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The average daytime and nighttime temperatures in Far West Texas were 90 degrees and 70 degrees, respectively. Rainfall reports were between trace amounts to 5.5 inches, with some flooding reported in western parts of the district. Storm systems were expected to continue moving through the district over the next week as well. Corn and sorghum harvests were completed, but yields were very disappointing. Cotton was starting to square, and the rain and cooler temperatures should help plants recover from heat and drought stress. Irrigated haygrazer progressed rapidly over recent weeks. Wheat plantings should emerge shortly to take advantage of any moisture. This may allow cattle to be kept a bit longer and hopefully avoid being shipped. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Aug 23, 2022 Extremely high temperatures, high winds and no moisture were taking a toll on newly emerging cotton fields. A severe dust storm left many fields with tattered leaves and sand burn which set the late crop back even further. Most farmers were having to replant. Recent moisture helped green up in pastures. Corn was beginning to tassel and with the heat pollination is in question. Pastures were bare of any grass, and ranchers continued to supplement livestock diets heavily. Wildlife was receiving supplemental feed as well. All wheat was harvested, but yields were light. There were reports of dead trees. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), June 14, 2022 Conditions remained dry, hot and windy. Temperatures reached 109 degrees. Extreme fire dangers existed all week. High winds caused wind erosion. There were reports of dying plant life, including trees. Producers were not happy with soil moisture levels, and emergence was questionable. Corn fields will start sharing water with cotton soon, so rainfall will be necessary for corn to make decent yields. Pastures remained completely bare of any forage, and producers were selling livestock at a high rate due to poor conditions. Deer feeding in ditches continue to be a hazard for drivers. Deer were expected to become a severe problem in cotton as it begins to emerge. Livestock producers were feeding supplements and heavy hay rations. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), May 24, 2022 Temperatures in Far West Texas were brutally hot with high winds causing soil moisture to evaporate quickly. More rain and irrigation moisture were evaporating than fields could absorb. There were reports of dead grasses and trees. Corn was beginning to show stress. Pastures were generally bare, and cattle were becoming scarce. Livestock were being fed more cubes due to decreased pasture quality. Producers continued to feed livestock and wildlife. Irrigation water in the lower valley was limited to City of El Paso effluent water and some lower-quality well water. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), May 10, 2022 Dry and windy conditions persisted, and wildfire threats remained extremely high. Winds with 40 mph gusts slowed fieldwork due to visibility issues. Most fieldwork halted as growers waited for some significant rain before doing any more land preparation. Rangeland conditions continued to deteriorate in southern areas but were greening up in northern parts of the district. Livestock were getting expensive to feed. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 26, 2022 No rain was reported in Far West Texas amid extremely dry and windy conditions. No cotton was planted yet, and growers were not optimistic about the crop due to dry conditions. More producers were turning off their irrigation water and most will not irrigate this season. What little corn that was planted was showing mixed conditions at this point with a portion looking very good and other fields looking poor with nonuniform emergence. Andrews County lost approximately 6,500 acres of rangeland to wildfire. Livestock producers were providing heavy rations of supplemental hay and feed due to poor grazing conditions. Many pastures were completely bare of grass. Many ranchers were evaluating herds for culling. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 19, 2022 Conditions remained dry in Far West Texas. Rangeland conditions continued to deteriorate in drier areas. Only irrigated wheat remained. A few producers who were pre-watering fields have already shut off wells because pivots were not adding soil moisture. Producers were having a very difficult time getting corn to emerge on irrigated ground, and many were considering abandoning the crop. Some wheat and oats under irrigation were expected to be cut and baled. Ranchers were considering culling herds soon without rain. Cattle continued to be sold due to the price of feed and reduced availability. Pastures were bare, with no weeds or grass present. Producers were worried about potential herd consolidation due to drought. Alfalfa fields and pecan orchards continued to receive irrigation. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 12, 2022 Blowing sand was piling up in Far West Texas due to extremely high winds. Corn acres were down significantly due to lack of moisture and irrigation availability. Sorghum planting should begin soon, however, acres may decline as well. Fieldwork for cotton slowed down as most producers were afraid of disturbing the soil due to the high winds. More growers were shutting the irrigation off because they could not get the soil wet enough to work or plant, but some continued watering fields. Farmers around El Paso were relying on well water and effluent from the city. Cattle were in fair condition, but producers continued to cull herds due to the lack of grazing and high feed costs. A wildfire burned for two days covering approximately 650 acres in the northern part of Jeff Davis County. