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Industrial Hemp Update

Posted on July 1, 2022 by ahairston1

Next Texas A&M AgriLife “First Tuesday” Hemp Zoom Update Our next meeting is Tuesday, July 5, 5:15-6:30 PM. Register in advance for this meeting: https://agrilife.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0td-6rrjsjH9WmoXz4dmBB3zu6-_-mCzLI After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. It has been a hot summer for hemp… Temperatures in much of Texas couple with lack of rainfall in many areas is making hemp production tough. What we are experiencing this year in cannabinoid, fiber, and grain hemp is not unlike conditions in the Yuma, AZ area in 2021. … Read More →

Late Planting of Grain Sorghum Across Texas?

Posted on July 1, 2022 by ahairston1

This item was first prepared for Texas Grain Sorghum Association’s “Sorghum Insider” South & Coastal Texas With record high prices on grain sorghum in much of Texas, some have wondered if the prices might stir interest in Central & South Texas of planting a mid-and late summer sorghum crop for fall production. Texas A&M AgriLife does not have data on the potential for these crops if planted in Central Texas, the Coastal Bend, and far South Texas. Historically this has never been a practice. AgriLife Extension agents Vidal… Read More →

Pricing for 2022 Summer Texas Crops—Some at Record Highshs

Posted on May 6, 2022 by ahairston1

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

Posted on May 3, 2022 by ahairston1

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 →

Texas A&M AgriLife Hemp Projects for 2022

Posted on May 3, 2022 by ahairston1

Funding is very limited for any hemp work this year. I have received neither inquiries nor funding for any cannabinoid work so at this time I will not be planting any CBD variety trials. Here are the current projects and locations. If you wish to learn more about any of these trial sites, please e-mail me. Fiber & Grain Variety Yield Trial—Texas A&M AgriLife, Lubbock, 33.5° N Fifteen hemp fiber and grain varieties have been chosen by Trostle for planting three-rep randomized trials to… Read More →

Herbicide Management in Corn and Forage Sorghum Silage Crops

Posted on April 26, 2022 by ahairston1

Jourdan Bell, Kevin Heflin, Vanessa Corriher-Olsen, and Pete Dotray In response to increasing silage demands, Texas producers are growing more corn and forage sorghum for silage. In recent years, some producers are also making late season decisions to harvest corn intended for grain as silage due to favorable silage markets. As producers make preplant agronomic decisions, it is important to select herbicides that are labeled for the silage crops if there is a contingency plan to chop a grain crop for silage. Although it is commonly… Read More →

USDA Texas Direct Hay Report—Bi-weekly Current Hay Prices

Posted on March 4, 2022 by ahairston1

USDA publishes a summary of current Texas hay prices every two weeks. This is useful for hay growers and buyers for a snapshot of current prices. The next report will be posted March 4, 2022, at https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_2707.pdf Reports divide Texas into four regions for pricing: Panhandle, Central, South, and West. The current edition provides current market prices for alfalfa (including different grades of supreme/premium/good), bermudagrass, sorghum (meaning sorghum/sudan, not grain sorghum stalks), and wheat hay. Some prices are per ton (preferred). Others are based on bale size… Read More →

Expanded Sesame Opportunities in Texas

Posted on March 4, 2022 by ahairston1

Sesame is a drought tolerant, heat tolerant crop with relatively few pests—either insects or plant diseases—compared to other Texas crops. For 2022 there are new contract opportunities among multiple groups. All offer variety choices for indehiscent (non-shattering) varieties developed for large-scale mechanical harvest farming operations. Non-shattering sesame would better be called reduced shattering types. Some seed losses at the header/cutter bar occur. But this is part of sesame production and is acceptable. Combine operators can minimize these losses. This is in sharp contrast to sesame in… Read More →

Hessian Fly Article

Posted on February 7, 2022 by ahairston1

Tyler Mays, Extension Agent-IPM, Hill and McLennan Counties David R. Drake, Extension Agent-IPM, District 4 – Commerce, TX Email: drdrake@ag.tamu.edu Matt Matocha, Extension Program Specialist- IPM, Southern Blacklands, Thrall, TX, matthew.matocha@ag.tamu.edu Hessian fly are being found in wheat fields across the Texas Blacklands and are a potential production issue this year. The Hessian fly is a small fly that during the larval stage can be a significant pest of wheat and some other small grain crops like barley, triticale, and rye. There are several wild host… Read More →

Canola Forage in the Texas High Plains

Posted on February 7, 2022 by ahairston1

Jourdan M. Bell, Carla Naylor, and Juan Piñeiro Canola is largely produced as an oilseed crop, but it is also a high-quality forage (grazing and ensilage), although as with other forages, nutritive value is closely tied to the agronomic management, crop maturity and growing conditions. In the Texas High Plains, corn has traditionally been the silage of choice, but as irrigation capacities decline, livestock producers are evaluating alternative forage options including canola. While there is limited canola planted for oilseed production, in recent years canola silage (canolage) has… Read More →

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