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Texas crop and weather report - Focus on pumpkins
College Station, Texas
August 23, 2005

Pumpkins sometimes grow to an enormous size, but this year's crop won't be out of the ordinary, a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist said.

The harvest in Floyd County, dubbed "Pumpkin Capital USA," will start mid-September, said J.D. Ragland of Floydada, Extension agent. Numbers are expected to be average.

"It's just a little bit early to know an exact amount, but acreage will be about the same as last year -- 1,500 acres," Ragland said.

Each of those acres can produce about 20,000 pounds of pumpkins, causing the scale to tip at around 30 million pounds, he said.

"We grow more acres of pumpkins here than any other county in the state of Texas," Ragland said.

The only obstacle facing this year's crop was a rain-delayed planting date.

"There've been no problems for pumpkins this year other than we're about 10 days behind what's normal, but that's not really a problem," Ragland said. "Usually with pumpkins, there aren't a whole lot of problems besides fungus, and producers know that they have to spray to protect the crop from that."

During the growing season an aerial-applied fungicide is dropped on the crop once a week to keep fungus at bay, he said.

Preparation and irrigation are key with pumpkins requiring approximately 22 inches of moisture during the growing season, Ragland said.

"It takes quite a bit of water to grow a pumpkin," he said. "We mainly use row water irrigation because pumpkins make such a big vine and such a big leaf. Our producers here know that if they don't have good irrigation water, they can't grow good pumpkins."

Floyd County producers generally grow four types of pumpkins.

"The miniature ones are primarily used for decoration," Ragland said. "Pie pumpkins are mainly used for pumpkin pie filling. Jack-o-lanterns are what we make jack-o-lanterns with during Halloween. They're the top sellers. The fourth and final pumpkin is called a ‘Big-Mac.' It's huge and ranges from 100 to 300 pounds."

Taking a clue from the carved-face jack-o-lantern type pumpkin, Ragland said producers have carved a niche in the crop's market.

"I always characterize pumpkins in this county a unique crop," he said. "Producers know how many they can sell, who they can sell them to, and then plant accordingly. It's a good crop and they can make some money."
Ragland estimates prices will average 6 cents to 8 cents per pound. That is close to last year's price.

"It all has to do with supply and demand," he said. "If supply is a little short, our producers can make a little more money. If supply is pretty plentiful, then price goes down."

Most of the county's pumpkin crop is sold to "middle men" who market them in metropolitan areas, Ragland said.

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

PANHANDLE: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Temperatures were below average. Rain was reported. Corn was in fair to good condition. Dent stage was reached in 40 percent of the fields. Rain and cooler temperatures helped relieve stress on the crop. Spider mites continued to be a problem. Cotton was rated fair to good. Most fields were setting bolls. Bollworm activity increased. Peanuts were in poor to good condition; no insect or disease problems were reported. Sorghum was in fair condition. Forty-five percent of fields were headed. Some headworms and greenbugs were reported. Soybeans were rated fair to good; no insect problems were reported. Rangeland conditions were poor to fair. Areas that received rain had grass growth and improved pastures. Cattle were in good condition.

SOUTH PLAINS: Soil moisture adequate. Cotton was in fair to good condition; heavy square set and retention was reported. Most ginners and consultants estimated dryland yields will be better than last year. Corn was in good to excellent condition. Irrigation was shut off, and the crop was drying down. Sorghum was in good condition and progressing well. Peanuts were in good condition. Pest levels were minimal. Pastures and rangelands were rated fair to good. Cattle were in good to excellent condition.

ROLLING PLAINS: Soil moisture is adequate. Most of the district received rain, which improved the outlook for all forage production and livestock. Cotton is in good condition. Some farmers may need to spray for weeds. Pastures are improving and livestock are in good condition. Some ranchers are doing brush control. Cotton in King County needs warm weather to mature. Livestock are in good body condition; calving should begin next month.

NORTH: Soil moisture is very short to adequate. Drought conditions were still very serious. Corn was rated very poor to fair and being harvested. Yields averaged one-third of normal. Aflatoxin levels were high in most of the harvested crop. Cotton and peanuts were in poor to fair condition; bolls were opening. Rice was rated fair and heading. Soybeans and sorghum was in poor to good condition. Soybeans were setting pods, and sorghum was being harvested. Pastures and rangelands were rated very poor to fair. Harvested hay was only half of normal for the year. Many ranchers bought hay. Ponds were drying up.

EAST TEXAS: Soil moisture is adequate. Some hay fields and vegetable plots benefited from rain. Other counties report no rain. Cattle are being fed hay. Most hay harvesting has stopped. The drought is damaging some trees. The cattle market remains steady.

FAR WEST: Soil moisture is poor to good. Some areas reported up to 12 inches of rain. Cotton was in fair to good condition and setting bolls. Sorghum was 70 percent mature. Cooler-than-normal temperatures improved rangeland and pasture conditions. Livestock were in good condition.

WEST CENTRAL: Soil moisture is surplus. Warm and humid conditions were reported. Most counties received significant rainfall. Heavy flooding was reported. Water gaps in fences were destroyed. Most stock tanks were refilled. Cotton conditions continued to improve with recent rain. Some insect pressure due to boll activity was noted. Boll worm egg hatch increased. Corn was ready for harvest. Sorghum harvest was in full swing. Combines moved into dried fields. Hay cutting and baling preparations were under way. Pastures greened up. Livestock remained in fair to good condition. Pecans were heavy, and irrigation continued. Scab problems are anticipated due to moisture levels. Weevil traps were placed in orchards, and some were sprayed.

CENTRAL: Soil moisture is short. Recent rains have helped range conditions. More rain is needed for seed beds and pasture growth. Dairy production is better than normal. The cotton and grain sorghum harvests are ending. Corn yields are fair. The pecan crop is infested with weevils, scab and hickory shuckworms.

SOUTHEAST: Soil moisture is adequate. Several inches of rain were reported. Temperatures are higher than normal. The pecan crop looks good. Cattle prices remain strong. Pastures continue to provide excellent grazing and hay production is under way. The peanut crop benefited from rains. Armyworms are still being spotted. The rice harvest continues. Soybeans need rain. Sorghum and corn are being harvested. Cotton stands will undergo defoliation next week.

SOUTHWEST: Soil moisture is very short. High temperatures aggravated adverse growing conditions. The region is under drought stress. Pastures, rangelands and turf grasses showed severe stress. Corn, sorghum, cantaloupe and watermelon harvests were complete. Peanuts, cabbage and early fall vegetables made good progress under heavy irrigation.

COASTAL BEND: Soil moisture is short. Pastures are getting dry. Hot dry weather continues with above-average temperatures reported. The harvest of all crops is moving quickly. Drought stress caused cotton boll size to be small, which hampers picking efficiency. Cattle remain in good condition. The pecan crop looks good.
SOUTH: Soil moisture is very short. Very little rain has been reported, but what rain was received hampered field work. Preparations for fall vegetable planting continue. The cotton harvest is coming to a close. Cotton bale numbers will be down due to very dry weather and Hurricane Emily. Hay baling continues. Range pastures are starting to show signs of heat stress. Cattle producers continue to provide supplemental feed to livestock. Cotton stalk destruction is under way.

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