Producers worry about winter wheat prospects

By ROBERT BURNS

Texas AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION -- After the failure of many of their summer crops due to drought, now producers have good reason to worry that they won't make a winter wheat crop either, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

"There are some real concerns right now, not only about potentially getting the crop up in the future, but about what kind of yield potential we are going to have with the crop if we do," said Todd Baughman, AgriLife Extension agronomist for the Rolling Plains region.

The concern focuses on soil-moisture reserves, as the bulk of winter wheat is planted during September and October, Baughman said.

Without better soil moisture, the crop will not even emerge.

The concern is felt not just for grain production, but for livestock forage production too, as winter wheat is also commonly relied upon for fall grazing, he said. And wheat producers have reason to be concerned throughout most of the state, not just in the Rolling Plains region.

"If you don't get it up and growing, that's going to limit your fall grazing, which is really going to hurt you from a cattle-performance standpoint," Baughman said. "That's probably the No. 1 fear that we've got right now."

But for those who need grain production, the lack of soil moisture is causing a lot of anxiety as well, he said.

"If we don't build up some soil moisture to grow this crop, there's concern that it's going to run out of water just like the cotton crop has done this year because it won't have any real deep moisture to help with the yield potential."

Many farmers plant wheat for both grazing and grain production, pulling cattle off fields in time for the crop to make grain. But wheat for grazing is an even higher priority this year because the drought has caused summer grazing to become non-existent and continued feeding has exhausted hay supplies, Baughman said.

"Typically, what you'll see is that somewhere between mid-September to the middle of October is the prime planting time for grazing," he said. "Of course, we would really like to be planting right around the first of October. For our grain guys, most planting will start somewhere in the middle of October to Thanksgiving. That would be the prime time that we would like to plant the crop as a grain-only crop."

But even for those planning wheat as a grain-only crop could run into trouble this year, he said. This is because November typically signals the start of a drier time of year for most of the state's wheat-growing regions. If moisture reserves aren't already built up before winter, the chances to make a good grain crop will be greatly diminished.

"The driest months -- if you look at historical weather records -- will be December, January and February," Baughman said. "November will be slightly behind those, so ... if we don't get any rainfall from now through the first of November, then the chance of actually building that deep moisture up is limited even in a normal year."

And obviously, this has been far from a normal year, he said.

More information on the current Texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at agrilife. tamu.edu/drought/.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:

Southeast -- Light showers did little to alleviate drought conditions. Cattle producers continued culling older cattle and weaning calves early. Ground-water levels further dropped, creating issues for watering cattle. Grain sorghum and rice were being harvested for hay at unprecedented levels. Hay movement was very active. There were concerns of nutritional quality of secondary forages and requests for suggestions on feeding strategies and supplementing programs. Trees were dying in pastures. Soybeans were at best in fair condition. Feeding livestock this winter program was expected to be a huge challenge for producers.

Central -- Temperatures remained high. Where there was rain, forages greened up but were not growing as well as hoped. Water for livestock was becoming a major issue. Hay prices continued to rise. Most corn and milo were baled for hay. Trees were going dormant; some are dying.

Coastal Bend -- Extremely high temperatures and severe drought conditions continued. The cotton harvest was ongoing. Many trees showed signs of drought stress, and some were dying. Ponds were dry or extremely low. Herd liquidation became a reality for beef cattle producers. What cattle remained were being supplemented with hay and feed. Most livestock water had to be hauled or pumped from wells. Hay was being hauled in from other states.

East -- Some areas had scattered showers, but they did not bring enough moisture to alleviate drought conditions. Pastures remained dry and short. Trees were dying. Ponds and creek levels continued to drop; some were already completely dried up. Producers were buying hay from out of state. Some also brought in water for livestock, while others continued culling of herds and some sold off entire herds.

Southwest -- The drought continued with no rain forecast. High afternoon winds created dust storms. While high temperatures dropped to the upper 90s, the heat continued to aggravate the dry conditions. Wildfire alerts remained in place. Many stock tanks completely dried up. Forage availability remained well below average for this time of the year. The cotton harvest was ongoing, with excellent yields from fully irrigated fields, but most dryland and partially irrigated cotton failed. Sweet corn, recently planted for an early fall harvest, made good progress under heavy irrigation. Peanuts, pecans and landscape nursery crops continued to make good progress wherever irrigation water was still available. Ranchers were providing supplemental feed to remaining livestock.

Far West -- In Glasscock County, rains caused quite a bit of cotton boll-drop, but the rest of the region suffered from extreme drought conditions. High temperatures were in the lower 90s in the mountains, but still in the triple digits along the Rio Grande. Nighttime temperatures dropped into the low to mid 70s in some areas. Cotton near El Paso was in full bloom and setting bolls, with very low pest pressure. Some pecan trees were winding up a light August nut drop. Other trees were entering the gel stage and continued to grow. Alfalfa producers were taking their fifth cutting.

North -- With no rain and 100-plus degree daytime highs, soil-moisture levels were short throughout the district. The drought continued to take its toll on pastures. Nearly all livestock producers were feeding hay and supplements. Feed dealers were enlisting AgriLife Extension offices to help them find hay. Some dealers had to go as far as Alabama to find hay. With the drought and extreme shortage of hay, most producers were reducing or liquidating their herds. Stock tanks were very low and ponds were drying up across the area. Most corn and grain was harvested, with yields for both crops reported as average or slightly above. Grain sorghum that was planted on time did well, but late-planted sorghum was struggling. A few soybean fields were harvested over the past couple of days, but most was being cut for hay. Cotton looked terrible, and peanuts were in very poor condition. Skunks and armadillos were reportedly digging under houses to escape the heat and find moisture. Feral hogs were searching for ponds and mud holes.

Panhandle -- The region continued to be hot and dry. Soil-moisture levels were very short. Irrigators were still very active. More cornfields were abandoned because of lack of irrigation.