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[AgriLife Extension] Texas crop and weather report for June 21, 2016

Published

10 years ago

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By: Adam Russell

Sun, heat and wind drying out soil around Texas

AMARILLO – Soil moisture indexes around the state are beginning to drop as higher temperatures and sunny days mark summer’s arrival.

Heat, sun and wind all affect soil moisture as well as the crop water demand, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist Dr. Jourdan Bell, Amarillo.

Summertime conditions can significantly increase crop water use as days become sunnier and temperatures climb into the mid-to-upper 90s or 100 degrees and beyond, she said. In the High Plains, extended periods without precipitation, in addition to heat, low relative humidity and windy conditions can drive crop water demands up to almost half an inch per day.

While irrigation helps meet water demands for some crops, the region’s dryland production can be quickly impacted by elevated temperatures and extended dry periods, Bell said. Successful dryland crop production is dependent on stored soil moisture to carry the crop through extended hot and dry conditions.

Many producers maintain crop residues from the previous crop on the soil surface in either reduced tillage or no-till systems to minimize evaporative losses from the soil surface, she said.

In addition to residue management, canopy closure between plants helps minimize soil evaporative losses, Bell said. So far, many summer crops have not reached canopy closure. Canopy closure is critical to minimizing early season evaporative losses from the soil surface in addition to intercepting sunlight to increase crop production under both dryland and irrigated conditions.

“Crop water use is picking up with elevated temperatures, and dryland crops that didn’t start with good moisture and surface residue will soon experience water stress without rain,” she said.

Different regions of the state welcomed hotter, drier conditions to help with flooding and saturated soils.

AgriLife Extension agronomist Dr. Josh McGinty, Corpus Christi, said humidity levels have been high following weeks of rain and flooding in southeast and East Texas.

McGinty said sun, higher temperatures and wind were needed in many areas of the state to dry saturated and flooded fields to allow crops to recover and grow. But some areas in the same regions were passed over by rainfall and are now showing signs of stress from lack of moisture.

“It’s a strange year,” he said. “There are some producers along the coast with flooded fields and good hot, dry weather is what they need, but then within a 30-minute drive to the west, you see fields that are moisture-stressed.”

Despite many acres being stressed by too much or too little rain, overall moisture levels have cotton and grain crops looking extremely good with potentially heavy yields, McGinty said. As always, it will take timely rains by the end of June or early July to maintain a good moisture index for some crops, such as cotton, and allow others, like grain crops, to continue to dry for harvest.

The high and low levels of moisture may impact individual producers but McGinty said spring rains have many acres of crops and forages looking exceptional.

“A lot of the corn fields look like it could be a record year for yields but that production will probably be offset by areas that experienced severe flooding and make for an average year overall,” he said.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:

CENTRAL: Field work was halted due to rains. Hay producers reported high yields but lower quality. Soil conditions were drying fast with 90-plus degree days and 100 degree heat indexes. The wheat harvest was nearly complete. Yields have been affected negatively due to long stands in the fields. Corn was growing well. All counties reported good soil moisture. Overall range and pasture conditions were 95 percent good and crop conditions were 80 percent fair. Overall livestock and cattle conditions were 100 percent good.

ROLLING PLAINS: Conditions remained favorable for farmers and ranchers. Soil moisture content was at or near 100 percent. Acres of cotton already planted emerged and were in excellent condition but some cotton acres were yet to be planted. Rains received earlier in the year kept soil moisture levels high and with the high temperatures made for great cotton growing conditions. Some producers’ fields were too wet for cotton and they were thinking about alternatives. Cattle had more than enough grazing and were in good to excellent condition. Insects, including flies, were ranchers’ only concern. Wheat harvest continued with varied yields. Hay was being cut and baled. Sorghum and milo were up and looking good.

COASTAL BEND: The dry, warmer weather has been beneficial to many crops in the area. Some cotton yellowed and sorghum has been stunted due to excess moisture and standing water. Sorghum was coloring and some was sprayed in preparation for harvest in coming weeks. Cotton was in full bloom in some areas. Heavy growth regulators were applied on cotton due to the rapid growth. Corn harvest was underway, and yields should be strong in many areas. Reports of sugarcane aphid numbers were increasing. Insecticide applications were being applied to cotton crops to combat stink bugs, verde plant bugs and boll worms. Southern corn rust was still a concern among corn producers. Mosquito populations were lower, but fly pressure remained heavy. Range and pasture conditions were good in most areas, with some pastures dry enough to cut hay. Spraying for weeds continued in some pastures. Ponds were at capacity. Cattle remained in good condition with excellent grazing conditions.

