However, the reversal was a mixed blessing. With few exceptions, many counties reported the warm, windy weather acerbated already short to very short soil-moisture levels.
Though the previous hard freezes damaged crops, including wheat, oats and some vegetables, the ruling agricultural factor continued to be lack of rain.
[audio:http://agtoday.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/0223crop-weather-AUDIO.mp3|titles=0223crop-weather-AUDIO]2-minute MP3 version of this report
“Producers are still in a holding pattern from last week,” said Rick Auckerman, AgriLife Extension agent for Deaf Smith County, west of Amarillo. “We went from -7 to 77 degrees in one week’s time! Producers are trying to decide on some of their planting intentions, which will depend on how much rain that we receive this spring. Winter wheat pasture is slim to none at this point, so producers are hunting for any available pasture.”
“Conditions remain very dry with exceptionally warm temperatures,” said Tommy Yeater, AgriLife Extension agent for Howard County, Big Spring. “Extremely dry conditions and high winds have caused several grass fires in the county.”
“A warm, dry week with lots of sunshine has really provided a boost to the wheat crop,” said Heath Lusty, AgriLife Extension agent for Jack County, northeast of Fort Worth. “It’s starting to come on now with several inches of growth and a lot of green-up, which is providing much-needed grazing for producers. The downside to the weather is that high winds have created a rapid drying-out of grasses, making fire danger high.”
“Trinity County still needs rain,” said Armon Hewitt, AgriLife Extension agent for Trinity County, southwest of Lufkin. “We have not had enough rain to fill stock-water ponds. Most of the moisture we received on rangeland over the last few weeks is already gone. Winter pastures have not grown as fast as producers need them, even with the warmer weather. Many producers are bringing in hay from out-of-county.”
“It’s super dry,” said Arlan Gentry, AgriLife Extension agent for Ward County, north of Fort Stockton. “Mostly mild and warm temps this week, in the 80s. Pastures and range are extremely dry and brown; no weeds or winter grass.”
“The extreme cold has been replaced with unusually warm temperatures for the past week,” said Russell Kott, AgriLife Extension agent for Kimble County, northwest of San Antonio. “No moisture has been reported in the area, and none is expected. Producers with irrigation capabilities have seen winter hay grasses emerge, but little natural forage is available.”
“High spring winds have depleted soil moisture as planting of corn begins,” said Duane Campion, AgriLife Extension agent for San Patricio County, north of Corpus Christi. “There is sufficient moisture at this time, but rainfall will be needed before planting of cotton begins. Pastures have shown slight green-up from the recent freezing temperatures, but again, a lack of moisture is hindering pasture recovery.”
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:Central: Warmer temperatures and high winds quickly dried out topsoils. The warm temperatures promoted the growth of cool-season grasses, but ranchers still had to provide heavy supplemental feed. Farmers began planting corn. There was a hay shortage. Winter wheat rebounded from the freeze a week earlier. The freezing temperatures from the previous weeks apparently had a very negative effect on other small grains. Oats were the hardest hit; many fields were not expected to recover from the freeze.
Coastal Bend: The region had warm days, a little rain and high winds. Soil-moisture levels were short. Farmers were working fields in preparation for planting season. Corn planting was under way in some areas. Winter wheat looked fair, having survived the last two weeks of cold temperatures. Below-average rainfall and cold weather set back rangeland and pastures considerably, and producers continued to supplement livestock with forage and protein.
East: The region was dry, warm and windy for most of the reporting period. The warm weather jump-started the growth of ryegrass and winter forages. Warm-season grasses started to emerge. Cattle remained in fair to good condition. Producers were feeding hay and supplemental feed and dealing with spring calving. The improved weather allowed more field activity. Farmers were planting potatoes and vegetables.
Far West: Extremely dry conditions persisted, and burn bans were in effect. Several wildfires were reported. Frost damage on winter wheat from the previous week was reported. El Paso County had a 100-percent loss of some stands of recently germinated wheat as well as in young seedlings. Frost damage in fall-planted onions caused as much as 40-percent loss of stands in some areas. Alfalfa was set back by frost as well, but was expected to recover. Pecan trees remained dormant and freeze damage could not yet be evaluated. Orchards were being pruned and irrigated. Farmers were preparing fields for planting cotton, chiles and corn.
