Author Archives: ahairston1
Texas A&M AgriLife “Texas Row Crops Newsletter”—Industrial Hemp
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Professor & Extension Agronomist/AgriLife State Hemp Specialist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Next “First Tuesday” Statewide Hemp Zoom Update from Texas A&M AgriLife—June 1 We continue the statewide Zoom updates we began in March. The June update will be Tuesday, June 1, 5:15-6:30 PM Central Time. We will continue throughout 2021 at the same time on the first Tuesday. June topics will include an update from Dr. Holly Davis, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension entomologist, Weslaco… Read More →
Northern Corn Leaf Blight
As was the case in the spring of 2020, the fungal disease of corn, northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) (Figure 1), is again a concern in the spring of 2021. In most years in south and central Texas, a few lesions of the disease are seen on the lowest leaves and the disease never progresses. Disease development is driven by frequent rain and temperatures lower than 80°F. In a typical Texas growing season, infrequent rain, but moreover, increasing temperatures will hinder the progression of the disease. Cool, rainy… Read More →
On-Line Calculator to get Texas A&M Soil Test Recommendations based on Other Labs’ Test Values
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy/TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Dr. Tony Provin, Extension Soil Testing,/TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, (979) 845-4816, t-provin@tamu.edu May 4, 2021 Texas farmers have many choices for laboratories conducting their soil analyses. If you work with a fertilizer dealer, they may collect your soil samples, pay for analysis, and draw from the information to make recommendations. This is fine, just know there is a possible conflict of interest (sales). If someone does your soil… Read More →
Guar & Crop Insurance—USDA-RMA Feasibility Study: Follow-up
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Last September I noted the process underway to study the potential for guar to be added as a program crop for federal crop insurance. That earlier report is at https://agrilife.org/texasrowcrops/news/page/2/ USDA Risk Management Agency is currently administering a contract with Agralytica, Alexandria, VA to evaluate the feasibility of a guar crop insurance program. This has included face-to-face visits with farmers, documenting perils the crop may face, etc. Texas A&M AgriLife… Read More →
Next “First Tuesday” Statewide Hemp Zoom Update from Texas A&M AgriLife
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Professor & Extension Agronomist/AgriLife State Hemp Specialist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu April 26, 2021 We will continue the statewide Zoom updates we began in March. I originally planned for “Third Thursday,” but there was a major conflict. The May update will be Tuesday, May 4, 5:15-6:30 PM Central Time. We will continue this throughout the summer at the same time on the first Tuesday. (If this is a poor timing for many hemp growers and industry staff,… Read More →
Freeze Damage and the Texas Wheat Crop
Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomy, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Dr. Fernando Guillen-Portal, State Extension Small Grains Specialist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, (979) 845-4826, fernando.guillen@tamu.edu February 26, 2021 The cold temperatures in Texas in February’s cold snap range from as low as -12° F in the Panhandle to mid-single digits as far south as the Austin region. A few locations in Texas set all-time low records (Tyler, TX for one). Lubbock recorded -6°… Read More →
Freeze Injury, Low Temperature Stress and Chill Injury in Corn and Sorghum
Dr. Ronnie Schnell Cropping Systems Specialist – College Station Introduction Recent cold weather has affected newly planted, emerging or emerged corn or sorghum throughout south and central Texas. Corn and sorghum will experience similar types of injury although tolerance to low temperatures does differ between the crops to some degree. Sorghum generally requires warmer soil temperatures. Three types of injury may be observed, depending on stage of growth and temperatures experience above and below ground. This includes imbibition injury, cold stress, and frost/freeze damage…. Read More →
2020 Hemp Variety Testing Wrap-Up & 2021 Trials
Hemp variety trial results at San Angelo (cannabinoids) and Lubbock (cannabinoids and fiber) will be completed shortly after the first of the year. I will detail results in my January hemp newsletter. Results will also be posted at http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/hemp/ AgriLife will update program information for the 2021 round of variety trials in January. In addition to test sites offered in 2020 (Lubbock, San Angelo, College Station, Commerce), at least one additional fee-based test site will be offered in South Texas mostly likely Weslaco in the Lower Rio Grande… Read More →
Key Considerations about Phosphate Applications in Agriculture
Worldwide, mother nature is not making new phosphate deposits to meet agricultural demand. The reserves in premium rock phosphate deposits are decreasing. Thus, it might require the processing of, for example, 125 tons of rock phosphate raw material to obtain the same amount of P derived from 100 tons previously. Phosphorus is the second most limiting nutrient in crop production. But its behavior in soils limits its availability and can make adequate crop P nutrition an essential management issue. Fertilizer for monoammonium phosphate (MAP, or 11-52-0) is currently… Read More →
Grain Sorghum Pricing for 2021 & Managing Your Crop
Updated from the November ‘Texas Sorghum Insider’ (Texas Grain Sorghum Assn.) Prospects for grain sorghum acreage in Texas in 2021 are more favorable than the past several years. Pricing is up with adjustments relative to Dec21 corn ($4.18/bu as of this writing). Depending on your Texas location this puts the hundredweight price in the range of $8.00/cwt and even $9.00/cwt near the Texas Gulf Coast. Of course, there is a lot that can happen between now and planting time let alone harvest time in 2021. These… Read More →