http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Weather was mostly hot and dry in the Rolling Plains, but some areas did receive rain. Areas reported between 0.5-3 inches of rainfall. The rain will not help many dryland cotton acres, but grazing should improve on rangeland and pastures. Tank water levels improved in areas that received rain. More rain was in the forecast. The moisture should also help as wheat planting nears. Producers will likely plow and prepare wheat and oat fields for planting as soon as fields dry enough. Cotton was blooming, and sorghum was turning color. Corn and sorghum harvests were complete in some areas, and yields were low. Rangeland and pasture conditions should improve in areas that received rainfall, and runoff should improve water levels in tanks, lakes and reservoirs. Cattle were being fed supplements or sold, but the rainfall should improve forage growth. Recovery in rangelands and pastures could take some time in some areas. Sudan grass and haygrazer fields burned up under the arid conditions. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Aug 23, 2022 Soil moisture was short in the Rolling Plains, but some isolated showers were reported. Temperatures reached 105 degrees. Haygrazer and cotton were planted. Some fields were lost to drought and heat already. Irrigated fields were doing well with dryland fields suffering. Corn and sorghum were suffering, but some sorghum fields looked average and were starting to head out. Cinch bugs and minor worm pressure was growing in sorghum. Some producers were cutting corn and sorghum fields for silage. Dryland cotton had mostly failed. Irrigated cotton was struggling and in poor to fair condition. Smartweed borer moths and flea hoppers were noted in irrigated cotton. Grasshoppers were everywhere. Rangeland and pasture conditions were fair, but livestock tanks needed runoff rainfall to recharge. Cattle were receiving supplemental feed. Culling continued. Coastal Bermuda grass fields were browning under heat and drought. Hay bales were $75-$90 in the field and $90-$130 delivered. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), July 12, 2022 Extreme heat dried out soil moisture. Daytime temperatures reached beyond 100 degrees. Sudan grass looked good but was starting to die back. Some crop fields were burned up and needed to be plowed under. Wind, heat and drought were taking a toll on the few acres of cotton that emerged. Corn and sorghum fields were declining weekly in some areas, and yields were expected to suffer. Cattle were being fed cake and supplemental feed. Bermuda grass fields had some green, but grasses were dry. Most of the hay fields were cut and baled, but producers will be lucky to get two cuttings based on their condition. Hay supplies were tight and expensive. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), June 28, 2022 Small amounts of moisture were received in the Rolling Plains, and heat was increasing. High winds caused some damage to buildings. Livestock producers were still dealing with drought conditions and worsening rangelands and pastures. Wheat was mostly harvested. Dryland wheat in Wilbarger County produced 11-13 bushels per acre with one field producing 40 bushels per acre. Irrigated fields produced around 50 bushels per acre. Fields were dry, and sand was blowing in high winds. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), June 14, 2022 Conditions were very hot and windy. A wildfire in Baylor and Wilbarger counties burned 25,000 acres. Cotton planting began on irrigated acres, but very little fieldwork was done overall. Planted corn and sorghum looked decent but needed rain. Pasture conditions were declining. Stocker cattle were being slowly pulled off pasture as resources were becoming scarce. Some wheat fields were cut and baled, and yields were 30% below normal. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), May 24, 2022