COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The following reports were compiled by AgriLife Extension for the week of June 29:
CENTRAL:The region received scattered showers. High temperatures were above normal. Dry conditions stressed all crops. Bermuda grass was slow to emerge. Growers were spraying milo for stinkbugs. The wheat harvest was nearly completed.
COASTAL BEND: Some counties reported rain, but other were drying out because of high temperatures. Grain crops were maturing, and growers were planning to start harvesting soon. Cotton and soybean yields were expected be good this year.
EAST: Some parts of the region received up to 4 inches of rain. Other areas saw only scattered showers if any at all. Producers continued to harvest hay, but yields were about half the average. Harvesting of peas, beans, tomatoes, melons and produce was ongoing. Feral-hog activity increased. Grasshoppers became more of a problem. Large populations of horn flies were reported. Livestock were in fair to good condition.
FAR WEST: Cotton began to square, but the crop needed another rain. Dryland cotton was particularly stressed. Cotton growers were also having to deal with pests large and small, from thrips to grasshoppers to deer. Growers were harvesting spring wheat, and keeping a close eye on pecans for second a generation of pecan nut casebearer. Alfalfa growers were taking their third cutting. Chiles were blooming.
NORTH: Soil moisture ranged from very short to adequate. The region remained hot and dry with spotted showers in a few areas. In most of the region, crops, pastures and hay meadows were suffering from the heat and lack of rain. The first hay cutting of hay was completed. Yields were disappointing as stands were weakened by excessive moisture during the winter, a cool spring, then a lack of rain and, finally, grasshoppers. Hay producers reported baling about half of their normal yields. Some producers were already feeding stockpiled hay. Bermuda grass growth was slow. Corn was tasseling, and grain sorghum was heading. Both crops look fair to good, but could really use rain. Soybeans were in fair condition. The wheat harvest was completed with slightly below average yields. The oat harvest was also finished. Growers planted sunflowers. Cotton was in poor to good condition. Rice and peanut were reported to be in very poor condition. Livestock were in fair to good condition.
PANHANDLE: Soil moisture was adequate in most areas, but parts of the region were in need of rain. The wheat harvest was nearly completed in some counties, but it was delayed in a few counties because of evening showers. Producers reported average irrigated yields and widely ranging yields for dry land. Corn and cotton were rapidly growing thanks to daytime highs in the mid to upper 90s. Rangeland and cattle were in good condition in most of region.
ROLLING PLAINS: Early in the weather stayed hot and dry with triple-digit temperatures depleting what little soil moisture was present. However, rains later supplied much needed moisture. The wheat harvest was nearly complete. Cotton was emerged and looked good. Producers were spraying some early planted cotton with Roundup. Peanut producers reported a good crop. Grain Sorghum was heading out. Sudan fields vary depending on location, but most were in decent shape. Alfalfa was being baled. Rangeland and pastures were in excellent condition. Cattle and calves on pasture were in good condition. Grasshoppers were devouring pastures, yards and gardens.
SOUTH: Windy days and temperatures were 100 degrees and higher were drying out topsoil throughout the region. AgriLife Extension agents reported 50 percent adequate soil moisture in the north, and 80 to 100 percent short soil moisture in the eastern, western and southern sections of the region. Rangeland and pastures were beginning to turn brown, but livestock were still doing well without additional supplementation. In the northern part of the region, corn looked very good as it began to dent. Sweet corn was being harvested, peanut planting continued, and watermelon harvesting and hay baling were ongoing. In the eastern part of the region, corn and sunflowers were maturing, grain sorghum began to turn color and cotton was growing quickly. In the western part of the region, corn and sorghum matured and was in the drying phase, watermelon harvesting began, and producers were readying for the sorghum harvest. Also in that area, the onion and cabbage harvests wound down. In the southern part of the region, producers were busy irrigating sugarcane, citrus and cotton, the sugarcane harvest was nearly done, the harvests of watermelons and early planted grain sorghum were ongoing.
SOUTH PLAINS: Temperatures were in the mid to upper 90s. Isolated areas received ample rains while others saw none and continued to dry out. Soil moisture was short to adequate. Corn was in fair to good condition and nearing the tasseling stage. Cotton was in fair to good condition and was progressing well where there were recent rains and warm temperatures. Grain sorghum was in good condition and nearing the boot stage. The winter wheat harvest neared completion. Sunflowers and peas were planted. Pastures and rangeland were in fair to good condition. Livestock were in good to excellent condition.
SOUTHEAST: Rangeland and crops were doing well in some counties. Livestock were in good shape, and the hay situation improved. Showers late in the reporting period in some areas brought less than 1 inch of rain. Hot, dry conditions allowed for some hay harvesting. Pastures, hay fields and corn were stressed due to lack of rainfall in some
SOUTHWEST: The region received only a trace of rain from June 1 through June 28. The wheat harvest was finished. Corn and sorghum finished growing and drying down. The region needs some rain as mid-afternoon temperatures climb to near 100 degrees and high winds have desiccated other crops. The watermelon, cantaloupes and onion harvests were nearly completed. Cotton, potatoes, peanuts, pastures and rangeland made slow progress.Forage availability remains slightly above average for this time of the year thanks to earlier rains.
WEST CENTRAL: Days were hot, dry and windy, and nights were warm. A few areas received some rain, but most of the region remained very dry as soil-moisture levels rapidly declined. Crops were showing signs of heat and moisture stress. Producers were cutting and baling hay. The small-scale commercial vegetable harvests were under way. Spring annuals and grasses on rangeland and pasture were showing signs of heat stress. Vegetation was fading away with the extreme heat. Stock water tanks and ponds were drying out. Livestock remained in fair to good condition. Pecans were doing very well, and the peach harvest was ongoing, though the fruit has been small.