeding was still necessary.

EAST: Weather improved with warmer temperatures and more sunshine. Pastures began to green up from the warm days but the process was slowed somewhat by cool nights. Soils were very wet in most areas which has prevented producers from fertilizing pastures. Some parts of the area were drier, and producers were preparing hay meadows and pastures for the planting of improved forages. Cattle remained in fair to good condition. Feral hogs continued to damage pastures as wet conditions drove them out of low-lying areas to higher ground.

FAR WEST: Temperatures were mostly mild with winds gusting up to 60 mph. Wildfire danger was very high. There were some reports of cattle getting sick on locoweed. Farmers were preparing fields for cotton and chile planting with furrowing and pre-planting irrigation. Where possible, they also applied fertilizer and herbicide. Spring wheat emerged with good stands. Alfalfa was growing slowly but was fully out of dormancy. Fall-planted onions were at the fourth-leaf stage. Growers were irrigating pecans.

NORTH:
Soil moisture levels ranged from adequate to surplus. Some areas received more rain last week, which was unfortunate as many fields were already saturated and some had standing water. There were a couple of reports of hail. Continued wet weather made pastures a muddy mess, so farmers still could not get into fields to prepare for corn planting. Where possible, they were fertilizing hay fields. Longer days and warmer temperatures seemed to help plants begin to wake from winter dormancy. Winter wheat was in poor to fair condition and could really use some dry days and sunshine. Feral hogs continued to be a major problem. Livestock was in fair to good condition, and producers continued supplemental feeding. With the warmer weather, ryegrass finally showed a little growth. Trees were starting to bud, and grass was greening up. Peach trees looked good. Rangeland and pastures were in poor to fair condition.

PANHANDLE: The weather varied greatly. Warm days were followed by snow, which was followed in turn by warm and windy conditions. The more northern counties received snow on two separate days. The western part of the district received as much as 8 inches of snow. Farmers began preparing for spring planting where fields dried out. Wheat showed growth, and producers were waiting for conditions to dry out further so they could apply fertilizer and spray for weeds. Beef producers were still providing supplemental feed as hay supplies ran low.

ROLLING PLAINS: Most of the past week was sunny with high winds, which helped dry out fields and allowed the rapid growth of wheat. Field scouting showed wheat was in the first hollow-stem stage of growth. Pastures were beginning to come out of dormancy, causing livestock producers to breathe a little easier as hay supplies were low. However, some producers continued to provide supplemental feed to livestock. Cattle on rangeland and wheat remained in good shape. Cotton farmers, encouraged by good soil moisture, were planning for the spring planting, plowing and listing fields, but were a long way from actually planting. Weeds were becoming a problem in fields.

SOUTH: Soil moisture levels conditions were good across most of the area except for the far northwest corner. Milder temperatures enabled producers to do some field work. Producers irrigated wheat, onions, spinach, cabbage and oats in the western part of the region. Planting of grain sorghum and cotton was expected to increase soon in the eastern counties. Rangeland and pastures began to show signs of growth, and the condition of livestock improved accordingly. Producers were still providing some supplemental feed to livestock.

SOUTH PLAINS: Daytime highs were in the upper 50s and 60s with nighttime temperatures in the upper 40s. Heavy winds stirred up dust, which was followed by freezing drizzle turning into snow. Soil moisture was adequate. Producers continue to prepare for spring planting. Winter wheat was fair to good and continued to mature. Pastures and rangeland were in fair to good condition. Livestock were mostly in good condition.

SOUTHWEST: Year-to-date rainfall was close to twice the long-term average. The soil moisture profile is full, and the region was beginning to green up as temperatures became more moderate. Spinach, cabbage, potatoes, onions, lettuce, wheat and oats were making full use of the moisture conditions and cool weather and were making excellent progress. Corn planting was completed, and sorghum planting gained momentum. The harvesting of spinach, cabbage, broccoli and carrots was ongoing. Ranchers continue to concentrate on calving, lambing and kidding.

WEST CENTRAL: Daytime temperatures were much warmer but nights were cool. A few counties reported rainfall. Soil moisture levels were very good, and small-grain crops were doing well. Wheat was about ready to head out. Rangeland and pasture greened up. Producers slowed supplemental feeding of livestock significantly. Fruit trees were starting to bud. Growers began pruning and applying herbicides.

Source : Texas Agrilife Extension


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