EAST: Several counties around the region received scattered showers. Temperatures were abnormally hot. Subsoil and topsoil moisture were adequate in most counties with only Trinity, Upshur and Cherokee counties still reporting surplus. Pasture and range conditions were mostly good with a few counties reporting excellent. Houston County received 3-6 inches of rain causing corn and pastures to yellow. Some producers were able to cut hay, but high humidity caused drying issues. Hay producers in Cherokee County were behind schedule due to the abundant rainfall earlier in the year. Trinity County reported local producers were able to start cutting and baling as hay fields dried quickly. Hay production was in full swing in Wood County. Herbicides were being sprayed in Upshur County. Polk County reported a lot of forage in pastures and hay fields, along with plenty of weeds. Producers were trying to control weeds and make all the hay they could before conditions dry. Livestock were in good condition. Cattle prices in Gregg County dropped some but remained fairly steady. In Trinity County, several producers sold out because of lower calf prices and weather-related issues. Polk County producers continued to sell market-ready calves and cull cows. Gardens were producing well in Marion County. Some disease problems were reported on ornamental plants, as well as vegetable and fruit crops in Gregg County. Upshur County producers scouted for grasshoppers and armyworms. Horn flies, house flies and mosquitos were a big problem as their numbers were increasing. Wild pigs were active.

SOUTH PLAINS: Bailey County producers experienced hot, dry conditions. Cochran County subsoil and topsoil moisture levels improved with recent rains. Cotton and peanuts were in good condition with a little loss in the cotton due to cool temperatures and some hail. Producers replanted some cotton. Pasture, rangeland and winter wheat were in fair to good condition. Cattle were also in good condition. Temperatures reached 100 degrees or higher for multiple days in Dawson County. However, producers received a nice rain, which also dropped temperatures about 13 degrees. Some parts of Floyd County received significant rain, while other parts received none. The moisture will help cotton, corn and sorghum; however, more widespread rainfall was needed across the county. Hot conditions in Hale County put a strain on a large portion of young crops and livestock. Hockley County producers also experienced hot temperatures and received some rainfall. Temperatures and humidity levels in Lubbock County were above average and some isolated thunderstorms were reported. Field activity included rotary hoeing fields to break crusted soil for plant emergence, herbicide applications and some limited replanting. Cotton plant cycles ranged from emergence to near squaring, with most fields exhibiting two to three true leaves. Scurry County producers received 1-2 inches of rainfall. Cotton planting continued as the fields dried. The outlook was still good for all aspects of agriculture. Wheat harvest in Swisher County intensified, with most farmers putting sorghum planting aside to finish wheat. A windstorm interrupted harvest and caused lodging in some wheat. No harvest estimates were available. Sorghum planted in early June emerged quickly but needed moisture. Cotton has had a rough go. Acres planted in mid-May suffered from frost damage and had to be replanted. Acres planted in late May suffered sand and static damage from recent storms. Corn has taken off due to rains in late May.

PANHANDLE: Conditions were hot and windy. Moisture was received throughout most of the region with amounts ranging from a trace up to 3.5 inches in some parts of the district. Temperatures were warmer than expected for most areas. Hot, dry conditions aided the wheat harvest. Yields looked average to above average. Cotton acres were being replanted due to hail and seedling disease pressures. Dallam and Hartley counties received light showers totaling less than a half inch. Temperatures were much warmer than expected. Wheat harvest had not started but was expected to begin soon. Corn planting was completed and crop progress was good. A few late corn and sorghum silage fields were yet to be planted. Some producers were still deciding if they would plant sorghum. Corn looked good with some fields at 6-10 leaf stage. Corn producers shredded corners in anticipation of grasshopper infestations. Lots of small grasshoppers appeared on rangeland in some areas. Rangeland began to dry out with the warmer weather, and topsoil moisture was mostly short. Cattle conditions improved with good grazing and rated good to excellent in some areas, but flies were causing cattle to bunch up. Deaf Smith County producers were beginning to harvest dryland wheat and some irrigated fields. Cotton plantings were off to a rocky start due to cool, damp conditions but warmer-than-normal temperatures the past 10 days have improved conditions. Flash flooding was hard on fields and washed some cotton out. Quail and prairie chickens were nesting and hatching.

