According to the Palmer Drought Index, much of East Texas remains in a moderate drought situation. The Palmer Drought Index is based on precipitation, temperature and historic data, and is the main drought index used by the U.S. government.
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Conditions varied county-to-county, according to AgriLife Extension county agent reports.
“We are getting some rain. Wood County got 1.5 to 3 inches this past week,” said Clint Perkins, AgriLife Extension agent for the county, located north of Tyler. “It has helped. We are still short from last year’s deficit, but on track for this year.”
“Cold temperatures again,” said Chad Gulley, AgriLife Extension agent for Nacogdoches County, north of Lufkin. “Soil moisture has improved with the cold fronts bringing rain lately, but we are still not out of the drought. Winter forage is growing with the recent rains.”
“Cattle are beginning to show the effects of hay shortages and colder temperatures,” said Aaron Low, AgriLife Extension agent for Cherokee County, south of Tyler. “Recent rainfall has helped improve the drought conditions some.”
“We’ve had some timely rains in north central Texas, but it’s still falling well below what we should get this time of this year,” said Mark Fox, climatologist with the National Weather Service, Dallas/Ft. Worth region.
But considering it’s a La Niña year, precipitation has been “right on target” with what is expected, he said.
However, a La Niña year also usually means a warmer-than-normal winter, and that has not been the case this year, Fox said.
There is a lot of conjecture as to what’s causing the colder than normal temperatures for a La Niña year, Fox said, but it’s just that – conjecture.
But as far as the droughty winter, “we’ve seen this pattern many times before,” he said.
“The temperatures start to cool down out in the Pacific Ocean, and this gives us a lot less precipitation across Texas. Pretty much right now, it’s falling right in line with what we would see with a normal La Niña year.”
Fox noted that precipitation patterns are already starting to return to normal.
“We’re definitely going to be looking at a wetter pattern coming up March, April and May,” he said.
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:Central: The pecan harvest wound down. Corn, cotton and sorghum growers were preparing and fertilizing fields for spring plantings. December rains caused some ryegrass, wheat and oats to emerge. Winter feeding of cattle was in full swing as cold, wet weather increased the need for supplementation.
Coastal Bend: Soil-moisture levels greatly improved, and winter pastures improved in response. Cattlemen continued to feed hay and supplements. Field work was slowed because of wet conditions. Farmers were pre-ordering seed and planning cropping systems.
East: Although rain — as much as 4.5 inches in some counties — improved soil-moisture levels, the area remained in a moderate to severe drought. Rain helped existing winter pastures, and it was hoped it would jump start those that have been slow to grow. Hay and supplemental feeding increased due to cold, wet conditions. Hay supplies were short. Without winter pastures, some producers were at risk of not having enough hay to get through the winter. Some producers were buying alfalfa from other areas. Cattle and livestock were in good to fair condition. One exception noted was in Henderson County where there was an increase in respiratory disease in young calves. Stock-pond levels improved, but were still low in most areas. In areas where conditions allowed, farmers were preparing fields to plant spring vegetables, fruit trees and other crops.
Far West: Very dry conditions with high fire danger persisted. Fall-planted onions came out of dormancy and re-initiated growth. Alfalfa was still dormant. Growers were pruning pecan trees. Farmers were preparing fields for spring planting of cotton and chiles, and shredding cotton stalks.
North: Soil-moisture levels were mostly adequate. Cold weather continued, and snow and rain left most fields much too wet for any field work. The precipitation raised topsoil moisture levels, but it came too late for most winter pastures. Some pastures did perk up, however. Livestock ponds were recharged by the rains; some were almost full. Despite stress from cold, wet weather, livestock were in fair to good condition. Wet fields made winter feeding of cattle difficult. Some producers were looking for hay to buy. The pecan harvest was completed. Winter wheat was in fair to good condition. Rangeland and pastures were in very poor to good condition. Feral hogs continued to be a major problem.
Panhandle: The region was dry and windy with isolated reports of snow. Soil moisture was mostly short. Producers were preparing for spring plantings. Wheat varied from very poor to good with most reporting fair to poor. Rangeland and pasture were in very poor to good condition, with most counties reporting poor condition. Cattle were in fair to good condition. Temperature swings stressed animals. Livestock producers continued supplemental feeding. The danger of wildfire remained high.
Rolling Plains: The region remained extremely dry. Temperatures warmed up in the middle of the reporting period but cooled off at the end. The cotton harvest was completed with good yields and high prices reported. Many producers kept busy shredding stalks and plowing fields. Small-grain fields needed moisture. Despite the cold conditions, greenbug populations were building in some counties. Livestock were in fair to good condition as ranchers were providing supplemental feed daily and weaning calves earlier than usual, hoping to take some stress off mother cows. Stock-tank levels continued to drop. Wildfire danger was very high. Feral hogs in Dickens County were targeted by plane and helicopter. Approximately 200 head were killed.
South: The region received from 2 to 4 inches of rain, replenishing soil moisture for rangeland and pastures. Reports of adequate soil moisture conditions came in from counties in the northern, eastern and southern parts of the region, while the western counties still reported short to very short levels. With the rain came cold weather, which continued to suppress forage production in many areas. Frio County reported a hard freeze but with no crop damage. Winter wheat and oats were responding well. In the western parts of the region, young spinach got a slight case of tip burn due to a hard freeze, but it was expected to recover. Also in that area, harvesting of spinach, fresh-market spinach and cabbage continued. Onions, wheat and oats were progressing well. Livestock producers were steadily supplying supplemental feed, and cattle remained in fair condition.
South Plains: Dry conditions continued across the region with brisk winds and low temperatures. The region has had no measurable precipitation since October. Soil moisture was very short to short. Because of low soil-moisture conditions, there has been limited field work done to prepare land for spring planting. Winter wheat was in poor to fair condition and continued to struggle due to lack of moisture. Pastures and rangeland were in poor to fair condition. Livestock were in mostly good condition and supplemental feeding continues.
Southeast: In some areas, showers improved winter annual grasses in pastures, but low temperatures hindered substantial growth.
Southwest: The region received about 0.5-1 inch of much-needed rain during the last four weeks, but it remains very dry with cumulative rainfall since Aug. 1 of about 50 percent of the long-term average for the same period. Cold weather helped to conserve the limited moisture available, but high, dry, northerly winds created dust clouds, drying soils and sand- blasting young, tender spinach, cabbage, onions and other winter vegetables. Growers had dryland fields ready for early spring planting, but more rain was needed soon to make that possible. Pastures and rangeland were in winter dormancy, and forage availability was below average. The cabbage and spinach harvests were ongoing.
West Central: Most of the region had very windy conditions and was colder. The cotton harvest was complete. Extremely dry conditions continued to take a toll on wheat and oats. There was very little field activity due to dry soils. Some producers were shredding cotton stalks or plowing fields. Producers increased supplemental feeding of livestock. Cows were calving, and lambs and goats were kidding. The pecan harvest was nearly completed.
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