Low cotton yields in the South Plains of Texas
10/31/2024 12:00:00 AM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
AFFECTED AREAS:
Bailey County, TX
Borden County, TX
Castro County, TX
Cochran County, TX
Crosby County, TX
Dawson County, TX
Floyd County, TX
Gaines County, TX
Garza County, TX
Hale County, TX
Hockley County, TX
Lamb County, TX
Lubbock County, TX
Lynn County, TX
Mitchell County, TX
Parmer County, TX
Scurry County, TX
Swisher County, TX
Terry County, TX
Yoakum County, TX
Start Date: 10/1/2024
- End Date: 10/29/2024
Drought conditions continued for most South Plains counties. Some very brief showers were received in the southeastern part of the district this past weekend. Farmers continued to defoliate cotton and strip fields that were ready. Winter wheat was still being planted, but much of it had not emerged due to the very dry conditions. Cattle were in good condition.
AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Oct 29, 2024
Subsoil and topsoil moisture levels were declining in most areas of the South Plains due to a lack of recent rainfall. High temperatures were in the low 90s, and lows ranged from the mid-60s to low-70s. Wheat planting continued. Cotton was progressing and bolls were opening. Many irrigated cotton farmers started to apply defoliants to their fields. Some dryland fields could be defoliated and harvested, but yield returns were estimated to be less than a bale per acre. Armyworms continued to be a problem with several wheat fields experiencing major infestations. Pumpkins were still being harvested, and peanuts were nearing the end with producers expected to begin digging soon. Cattle were in good condition.
AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Oct 1, 2024
Sources