NORTH: Topsoil moisture was mostly adequate throughout the district. Between 1-4 inches of rain was received. Hot weather set in and sunny conditions should make crops and pastures grow. Hay cutting was well underway, although recent rains hampered some bailing. Areas of Kaufman County received more than 9 inches of rain over a two-day period, which saturated the ground and halted hay harvest in some areas. Rain leached nitrogen in corn and productive hay fields in Tarrant County. Wheat harvest continued with about 70-75 percent complete. Some fields were still too wet to harvest. Yield reports were below average ranging from 30-40 bushels per acre, but test weights were good. Corn and soybeans looked good. There were a few grain sorghum fields where sugarcane aphids were found, but most fields were not at a level to justify spraying. Mosquitoes and flies were very bad in areas. Wild pigs were also active.

FAR WEST: There were extreme heat warnings as temperatures reached above 100 degrees in several counties and exceeded 110 degrees in some locations, according to one report. Some parts of the district received rain with amounts ranging between 0.1 of an inch to 1 inch. Glasscock County received rain accompanied by extremely high winds that severely sandblasted crops and left producers to ponder whether to replant. Cotton finally made good progress with hot weather. Producers said corn and sorghum looked amazing. The wheat harvest was all but complete with co-ops running out of places to store grain. Producers were looking for places to store the upcoming sorghum harvest. Howard County received rain and storms. In Presidio County, the storms produced extreme lightening and high fire danger. Cattle were still on supplemental feed with reduced mineral consumption. Most cattle were in good shape with stockers doing especially well. Producers were working late calving-herds. Most pasture and range conditions across the district were good and greening up from recent rains. Range and pasture conditions in Reagan County were beginning to dry due to hot weather and little moisture.

WEST CENTRAL: Weather was increasingly hot and humid. No rainfall was reported. Weeds and grasses generated at the beginning of the year were expected to increase fire danger as soil moisture decreased with hot days. Field activities increased as fields dried. There were still areas with fields too wet to plant or drive equipment in. Wheat and oat harvest was in full swing. Good wheat yields were reported with some sprouting before harvest could start. Grain sorghum was being planted. Early planted grain sorghum looked good as well as corn crops. The first hay crops continued to be cut and baled. Large hay crops were reported due to the amount of rainfall received. Hay producers were busy finishing up the first cutting and yields were higher than normal. Most cotton fields were planted. Cotton planted early was up and looked very good. Gardens were improving. Range and pastures were in excellent condition and continued to improve and come back from over-grazing. Grasses and forages were abundant and green. Livestock remained in fair to good condition, and body scores were increasing. Cattle prices were down some. Flies and mosquitos continued to be an issue around the district.

SOUTHEAST: Soil-moisture levels throughout the region ranged widely from adequate to surplus, with most ratings in the surplus range. There was still water standing in many areas throughout the district. Brazoria County was still flooded. Many pastures were still underwater or severely saturated. Grimes County reported they have gone from excessive rain to oppressive heat. If the heat stays this way, the surplus of groundwater should evaporate quickly. In Jefferson County, fields dried due to the hot temperatures. In Fort Bend County, fields were beginning to dry, and producers were expected to be able to work in them soon. Crops were in good condition in spite of the rain. Livestock were in good condition. Producers doubted that small grains still in the field would be harvested. Range and pastures were in excellent to good condition, with good being most common.

SOUTHWEST: Some areas experienced extreme rainfall, which increased subsoil moisture levels. Rains were followed by dry, hot weather, which reduced excess moisture. Some pastures and ranges sustained damage from flood waters. Extreme heat advisories were reported. Livestock were in fair condition.

