By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Reporter
With much of the state suffering under drought conditions, recent rains have been a welcome sight for many Texans. But they’ve also caused a delay in planting for the southern parts of Texas.
“Planting is a little bit behind what I’d call a normal planting window,” Grant Groene, technical product manager for DuPont Pioneer, said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network. “With the cool and wet weather we’ve had, guys are just waiting for things to dry out a little bit.”
Corn planting in the Rio Grande Valley began in early February for many.
At the time, soil moisture was not great in some areas, and some farmers ended up pre-watering their fields.
Grain sorghum planting followed for those who were not delayed by rain.
“I was in the Valley a couple of weeks ago, and there had been maybe 20 percent of those (grain sorghum) acres that had been planted at that time,” Groene said. “The majority of the farmers are probably rolling hot and heavy where it’s dry enough to go this week and moving forward.”
Cotton planting on irrigated land in the lower Rio Grande Valley started in late February, but it has been slow due to cooler temperatures.
Corn seed is already in the ground in the Coastal Bend for most. If fields dry out enough, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service officials say farmers will be able to finish corn planting in the coming weeks.
Grain sorghum planting in the Coastal Bend is on-hold as well due to recent rains.
In Central Texas, a few farmers were able to get some corn seed in the ground around Valentine’s Day. Intermittent rains since then, however, have kept most out of the field.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts above normal chances of rain for the northwest corner of the Panhandle and far East Texas over the next six to 10 days.
North, Central and South Texas, along with the lower portion of the Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley, have below average chances of rain, which may allow some farmers to continue planting.