Writer: Tim W. McAlavy, (806) 746-4051,t-mcalavy@tamu.edu
LUBBOCK — Violent thunderstorms that raked across the Texas South Plains from Eastern New Mexico in May brought much-needed rainfall to farmers’ dry fields — boosting crop growth and soil moisture, and breaking the grip of last year’s serious drought.
Unfortunately, the same storms — especially those occurring the week of May 26 — also unleashed high winds and hail on South Plains crops before descending the Caprock and sweeping eastward across the Rolling Plains and into central and north-central Texas.
For four consecutive nights (May 23-26), storms partially flooded urban and rural roads, pounded homes and vehicles with hail, and kept television meteorologists and South Plains residents on cue and alert for tornadic activity. When it was all over, rainfall amounts recorded in the 20-county South Plains region varied from only a trace to more than 7 inches — with most counties logging somewhere between 1-1/2 to 3-plus inches of precipitation.
South Plains farmers had roughly 5.4 million acres of wheat, cotton, corn, grain sorghum, peanuts, soybeans, vegetables and sunflowers growing or planted before the storms rolled through, according to acreage and crop damage estimates compiled by Texas Agricultural Extension Service county agents. On May 28, theregion’s preliminary total crop damage estimate stood at 562,180 acres; slightly more than 10 percent.
The damage estimate includes 43,380 acres of winter wheat; 430,000 to 457,000 acres of newly emerged cotton; 32,000 acres of corn; 25,000 acres of grain sorghum; 2,600 acres of peanuts; 200 acres of soybeans; less than 500 acres of vegetables; and about 1,500 acres of sunflowers.
Using low-end average historical yields and current market prices, the potential dollar value of preliminary wheat, cotton, corn and grain sorghum crop damage alone stands at roughly $46.2 million. (This figure reflects only the potential value of lost production, and does not include any offsetting income producers may receive from crop insurance or from replacement crops.)
Wheat producers with damaged acres, many of whom were waiting to harvest their crop, will suffer a direct economic hit — even though crop insurance may help cover some of their loss. Crop insurance may also help lessen the blow for cotton, corn, grain sorghum, soybean, sunflower, peanut and some vegetable producers, who still have the option of replanting their lost or severely damaged acres to another summer crop.
Those with minor damage could also see their crops recover and still produce acceptable yields, said Extension agronomists based at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research and Extension Center here.
“Right now, producers are in the wait-and-see mode. We’re still waiting to see how the cotton recovers,” said Randy Boman, Extension cotton agronomist. “We’ve had seven days of hot, open weather since the storms and that’s what the plants need. Only time will tell the full extent of the damage.”
“Producers are still assessing the damage in their fields,” said Calvin Trostle, Extension agronomist. “Our corn, for example, has a good chance of outgrowing the damage with little or no yield loss because the growing point of most plants is still below the ground.”
Producers who want to replant damaged cotton acres have a limited window of opportunity, due to crop insurance planting and coverage rules. They should check with their insurance carrier to determine their planting and coverage options for the remainder of the growing season, the agronomists advised.
The cost of replanting cotton on the South Plains is $20 to $40 per acre, noted Jackie Smith, Extension economist based at the Lubbock center.
Growers who opt to replant damaged acres to another crop have several factors to consider. Are marketing contracts available to help lessen the risk of growing a ‘swing’ crop? Is there sufficient seed of an adapted variety available? Will the replacement crop require additional fertilizer or other inputs? Is the crop compatible with herbicides already applied?
The bright point for South Plains farmers in this ‘post-storm’ scenario is abundant rainfall. The region has received 9.32 inches of rainfall through the end of May — 4 inches above the 5.32 inches considered normal for this time of year by the National Weather Service, and 5.69 inches more than the 3.63 inches recorded through the end of May last year. Soil moisture is adequate to surplus, open weather is speeding crop recovery and growth, and the extended forecast calls for hot, open weather with only a slight chance of additional storms through June 10.
Texas producers can get information on assessing crop damage and crop replanting options from their local county Extension office, or from agronomists at the nearest Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
-30-