SOUTH: Hot, humid conditions continued with temperatures in the mid-90s up to 105 degrees. No significant rainfall beyond scattered showers that amounted to a few tenths of an inch was reported. Hay was being cut in Atascosa County. A lot of Coastal Bermuda bales, either round or square, were produced in some areas. Sorghum was turning color, and some was reaching maturity with the help of drier conditions. Producers were preparing to harvest and continued to harvest in areas where sorghum was planted early. Some cotton was squaring, flowering and setting boles as well. Potato and food corn harvests continued. Peanut planting also continued. Pasture and range conditions were good to very good, but high temperatures put a beating on soil moisture levels in some areas. Some rangeland and pastures were beginning to show signs of stress from lack of moisture. Forage supplies remained good for the time being. Body condition scores on cattle remained good. Cattle markets fluctuated due to the inconsistent rainfall and uncertainty about upcoming weather. Warmer and dry conditions allowed row crops in the Jim Wells County area to progress well. Almost all crops continued to be harvested, including vegetables in Maverick County. There were no major reports of pests. Watermelons and cantaloupes developed well with no insect or disease pressures being reported. Pecan orchards were progressing well and in good condition, but producers remained busy scouting for case bearers.

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Farm & Ranch

Tumble Windmillgrass

Published

4 days ago

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April 15, 2026

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By Tony Dean

Tumble windmillgrass is a short, compact perennial bunch grass that is adapted to almost every corner of Texas.  It can grow on almost any soil, but prefers coarse textured soils. 

The most obvious characteristic about Tumble windmill is its large seed head sporting 10 to 16 laterally spreading branches, each approximately two to six inches long, arranged in one to three whorls.

When mature, the seed head will break off and be caught up in the wind, making Tumble windmill one of the great wanderers of the plains.  It can tumble great distances, spreading itself in the process.  This wanderer seems to like parking in your garage on windy days, as well as dancing around windy corners of buildings and any other place the wind decides to carry it.

Tumble windmill can also spread by short stolons.  The upper leaves are very short, while the lower leaves are often much longer. The leaves are light green with a purplish seed head that fades to pale reddish at maturity.

Tumble windmillgrass provides poor forage for livestock and wildlife, although most grazers will use the forage in early spring when tender.

Since Tumble windmill can grow in poor soil conditions, it is useful as a component for a prairie grass mix used on disturbed areas. This grass does not usually dominate a pasture but can often be found in smaller amounts.  Proper grazing use along with rotational grazing can cause the plant to be replaced with higher successional plants.

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Farm & Ranch

Looking for Low-Maintenance Poultry? Geese are Your Answer!

Published

6 days ago

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April 13, 2026

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Unless you are a fan of Dickens and Doyle, geese probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of poultry. But maybe they should be. And the aim of this article is to get you acquainted with the aristocrat of poultry.

Let’s start with the basics. Geese are domesticated waterfowl. Twelve breeds are recognized by the American Poultry Association, but dozens more are available. Much like ducks, all domestic geese breeds descend from two species. The overwhelming majority of breeds originate from Greylag geese (Anser anser). This species is native to Europe and Central Asia. These are the stockier, heavy geese that feature prominently in German fairy tales as a symbol of wealth and which Victorians loved to consume at Christmas. These geese come in various sizes, colors and dispositions. Here are a few examples: Cotton Patch geese are a small, variably-colored, extremely heat tolerant landrace native to the South. These were raised to consume weeds in cotton fields in the days before commercial herbicides. They are quite rare today and lay a variable number of eggs. American Buff geese are medium-sized, tan colored, very docile geese of uncertain origin. They are excellent meat birds. They are decent layers and wonderful mothers. Toulouse geese are the largest breed at up to thirty pounds. This ancient French breed is dark grey in color. They are bred to become very fat and so must be managed carefully to maintain fertility. They are very gentle, but require somewhat more shelter than other breeds.

A native of parts of China, Mongolia and Russia, the Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) gave us both the Chinese goose and the African goose. Both have large bulbs on their heads and are similarly colored, but are otherwise very different. African geese are quite large, maturing at around twenty pounds and prized for their meat. These gentle giants are often recommended for beginners. Chinese geese are the egg champions of the goose family. They produce multiple clutches in a year, equaling up to a hundred eggs annually. They are small geese with males weighing about twelve pounds and females ten. They are nervous and the loudest breed, but this makes them suburb as “watch geese” and perhaps the best all-purpose breed.

Now that we are a bit acquainted with various breeds, we can find out just why someone may want to keep geese. Before we go over their benefits, you may be surprised to learn something surprising about geese. Geese are so rarely seen in the United States today that they can seem unusual, even exotic. As such, you may reasonably expect that geese are hard to manage, require expensive feeds and must be waited on hand and foot. The surprise is that geese are actually significantly easier to take care of than chickens. In fact, I would venture to day that geese are the lowest maintenance poultry there are.

