College Station, Texas
September 7, 2005
Mother Nature may bring hurricanes and hail storms, but Texas
cotton producers must still harvest their crop, say experts
from
Texas
Cooperative Extension.
Dr. Randal Boman, Extension agronomist in Lubbock, said while
High Plains producers anticipate a good production year,
they haven't yet harvested their crop.
Roger Haldenby, vice president of operations for the Plains
Cotton Growers in Lubbock, said as far as harvest is
concerned, producers can't afford not to harvest.
"The high cost of diesel fuel for harvesting equipment,
tractors, module builders, module trucks, and the overall
cost of energy for gins," he said, "all mean that the profit
margin for growers is diminished even further."
Jay Yates, Extension risk
management specialist in Lubbock, said producers are
expecting cost increases. A $2 to $2.50 per bale increase
for harvest fuel is anticipated, he said, "as well as an
increase in the cost of ginning and associated module
hauling and bale hauling of $15 to $20 per bale."
Boman attributed the increased cost to a decrease in
refinery capacity caused by Hurricane Katrina. Jose Pena,
Extension economist in Uvalde, said the increased
production costs haven't reached consumers yet.
"On the surface it would appear that prices [of cotton]
would rise, but I have been carefully watching the futures
market and prices are down," he said. "It appears to me
that the market is off because, prior to Katrina hitting
shore, the projected path indicated that very little
cotton would be exposed to the storm's east, or more
intense, side. This estimation was probably accurate.
"The region of hurricane influence was estimated to
produce about 5.15 million bales of the estimated 20.566
million bales of upland cotton ... Texas is expected to
produce about 6.1 million bales," he said.
Mississippi and Georgia were predicted to produce 4.15
million bales, Pena said, and Louisiana predictions were 1
million bales.
"While U.S. production is down about 2 million bales from
last year's record crop," he said, "20.566 million bales
is a lot of cotton."
According to
http://cotton.tamu.edu/funfacts.htm, one bale of
cotton can make 215 pairs of jeans, 1,256 pillowcases or
313,600 hundred-dollar bills.
"The only recent damage to the crop," Pena said, "is about
100,000 acres damaged to last weekend's hail in the
Lubbock area." Boman said, "We continue to get good
rainfall, but unfortunately, many times hail is associated
with these thunderstorms. [Hail] affected areas included
Parmer, Bailey, Hockley, Lubbock, Lynn and Garza
counties." Prior to the storm, 3.4 million acres of cotton
stood in the High Plains, he said.
"We have had a good-to-excellent year thus far," Boman
said. "Some thrips pressure was noted early, particularly
north of Lubbock, and now we have some bollworms and fall
armyworms show up at this time. This will increase
expenses for spraying these pests." Other commodities will
be economically influenced by Hurricane Katrina as well,
Yates said.
"On corn harvest, the custom
harvesters won't quote price until they pull into the
field, but most estimates are for an increase of $20 to
$25 per acre," he said. "Grain sorghum harvest will
probably follow suit." Producers aren't the only ones who
will feel the pinch of higher harvest costs, Haldenby
said.
"The high prices for fuel affect all aspects of
agriculture, and all aspects of everyone else's everyday
life," he said. "The high prices of transportation will
eventually make their way into what consumers pay for the
end product."
The following livestock, crop and weather conditions were
reported by Extension districts:
PANHANDLE: Soil moisture is short to adequate.
Temperatures were cooler. Scattered showers were reported. Corn
was 15 percent mature. Silage harvest continued. Cotton was
rated fair to good. Bolls began to open. Insecticides were
applied due to bollworm infestations. Peanuts were rated fair to
good. Sorghum was 85 percent headed and 30 percent was coloring.
Headworms were a problem in a few fields. Sorghum silage harvest
was underway. Soybeans were in fair-to-good condition. Wheat was
planted for fall grazing. Rangeland conditions were poor to
good. Excellent late-summer grass growth was reported. Cattle
were in good condition.
