COLLEGE STATION — Crop and forage production has “pretty much shut down” due to severe to exceptional drought conditions, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service statewide crop expert.

“If you look at the U.S. drought monitor, about 26 percent of the state of Texas is an exceptional drought,” said Dr. Travis Miller, AgriLife Extension program leader and associate department head of the soil and crop sciences department, College Station.

“Exceptional,” means it is a one-in-50-year occurrence, Miller explained.
[audio:http://today.agrilife.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/0510crop-weather-AUDIO.mp3|titles=2-minute MP3 audio version of this report]2-minute MP3 audio version of this report

Much of the rest of the state was in what’s classified as moderate, severe, or extreme drought. The distinctions are being based largely on how much damage and losses are expected to crops, forage production, livestock and water sources, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor classification scheme, details of which can be found at http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/classify.htm .

There were scattered pockets — mainly in north central Texas — that got some substantial rain a few weeks ago, Miller noted.

“But statewide, it’s a pretty grim picture,” he said. “And it’s not just Texas; it’s New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and parts of Arkansas. It’s an exceptional drought across a big area.”

Corn along the Gulf Coast is stunted and tasselling early, Miller said. “It’s in a lot trouble.”

Blacklands/Central Texas corn, though planted later, is in much the same shape, he said.

“We’re seeing leaves twisting (from heat/moisture stress) by midday,” he said.

Much of the Texas wheat crop has failed as well, Miller said.

“Probably in the order of 50 to 60 percent of the wheat crop won’t be harvested,” he said.

From a national standpoint, Texas is a “minor player” in feed grains, he said. But Texas typically plants about half the cotton acreage in the U.S., so a large-scale crop failure there could have an impact on prices, Miller said.

Cotton is typically planted later than corn, and cotton growers ran into dry soil conditions as the planting window opened. As a result, Miller said, a very small percentage of the total cotton crop, under 20 percent, has been planted to date.

“The High Plains is right in the middle of their planting season,” he said. “They normally plant up to the first week of June. The dryland farmers are waiting for rain. The irrigated farmers have spent a lot of money and pumped a lot of water, and we’re seeing some planting in irrigated conditions.”

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

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:

Central: Parts of the region received rain while others were passed over. Overall, the region remained dry. Pastures and hay fields showed very little growth. Corn was wilting. Livestock producers were considering baling their corn for hay. Stock-water tanks were very low, leaving producers the choice of hauling water or selling cattle.

Coastal Bend: Hot, dry and windy conditions prevailed. The region has had no measurable rainfall since late January. Many corn and grain sorghum fields were failing. Cotton that was dry-planted may germinate if rain is received. The condition of pastures was declining, and producers were either feeding cattle hay or selling them. Livestock water became an issue as more ponds dried up.

East: Most counties reported light rains, but much more was needed to turn back the drought. Dry, windy weather contributed to low soil-moisture levels. Very little hay has been produced. Producers across the area were expected to begin culling herds aggressively because of lack of hay and low stock-water pond levels. Some producers fertilized their pastures after rains. Livestock were in fair to good condition. Feral hog damage was reported. Grasshoppers were seen in pastures and hay fields.

Far West: The region was hot and dry with burn bans still in effect. Wildfires remained burning in Brewster and Howard counties. Soils remained extremely dry and forage is poor to non-existent. Pecan pollination began. Pecan nut case bearer moths were found in traps during the first week of May. The first cutting of alfalfa was completed. Fall-planted onions were in the bulb-formation stage. Dryland farmers were waiting for rain before planting cotton. Farmers with irrigation capacity were delaying planting because of high winds.

North: Soil-moisture levels were mostly adequate in parts of the region. Mild temperatures and sunshine following good rains allowed crops and pastures to progress well. Some areas reported from 3 to 5 inches of rain and nighttime temperatures in the 40s. Cooler temperatures slowed forage growth for a few days. Corn and grain sorghum planting neared completion, and both crops were expected to do very well in the weeks to come with the improved soil-moisture levels where rain was received. Pastures and hay crops were expected to start growing again also. Cotton planting was ongoing. Rice, however, was in very poor condition. Wheat matured very early and producers begin cutting it and ryegrass for hay. The condition of livestock improved, but producers continued to sell cattle due to high sale-barn prices and possible hay shortages. Feral hogs continued to be a major problem.

