Round bale, square bale or no bale, limited moisture has caused the state's hay fields to produce less-than-normal harvests, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

Dr. Travis Miller of College Station, Extension state agronomist, said widespread lack of rain is affecting the east, south and central portions of Texas

"Hay cuttings have been drastically reduced over much of these regions," he said. Dr. Billy Warrick of San Angelo, Extension agronomist, said the estimated yield in West Central Texas will be about half of what is considered normal.

"For the annual forage sorghum, a yield of 1.5 tons per acre would be good for this year," he said. However, he estimates only 40 percent of growers will reach that mark.

While dry conditions are worrisome, Dr. Wayne Hanselka of Corpus Christi, Extension rangeland ecology and management specialist, said most of Texas is only experiencing a "dry spell" rather than a drought.

"We are in a spell, but it's important to remember that we're also in the first part of July," he said. "Dryness is normal this time of year."

Texas gets most of its rain during two peaks of wetness – one in the spring and one in the fall, Hanselka said.
"The spring peak was lower than normal in many places, but if we miss the peak in the fall, that's when we can really start worrying about drought," he said.

However, he added, lower hay availability is a concern.

"It's certainly appropriate to worry about getting hay for the future," he said. "Shorter supply equals a higher price and sometimes lower quality. It wouldn't hurt to be looking around to find the best deals."

However, the best deal doesn't necessarily mean the lowest price.

"You want to be discriminating when choosing hay and choose ones that have few weeds," he said. "Any hay needs to have at least 8 percent crude protein to maintain (cattle) body functions."

Hay is usually grown by livestock producers, said Dr. Larry Redmon of College Station, Extension state forage specialist. Although dry conditions reign across the state, proper management techniques mean many producers still have adequate amounts of grasses, Hanselka said.

"About half of the producers and landowners have treated their pastures right," he said. "They used moderate grazing, appropriate rests and rotation periods, and balanced forage demand with availability. These are the lands that haven't seen the stress others are experiencing."

The following livestock, crop and weather conditions were reported by Extension districts:

PANHANDLE: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Temperatures were above average. Corn was rated fair to excellent. Cotton continued to improve under the hot, dry conditions. Most stands were rated fair to good. Peanuts were rated good; no insect or disease problems were reported. Sorghum planting ended. Stands were rated fair to excellent. Soybeans were rated good. Wheat harvest continued. Rangeland conditions were fair to good. Cattle were in good condition. Horn flies continued to pester cattle.

SOUTH PLAINS: Soil moisture is short. Rainfall and scattered hail were reported. Damage to acres was minimal. Cotton was rated fair to good. Corn was in good condition; it was heavy into the tassel and pollination stages. Center pivots were running continuously. Peanuts were in good condition and continued to grow, bloom and peg. Irrigation continued. Sorghum and sunflowers progressed well. Pumpkins were in good condition under irrigation. Pastures and rangelands were in fair to good condition. Cattle were rated good.

ROLLING PLAINS: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Cooler temperatures and rain were reported. Hay grazer crops showed improvement by changing from blue to green. Hay yields were 50 percent to 60 percent of normal. Ranchers continued to feed supplements and haul water to livestock. Stocker cattle looked good and weighed more than expected. Peach crop reported to be doing well.

NORTH: Soil moisture is very short to adequate. Light showers were reported. Corn was rated very poor to good; 5 percent to 20 percent was mature. Cotton and peanuts were in poor to fair condition. About one-third of the cotton is setting bolls. Peanuts were 60 percent pegged. Rice was in fair condition. Sorghum and soybeans were rated poor to fair; sorghum was coloring. Pastures and rangelands were rated very poor to fair. Pastures and hay meadows suffered.

EAST: Soil moisture is short. Light showers and very high temperatures were reported. Most counties are under a burn ban. Hay baling stopped; some producers are feeding it to livestock. Vegetable crops suffered from lack of rain. Watermelon harvest was under way with good yields reported. Cotton was in good condition. Some horn flies, spider mites and boll weevils were reported. Pecans looked good, but green and black aphids were reported. High temperatures caused stress in poultry, especially 5- to 6-week-old birds.

FAR WEST: Soil moisture is very short to adequate. Hot and dry conditions were reported. Pastures, rangelands and livestock were rated poor to good. Rangeland conditions declined due to heat, wind and lack of moisture. Livestock remained in good condition; some were given supplemental feed. Cotton was squared and in fair to good condition. Sorghum was rated good.

WEST CENTRAL: Soil moisture is short. Hot, dry days were reported. Wildfires were a problem. All crops showed signs of heat stress. Most fields needed rain before cultivation could occur. Hay harvest ended. Uncut hay was too dry to bale. Sorghum fields matured. Most producers sprayed cotton for weed control. Rangelands and pastures dried up fast due to drought conditions. Pecan orchards irrigated; the crop looks good.

CENTRAL: Soil moisture is short. Drought affected pastures, rangelands and livestock. Corn silage harvest continued; quality is poor. Bermudagrass fields showed moisture stress; yields were reduced. Cotton fields looked good; if dry conditions continue, yields will be affected. Sorghum midge numbers increased. Fruit and vegetable growth suffered from fungal setbacks. Fleahoppers continued to be a concern in early squaring cotton. High numbers of over-wintering boll weevils were detected in squaring cotton.

SOUTHEAST: Soil moisture is short. Light showers were reported. Rain helped corn, milo and soybeans to finish. Many trees, grass and other plants were still under extreme stress. Hay production was less than 10 percent of normal. Livestock did fine despite the heat.

SOUTHWEST: Soil moisture is very short. Sporadic showers were reported. Pastures, rangelands and yard grasses turned brown and entered mid-summer dormancy. Forage availability was below average. Peach and pickling cucumber harvest continued. Pecans showed stress. A large nut drop is expected this month unless rain is received.

COASTAL BEND: Soil moisture is short. Extremely hot and dry conditions were reported. Cotton yields and fiber development were adversely affected by dry conditions. Pastures and rangelands also suffered. Sorghum harvest was in full swing. Cattle were in fair to good condition but required supplemental feeding due to lack of forage.
SOUTH: Soil moisture is very short. Near-record heat and extremely dry conditions were reported. The cotton crop has suffered; yield expectations decrease daily. Some harvest aid was applied. Rangeland conditions were poor. Cattle producers liquidated their herds; supplemental feeding continued.