Geese are unique among poultry in that the vast majority of their diet is made up of grass. Some meat birds are raised entirely on grass. It may be a good idea to supplement their grass with some chicken feed and scratch grains, but you will find that, when grass is plentiful, they will generally not bother with anything else. Geese are excellent pasture birds. A simple wire pen that can be moved every other day is enough to keep them happy. Unlike chickens, geese do not scratch up a yard and are not nearly as messy as ducks. If moved promptly, the area they occupied will swiftly grow back greener, thanks to all the free fertilizer, which they produce in abundance. Few geese can fly with any proficiency and even then, only when they are young. One wing’s feathers can be easily clipped, if their escape is a concern.

Geese are also almost absurdly hardy. They not only love rain, they seldom if ever go inside. Shade and perhaps a windbreak are their only real needs for shelter. In sub-freezing temperatures, they will scorn a shed and simply sit in the snow. There is a reason that goose down is so valued for comforters. It is extremely good at keeping them warm. The clever little birds know exactly when they need to bend down over their feet to keep them warm and hide their heads under their wings for the same purpose. In the summer, geese require shade and access to water at all times, but are otherwise unbothered. Geese keep their bodies very clean and are, owing to a small oil gland and their meticulous grooming, waterproof. They will soil water almost instantly, so do not worry about keeping it clean, just be sure they have enough. Without water, they may die in the heat and regardless (like ducks) cannot keep their bills and eyes clean, which could cause disease. Provide multiple water tubs to reduce fighting. Geese will dig up the mud around their waterers, so they should be moved each time they are filled. They will appear to be eating the mud, but are actually filtering it in the water through the serration in their bills. This is to find food, as well as small rocks for their gizzards. With a bit of caution, geese will weed a garden for you and clean it up at the end of the season.

Geese need little more from you than water, basic protection from predators and grass. In return, they offer a number of benefits.

In the first place, Geese offer a dark, rich, beef-like meat. Geese are often butchered between twelve and twenty weeks old. At this time, their weight will vary by breed, but as an example, the commonly raised meat breed Pilgrim geese will weigh around thirteen pounds. The carcass weight will be about sixty to seventy percent of the live weight. If one cares to process it, goose fat is highly valued in the culinary world and contains almost no saturated fat. It is comparable to olive oil and may be used in the same applications.

Especially if you have selected the Chinese goose, eggs are another offering of your new favorite poultry. These eggs are roughly the equivalent of three chicken eggs. A fried goose egg, sausage or bacon and a pancake makes a very nice dinner or hearty breakfast. Alternatively, you can incubate and hatch goose eggs quite easily. The goslings are so valuable that it’s a wiser financial move to only consume the first couple of eggs laid in the spring, which are usually infertile. Goose eggs are easily candled without any special equipment. Infertile eggs or those that die early on can be blown out and made into painted or dyed eggs.

If you hate waste, and wish to use all but the “honk,” so to speak, the feet are rich in collagen and highly prized in the rest of the world. The liver of a goose is extremely healthy and famous as foie gras. A more familiar byproduct of butchering is down, which can be made into extremely valuable bedding. Be sure to clean and dry feathers carefully first. If raised by hand and handled very often, geese will be quite friendly to their owners and make loyal pets. Some people will actually hold their geese in their laps and gently pluck the down from their flock.

Lastly, geese are often kept as watch animals. Geese are extremely observant night and day and will loudly complain when they see something unfamiliar anywhere in the vicinity. It takes a very short time to learn the difference between the normal sounds of geese and the sound of their panic. Please know that while they may scare away small predators and they are nearly always too big for hawks, a goose is largely defenseless against most predators. Keeping geese near a livestock guardian dog is a great idea. The extremely intelligent birds will rapidly learn the dogs are a source of safety and will alert the dogs to anything they see as a threat. Geese can usually be kept with other poultry without problems. They will not directly protect their avian brethren, but the others will learn to hide when the more observant geese voice a concern. In mixed flocks, the noble geese stride around the yard, aristocracy among poultry.

Geese are immensely versatile, the most low-maintenance poultry there is and should have a place on any property.