Panhandle: The region was hot, rainless and windy. The danger of wildfire remained high. Most corn planting was finished. Farmers were steadily irrigating to keep up with the water demand of crops. Planting of cotton, and peanuts was ongoing. Rangeland was in very poor condition. There was very little green-up in pastures. Cattle were in good condition with continual supplemental feeding.

Rolling Plains: Some areas received from a few tenths of an inch to 2 inches of rain, but overall the region remained dry. Temperatures hovering near 100 degrees and high winds dissipated much of the received moisture. Ranchers were providing supplemental feed to livestock on a daily basis. Some began to sell livestock due to the lack of grazing. On some dryland farms, producers readied to prepare fields for the upcoming crop year only to find the ground was too hard to plow. Some producers stated that if they did not receive a rain soon, they would just plant on flat ground instead of listing, therefore minimizing the number of trips across the field. With high fuel prices, more and more producers were looking at this option. Wheat producers were expected to begin harvesting within the next week to 10 days. In some counties hay is in short supply, and producers were not planting Sudan because of dry conditions. Wildfires were contained, and no new ones were reported. Burn bans remained in effect for most counties.

South: The drought was ongoing, and soil moisture conditions remained very short. Condition of crops, rangeland, pastures and livestock continued to be of great concern. Farmers began harvesting potatoes, wheat, oats and sweet corn, and preparing to pre-water peanut fields before planting. Also in that part of the region, corn crops were in the tassel stage, and cotton was near the squaring stage. Cloudy and cooler than normal conditions in the Kleberg and Kenedy counties area provided relief to some crops, whereas in Jim Wells County, field crops further declined at a rapid rate. In the Zavala County area, extremely dry conditions got the onion harvest off to a good start, and cabbage harvesting was ongoing. Also in that area, farmers were irrigating corn, cotton and grain sorghum. Watermelons and cantaloupes made good progress. In the Hidalgo County area, vegetable and citrus harvesting wound down. Grain sorghum was plowed under at the request of crop insurance adjusters in western Hidalgo County. In Willacy County, sorghum turned color, and cotton began to flower. Ranchers were pulling calves off at lighter weights to help alleviate already stressed cows. They were thinning herds as much as possible due to poor rangeland and pasture conditions, a limited supply of hay and lack of water in stock tanks.

South Plains: The region continued to be very dry, windy and hot. Planting was slow to be started, and then only in irrigated fields. Most farmers were waiting for rain — and the potential for freezing weather to pass. Temperatures in Lubbock County ranged from a low on May 3 of 32 degrees to a high on May 7 of 99 degrees. There was possible freeze-damage to wheat crops in Bailey County on May 3. Livestock producers were still providing supplemental feed because lack of rain has kept spring grass from emerging. Early planted crops showed little growth. Dryland conditions are such that any field operations would cause soil erosion from incessant winds. Pre-irrigation of fields for planting continued with little headway gained. Producers were hard pressed to stop soil erosion. Those with drip irrigation were row-watering to try to get enough moisture to plant. Most counties were still under burn bans; the threat of wildfire remained very high.

Southeast: Extremely dry conditions and lack of forages forced many producers to make large sell-offs of cattle. Winter annuals completely dried down in some counties. Summer grasses showed no growth and were predicted to die soon. Trees were shedding leaves to conserve moisture. Pastures continued to decline. Cattle were being fed hay and supplements, but supplies were running short. Nearly all grain sorghum was planted and the crop looked good.

Southwest: Some areas received rain, but overall the region remained very dry. Oct. 1 through April 30 was the driest period on record, the region only getting about 10 percent of the long-term average cumulative rainfall for the period. The region remained on red-alert status as unseasonably hot temperatures, dry forages and high, dry winds continued to trigger roadside and field fires. San Antonio was still in Stage I water rationing, and authorities were considering moving it into Stage II. Uvalde banned daylight-landscape irrigation. Irrigated spring wheat was drying down. Most dryland wheat and oats, as well as most other dryland spring crops, had failed. Irrigated corn, sorghum, peanuts, sunflower and cotton, fruits, nuts, sod, watermelons, green beans, potatoes, sweet corn, and nursery crops made good progress under heavy irrigation. The harvesting of cabbage and lettuce wound down. The spinach harvest was finished. The onion and sweet-corn harvests were just getting started. Pastures and rangeland grasses remained dormant due to drought conditions. Forage availability was below average, and livestock that had not been sold required supplemental feed.

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