Drought hurt Texas peanut crop
12/13/2023 12:00:00 AM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
AFFECTED AREAS:
Comanche County, TX
Crosby County, TX
Floyd County, TX
Gaines County, TX
Garza County, TX
Hockley County, TX
Lamb County, TX
Lubbock County, TX
Lynn County, TX
Terry County, TX
Wilbarger County, TX
Start Date: 6/1/2023
- End Date: 12/13/2023
In spite of extreme drought, peanut production in Texas was forecast at 656 million pounds, an increase of 100% over last year, according to the November USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service report. Peanut yields were expected to reach 3,200 pounds per acre, an increase of 400 pounds more than the previous season.
Although 205,000 acres of peanuts were expected to be harvested this year, nearly 14,000 acres of the 230,000 peanut acres in Texas were lost to dry, hot conditions. Irrigation was needed for good pod and peanut development, so dryland growers had a rough year.
Texas Farm Bureau (Waco), Dec 13, 2023
Two consecutive years of drought hurt the Texas peanut crop. Irrigation was needed to grow a crop with average yields per acre. The season was a rough one for those unable to provide enough water for the crop. Drought also slowed production, and the peanuts needed more time to mature.
AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Nov 14, 2023
Sources