SOUTH PLAINS: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Cotton
was in good condition. Some producers continued to irrigate, but
many shut wells off due to pumping costs. Corn made good
progress. Sorghum and pumpkins continued to progress well.
Peanuts were in good condition; pod rot due to excessive
moisture was reported. Pastures and rangelands were rated fair
to good. Cattle were in good condition.
ROLLING PLAINS: Soil moisture is short to adequate.
Temperatures warmed up and cotton looked good, with early
varieties opening. Some fields started growing again and kicked
off bolls. Pastures and livestock were in good condition.
Producers started small grain planting for grazing purposes.
Milo was harvested. Most insect activity was light, but bollworm
activity in cotton increased. Flies and mosquitoes were more
active due to standing water.
NORTH: Soil moisture is very short to short. Cotton was
in poor-to-good condition; 30 percent of fields had open bolls.
Peanuts were rated poor to fair. Soybeans, pastures and
rangelands were in very-poor-to-fair condition. Most pastures
and hay meadows were very dry. Soybeans were dropping leaves and
being harvested. Sorghum was 45 percent harvested.
Corn was 70 percent harvested; reported yields were below
average. Ten percent of oat and wheat fields were planted. Some
producers fed hay to cattle. Most livestock were in good
condition but showing signs of heat stress. Many ponds were
completely dry. Sweet potato harvest started.
Sweet potato weevils were found in traps.
EAST TEXAS: Soil moisture is short to adequate. Very hot
temperatures and scattered showers were reported. Hay harvest
continued, but supplies were short. Cattle were in excellent
condition; markets were steady. Fall vegetable planting
continued in areas with adequate soil moisture. Wood County was
quarantined due to sweet potato weevils.
FAR WEST: Soil moisture was short to adequate. Scattered
thunderstorms were reported. Pastures, rangelands and livestock
were rated poor to good.
Producers prepared for fall works and shipping stocker cattle.
Cotton was rated fair to good.
WEST CENTRAL: Soil moisture is short. Hot, dry conditions
were reported. Sorghum harvest continued; very good yields were
reported.
Producers have another chance for cutting improved grasses.
Small grain fields were sown. Early planted wheat was severely
damaged by armyworms.
Producers were encouraged to destroy all emerged volunteer
wheat. Cotton production was doing well under favorable growing
conditions. Bollworms, fall armyworms, aphids and spider mites
were a problem. Growth regulators were applied to younger cotton
fields. Rangeland conditions improved.
Livestock were in fair to good condition. Pecan drop continued
due to high heat and heavy crop loads. Irrigation continued in
orchards.
CENTRAL: Soil moisture is short. Dairy production
improved with cooler weather. Small showers were reported. Some
coastal hay producers reported a 50 percent loss. Fields were
prepared for winter small grains.
SOUTHEAST: Soil moisture is short. Hot, humid conditions
were reported.
Armyworms were a problem. Corn and milo were harvested. Hay was
baled.
Peanut producers cultivated their crops. Cattle prices dropped
slightly.
Rice harvest continued.
SOUTHWEST: Soil moisture is very short. Hot, dry weather
was reported.
Forage availability was below normal. Pastures, rangelands and
yard grasses remained brown and in mid-summer dormancy. Corn and
sorghum harvest is complete. Cotton harvest continued; excellent
quality and near-record yields were reported in irrigated
fields. Grape harvest was complete. Pecans continued to drop due
to drought and heat stress.
COASTAL BEND: Soil moisture is short. Dry and hot
conditions were reported. Cotton and soybean harvest continued.
Deep tillage and stalk destruction continued. Rangelands and
pastures deteriorated rapidly. Hay was purchased to feed cattle.
SOUTH: Soil moisture is very short. A light shower was
reported. Cotton harvest was complete, but ginning will continue
through the month. Cotton yields were below average due to
prolonged drought and damaging hurricane rains. Corn and
soybeans were planted. Rangelands and pastures still showed
signs of drought and heat stress. Supplemental livestock feeding
continued. |