Texas Crop Weather Issue: TX-CW4009 Released: October 5, 2009 For the week of: September 28 - October 4, 2009 Cooperating Agencies: Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Department of Agriculture, National Weather Service Agricultural Summary: Scattered showers were observed across much of the state. The eastern and southern parts of the state received the most rain with up to 2 to 6 inches in isolated areas. Low lying areas of the Northern High Plains experienced freezing conditions. Winter wheat planting continued, cool temperatures slowed cotton maturity, and corn harvest made good progress in the Northern High Plains. Recent rainfall improved wheat growing conditions in the Northern Plains. Wheat planting was in full-swing in the Cross Timbers. Producers sprayed defoliant on cotton in the Northern Low Plains. Cotton received adequate moisture for boll development in the Edwards Plateau. Cotton harvest continued in southern areas of the state. Cotton ginning continued in South Texas. Sorghum harvest neared completion in the northern part of the state. Soybeans were dropping leaves in North East Texas. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to decline due to improved pasture conditions. Range and pastures progressed well due to the recent rainfall across most of the state. Top soil moisture was mostly short to adequate across the state. Field Crops Report Small Grains: Winter wheat planting continued in the Northern High Plains. Recent rainfall improved wheat growing conditions in the Northern Plains. Wheat planting was in full-swing in the Cross Timbers. Army worms caused early-planted wheat and oats to suffer in the Blacklands. Cotton: In the Northern High Plains, cool temperatures slowed cotton maturity. Producers sprayed defoliant on cotton in the Northern Low Plains. Cotton received adequate moisture for boll development in the Edwards Plateau. Cotton harvest continued in southern areas of the state. Cotton ginning continued in South Texas. Cotton condition was mostly fair to good statewide. Corn: Corn harvest made good progress in the Northern High Plains, however, some producers were waiting for drier conditions to continue harvest. Corn condition was mostly fair to good statewide. Sorghum: Cool temperatures delayed sorghum maturity in the Northern High Plains. Sorghum harvest neared completion in the northern part of the state. Sorghum condition was mostly very poor to fair statewide. Peanuts: Producers were digging peanuts in parts of the Northern Low Plains. Peanuts progressed well in the Southern Low Plains. Peanut condition was mostly fair to good statewide. Rice: Rice condition was mostly fair to good statewide. Soybeans: Soybean harvest was active in the Northern High Plains. Soybeans were dropping leaves in North East Texas and the Upper Coast. Soybean condition was mostly poor to fair statewide. Fruit, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Report Chilies were mostly red and drying as harvest neared in the Trans-Pecos. Sesame and sunflowers continued to dry as harvest neared. Spinach planting was active and cabbage progressed well in South Texas. Fall vegetable planting continued in the Lower Valley. Pecans: Pecan development made good progress in the Blacklands. In the Trans-Pecos, Pawnee pecan cultivar harvest was active and the Western pecan shell was in the hardening stage. Pecan shuck split was active in the Edwards Plateau. Livestock, Range and Pasture Report Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to decline due to improved pasture conditions. Stock tank levels in some areas of the state continued to be replenished due to the recent rainfall. Some hay was still being cut and baled in localized areas of the state. Producers were increasing hay supplies for the winter months in the Northern High Plains. Army worms caused damage to hay meadows and pastures across most of the state. Range and pastures improved due to the recent rainfall across most of the state. Range and pasture condition was mostly fair to good statewide. Crop Progress Table - October 4, 2009 --------------------------------------------------------- Percent Crop Stage --------------------------- 2009 2008 Avg 2004-2008 --------------------------------------------------------- Corn Mature 92 87 96 Harvested 72 68 79 Cotton Setting Bolls 99 100 100 Bolls Opening 60 60 65 Harvested 17 19 22 Peanuts Harvested 32 12 12 Rice Harvested 99 99 99 Sorghum Headed 100 100 100 Coloring 87 84 91 Mature 69 71 78 Harvested 67 70 70 Soybeans Dropping Leaves 86 94 94 Harvested 61 81 77 Sunflowers Harvested 19 44 47 Winter Wheat Planted 53 52 54 Emerged 28 24 26 Oats Planted 56 42 43 ========================================================= Crop Condition Table - October 4, 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Percent Index 1/ Crop ------------------------------------------ ----------- Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor 2009 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corn 6 31 24 14 25 54 59 Cotton 9 30 28 17 16 59 66 Peanuts 17 61 22 0 0 87 81 Rice 10 30 39 9 12 64 80 Sorghum 3 20 38 16 23 49 67 Soybeans 3 21 47 26 3 57 57 Range & Pasture 8 28 36 19 9 - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ The formula for the condition index is I = (5V + 25P + 60F + 90G + 110E)/100 where I = crop condition Index and V, P, F,G, E = percentage of crop rated very poor, poor, fair, good, excellent. ========================================================================== Top Soil Moisture by District - October 4, 2009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Percent of Acreage by District * Condition --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-N 1-S 2-N 2-S 3 4 5-N 5-S 6 7 8-N 8-S 9 10-N 10-S ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very Short 4 15 5 2 2 0 0 7 22 13 7 21 8 2 32 Short 67 66 42 34 6 2 4 19 52 25 26 24 31 9 6 Adequate 29 18 53 61 90 80 65 49 26 60 59 53 46 87 27 Surplus 0 1 0 3 2 18 31 25 0 2 8 2 15 2 35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * High Plains: 1-N, 1-S; Low Rolling Plains: 2-N, 2-S; North Central Texas: 3, 4; East Texas: 5-N, 5-S. Trans-Pecos: 6; Edwards Plateau: 7; South Central Texas: 8-N, 8-S; Upper Coast: 96; South Texas: 10-N; Lower Valley: 10-S. ==================================================================================================== Weather Information Table 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous National Previous Week Month-to-Date Year-to-Date Annual Three Months Weather Service Accumulation Accumulation Accumulation Normal Percent of Normal Climatic Divisions 2/ (Sep 28 - Oct 4) (Sep 1 - 30) (Jan 1 - Oct 4) (1971 - 2000) (Jun - Aug) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- High Plains 0.04 1.19 13.00 19.64 104 Low Rolling Plains 0.22 2.74 16.19 24.51 97 North Central Texas 1.20 5.45 24.27 35.23 79 East Texas 3.99 6.90 32.55 48.08 73 Trans-Pecos 0.29 1.04 7.80 13.19 84 Edwards Plateau 0.59 3.34 14.26 24.73 54 South Central Texas 2.09 4.91 14.16 36.21 18 Upper Coast 3.07 4.82 23.55 50.31 39 South Texas 0.52 4.28 8.75 24.08 13 Lower Valley 0.35 5.90 10.68 25.43 29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average of all stations reporting precipitation data. 2/ High Plains: 1-N, 1-S; Low Rolling Plains: 2-N, 2-S; North Central Texas: 3, 4; East Texas: 5-N, 5-S. Trans-Pecos: 6; Edwards Plateau: 7; South Central Texas: 8-N, 8-S; Upper Coast: 9; South Texas: 10-N; Lower Valley: 10-S. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more weather information, please visit the following web sites: www.srh.noaa.gov/rfcshare/precip_analysis_new.php and www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html =============================================================================================================