Category Archives: Crops
Texas A&M AgriLife Sorghum Tips
If it Finally Rains—Late Seeding Sorghum/Sudan for Hay The drought across Texas is acute. I travelled across the state July 20-22. Only near Beaumont did pasture and range look somewhat satisfactory. Reports indicate forage is in short supply in Texas. Prices for hay are up and may climb more. Some livestock producers are reducing herd size or even selling all cattle. We do not know when it will rain. The long-term National Weather Service forecast for Texas projects continued dry conditions into Fall. For the next 7 days… Read More →
TEXAS ROLLING PLAINS PICKS LIST FOR 2022-2023
2021-2022 Cropping Season in Review The wheat season was brutal to wheat growers in the Texas Rolling Plains. Depending on the planting timing, many fields received very little rainfall during the growing season until May 2022. The yield potential was set for wheat by the time we received the first significant rainfall for the season. Forage production was drastically reduced or completely lost in the small grain pastures, while many dryland wheat fields were abandoned due to the severe drought condition. Increased incidents of spider mites were reported… Read More →
Pricing for 2022 Summer Texas Crops—Some at Record Highshs
This document provides recent market and contract pricing and contacts for a dozen Texas crops. Prices for major commodity crops corn, cotton, and grain sorghum are especially strong at this point in 2022. AgriLife Extension economists Dr. John Robinson, cotton, john.robinson@ag.tamu.edu and Dr. Mark Welch, corn and sorghum, mark.welch@ag.tamu.edu, are writing and speaking frequently on high prices and strategies for crop marketing. The February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has shaken world markets especially for wheat. Ukraine is a large exporter of winter wheat. The country also… Read More →
Nine Considerations to Guide 2022 Fertilizer Decisions in Summer Crops
Fertilizer prices across Texas have nearly doubled since this time last year. High natural gas prices and high commodity crop prices do not appear to explain fully the price increase for N, P, and other fertilizer nutrients. P fertilizers may have supply issues. Nitrogen fertilizers appear likewise. Transportation / distribution costs and delays have also contributed to the problem. Also, according to Dr. Mark Welch, jmwelch@tamu.edu, AgriLife Extension grains economist, College Station, high commodity prices often enable farm suppliers to justify raising prices on inputs. Depending on… Read More →