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Farm & Ranch

Changing the Way We Handle Hay

Published

4 weeks ago

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March 22, 2026

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Few machines have reshaped livestock operations as much as the round baler. Before its arrival, haymaking was slow, labor-intensive, and limited by the storage and handling of small square bales. The round baler mechanized the process, producing large rolls that could be handled with tractors instead of back-breaking labor. Today, those big bales are a familiar sight across Oklahoma, Texas, and much of the world, stacked along fence lines or dotting pastures.

The modern round baler traces back to the mid-20th century. While early versions of hay-rolling machines appeared in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s, it was a man from Iowa who brought the design into practical use in America. In 1971, Vermeer Corporation, led by Gary Vermeer, introduced the first large round baler that could be mass-produced and widely adopted. His design gathered hay into a chamber, rolled it into a tight cylindrical package, and then wrapped it with twine before ejecting it onto the ground.

This solved a long-standing bottleneck. Small square bales required enormous labor — lifting, stacking, hauling, and feeding by hand. One person with a tractor and round baler could do in hours what once took a crew all day. The new bales were weather-resistant, stored easily outdoors, and reduced spoilage. They also fit well with the larger scale of modern cattle operations.

By the 1980s, other manufacturers such as John Deere, New Holland, and Case IH offered their own models. Improvements included variable chamber sizes, better pickup systems, and stronger tying methods. Round balers quickly became the standard for beef and dairy producers in Oklahoma, Texas, and beyond.

Though models vary, the principle remains the same. The baler picks up cut hay from the windrow and feeds it into a chamber with belts, rollers, or chains. As the hay circulates, it rolls into a tight cylinder. Once the bale reaches the set size — often 4×5 or 5×6 feet, weighing between 800 and 1,200 pounds — the machine stops feeding, and the bale is wrapped for storage.

The result is a dense, weather-resistant package that can be moved with a tractor spear or loader. Unlike small square bales that require dry storage, round bales can be stacked outdoors, especially when wrapped correctly.

The biggest evolution in round baling since its invention has been the way bales are bound. Early machines used only twine, usually sisal or synthetic. Twine is inexpensive and reliable, but it has drawbacks. Wrapping a bale with twine can take up to two minutes, slowing production. Twine also leaves more exposed surface area, allowing moisture to penetrate and spoil hay.

Net wrap was introduced in the 1990s as a solution. Made of high-strength polyethylene, it wraps the bale quickly — usually in 10 to 20 seconds — and covers more surface area. This tighter, more uniform wrap sheds water better and reduces spoilage, especially for bales stored outside. Net-wrapped bales also hold their shape better, making them easier to stack and transport.

Producers must weigh cost against efficiency. Net wrap is more expensive than twine, both in material and in required equipment, but many ranchers find the savings in time and hay quality worth the investment. Twine remains common for operations feeding hay quickly or storing it under cover, while net wrap dominates in large-scale or commercial setups.

In recent years, bale film wrap has also entered the market. Similar to plastic used in silage, film wrap can seal bales almost completely, reducing spoilage even further. While more expensive, it is gaining ground in wet climates and dairies where feed quality is critical.

The round baler is more than a machine — it changed the rhythm of haymaking. Producers can now harvest, bale, and store hundreds of tons of hay with a fraction of the labor once required. In regions like Oklahoma and North Texas, where cattle herds are large and hay is often stored outdoors, round balers became indispensable.

The machine also influenced land use. With the ability to bale quickly and efficiently, ranchers could harvest larger fields and manage forage with precision. It also reduced dependence on hired labor during peak hay season, a major benefit as rural populations declined.

While square balers still have their place — especially for horse hay and small-scale operations — round bales remain the workhorse of modern cattle ranching.

From its introduction in the 1970s to its widespread adoption today, the round baler has proven to be one of the most influential farm inventions of the last century. It solved the labor bottleneck of haymaking, improved storage and feed efficiency, and fit seamlessly into the mechanization of modern agriculture.

Whether wrapped in twine, net, or film, those big round bales are more than just scenery on a country road. They are symbols of an innovation that continues to save time, labor, and feed across ranch country. Like the steel plow, barbed wire, and windmill, the round baler is an invention that permanently changed the way we work the land.

References

Vermeer Corporation. History of the Round Baler. https://www.vermeer.com

John Deere Equipment. Hay and Forage History. https://www.deere.com

Oklahoma State University Extension. Hay Storage and Preservation.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Net Wrap vs. Twine for Round Bales.

Farm Progress. “Round Balers: The Machine That Changed Haymaking.”

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