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 5, 2022 Conditions in Far West Texas were windy with no precipitation. Rangeland conditions were extremely dry. Only irrigated wheat fields remained. Pre-irrigation for cotton continued, and some pecan orchards and alfalfa fields were receiving water as well. The Lower Valley was being irrigated with effluent from the City of El Paso, some private wells, and some El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 wells. Water quality issues were a problem during this critical time. The Upper Valley was irrigating crops with private wells, but the water quality was very good. Some fires reached West Texas, and due to the high winds, ranchers were forced to move the cattle to different sections of their ranches. Producers continued to feed wildlife and livestock. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 29, 2022 The lack of precipitation, strong winds and blowing sand reduced visibility in Far West Texas at times to less than an eighth of a mile. Conditions made it hard for ranchers to work cattle. There were reports of high winds damaging crops and water systems plus evaporating much of the soil moisture from pre-irrigated fields. Very little fieldwork was being done as producers tried to limit input costs. Area cow/calf producers were working calves and selling more livestock, especially cattle, due to cost-prohibitive supplemental feeding. Many fires had broken out, including one that burned around 4,000 acres. Rangeland conditions were poor. Pre-irrigation for row crop fields continued, including some irrigation for pecan orchards and remaining alfalfa. Irrigation in portions of the Lower Valley was effluent/treated sewage from the City of El Paso, El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 wells and some private wells. Water was scheduled to be released from Elephant Butte Reservoir in late May, which would deliver water to El Paso County in early June. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 22, 2022 Extreme drought conditions continued in Far West Texas. Blowing sand was starting to cover roads due to high winds and lack of cover crops. Livestock producers were supplemental feeding with protein and hay. Rangelands continued to decline with no precipitation. Pre-irrigation continued in the Rio Grande Valley, mainly for Pima and upland cotton. Some alfalfa and pecan orchards were being irrigated. More planted cotton acres were expected due to higher cotton prices. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 15, 2022 Conditions were dry with no rainfall. The district went 200 days since the last rain of 0.5 of an inch or more. There was no wheat, and pastures were bare. A few growers turned on their irrigation wells. Irrigated acres may be down considerably this year, especially considering the high cost of inputs. Summer forages were still dormant. Producers were supplementing all livestock with hay and grain. Ranchers were selling more cattle weekly including breeding stock. Parts of the lower valley received effluent water from the City of El Paso via the irrigation district. The upper valley will rely on wells for pre-irrigation of row crops, alfalfa and pecans. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 8, 2022 Dry conditions continued in Far West Texas with many counties having issues with visibility due to high winds and blowing sand. Pasture and rangeland conditions were very poor. Winter wheat was also in very poor condition. Producers were spraying to keep insects away from crops, but others were waiting for rain before starting. A few producers started irrigating soil but will shut wells off if rain does not come soon. Pastures continued to be bare. Cattle producers were reducing stocking rates and increasing supplemental feed rations. More cattle were being sold. Water levels at Elephant Butte reservoir were low as they were last year. Although Pima cotton prices were very high this year, very little cotton was expected to be planted due to severe drought conditions. AgriLife (College Station, Texas), March 2, 2022 Small portions of the district received trace amounts of rain, but most areas do not have enough moisture for cover crops or to sand fight. Heavy winds were received with power outages reported. Drought conditions continued and growers were trying to decide what to do this summer. A few producers began to pre-water fields for the upcoming cotton crop. Most producers were not going to irrigate until significant rainfall improves subsoil moisture. Wheat was nearly non-existent with only a couple of irrigated fields that have not failed. The irrigated wheat was in very poor condition as irrigation was limited. Wheat was behind this year, but remaining fields have begun to joint. Stocking rates were extremely low, and some producers were culling deeper to reduce supplemental feed requirements. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 24, 2022 Far West Texas had a very small amount of irrigated wheat that had not grown much due to cold temperatures and a lack of moisture. Pastures were completely bare of forage for livestock. Cattle were looking thin, and producers were still feeding them heavy rations. They also continued to sell off cull cows and younger calves at lighter weights. A few producers were considering reducing herd size due to high feed costs. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 15, 2022 Far West Texas remained extremely dry. Wheat seeds may germinate if the ground warms back up, but more moisture will be necessary to sustain the crop. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 8, 2022 No dryland wheat in Far West Texas had emerged, and irrigated wheat only came up directly above drip tapes. Pastures were bare of grass and forage for cattle. Producers continued to sell off calves and poorer cows. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 1, 2022 Far West Texas was warm and dry. Wheat conditions worsened. About 5% of planted fields emerged, and dryland fields that emerged were dead. Irrigated wheat on drip systems had not emerged between the tapes. Growers who dug ditches to install new drip irrigation said there was no moisture up to 6 feet in ground depth. Rangeland and pastures were very hard and dry. Cattle were receiving supplemental feed, and more producers were thinning herds due to lack of forages and high feed costs. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Jan 25, 2022