North: Soil moisture was adequate. Warmer weather with some sunshine and wind helped dry out fields after two weeks of below-freezing weather with snow and ice. Small grains, wheat and oats appeared to be recovering from the bad weather. Most of the fields that were earlier browned from freeze damage began to show signs of greening back up. Producers fertilized wheat and ryegrass fields. Some farmers began planting corn. Most ranchers turned cattle back in on winter pastures as soils dried enough to allow for grazing. Ryegrass began to green up, which will provide some much needed grazing. The milder weather helped relieve a lot of the stress on livestock, and they were in fair to good condition. However, more feed and hay had to be fed during the cold weather, leaving some ranchers with insufficient hay supplies for the rest of the winter if there is more bad weather. Rangeland and pasture conditions ranged from fair to very poor.
Panhandle: The region was warm and windy for the week. Soil-moisture levels were very short to short. The windy weather fanned wildfires throughout the area. Wheat was mostly poor. Rangeland was very poor to poor. Some farmers were preparing fields for spring planting. Ranchers continued supplemental feeding of livestock. Cattle were reported in good condition.
Rolling Plains: The weather was beautiful, but conditions remained extremely dry. Although the region received some moisture during the past few weeks, warmer weather and constant winds soon dried out soils. Some counties remained under a burn ban. Pastures and rangeland were able to support cattle, and ranchers continued to supplement livestock on a daily basis. The winter wheat crop was in very poor condition. In some counties, the only wheat stands remaining were those under irrigation. With high cattle prices, some producers chose to ship calves in order to reduce the grazing burden on remaining wheat. Farmers were beginning to prepare fields for the upcoming crop year. Because of high cotton prices, some producers plan to plant more of the crop. Currently, the hardest decision for producers is whether to continue in cotton-marketing pools, look into contracts or play the free market. Some producers were either preparing to plant or already planting sorghum.
South: Continuing dry weather kept rangeland and pastures in poor condition and forage quality low. As a result, livestock producers had to increase feeding of hay, range cubes and molasses. With high cattle prices, ranchers were lightly culling their herds. Cattle body-condition scores ranged from poor to fair and were declining. Soil-moisture levels remained short to very short throughout most of region, except for the southern counties where they remained adequate. In the northern part of the region, winter oats and wheat were turning yellow and appear to be stunted. Potato planting was completed in that area. Producers in the eastern parts of the region fertilized and applied herbicides. In the western part of the region, most of the spinach fields were in good condition despite the recent freeze. However, cabbage in that area was a total loss, and producers plowed up fields, hoping to replant by the middle of next week. Also in that area, producers were preparing fields for spring planting of corn, cotton and sorghum. Dryland producers planned to delay planting until they get rain. Spinach harvesting was active in the western counties, and onions and carrots progressed well under irrigation.
South Plains: Weather warmed, with a high of 85 degrees on Feb. 16. Soil moisture was very short to short. Producers irrigated fields to raise soil-moisture levels for spring planting. Cotton-field activity included applying fertilization, applying pre-emergent herbicides, shredding stalks and deep chiseling soils. Winter wheat was in need of moisture and in very poor to poor condition. Pastures and rangeland were in poor to fair condition. Livestock were in good condition with continued supplemental feeding.
Southeast: Parts of the region received limited rainfall; others none at all. Madison County was under a burn ban. Cloudy conditions slowed the recovery of cold-damaged winter annuals. Wheat continued to grow slowly due to lack of moisture. Spring land preparation continued but was limited by dry conditions.
Southwest: It was still too early to estimate the full extent of the damage done to young spinach, onions and cabbages by the early February freeze. The cabbage harvest resumed late in the second week of February, but spinach suffered damaged tops and had to be shredded. Producers hoped the spinach will regrow and make a harvestable crop. The region remained very dry, with total cumulative rainfall since Aug.1 about 35 percent of the long-term average for the same period. The August-to-date period was the second-driest on record. High winds aggravated the dry conditions and increased the incidence of roadside fires. Fields were ready for early spring planting, but dryland fields need rain soon to make planting possible. Pastures and rangeland remained winter-dormant. Forage availability was below average. Ranchers were busy with the calving/lambing/kidding season and repairing water lines broken by the freeze.
West Central: The region warmed after the record cold temperatures the week before. A few areas reported soil-moisture levels were improved by snowmelt, but in most areas, wheat and small-grain crops continued to suffer from lack of moisture. There was very little field activity because of the dry conditions. Stock-tank water levels continued to drop. Winter forage was limited, and producers continued supplemental feeding of livestock.
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