Farm & Ranch

Texas crop, weather for June 23, 2015

Published

11 years ago

June 23, 2015

NTFR

By: Robert Burns

Rice situation varies widely; much never got planted

Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191, rd-burns@tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION – After years of having not enough water to grow rice, many of the major production areas of the state got too much, according to reports by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service personnel in the major rice growing counties.

The frequent rains prevented plantings and/or damaged crops and encouraged diseases in planted fields, according to the reports.

But it wasn’t all bad news. In Matagorda County, the rice crop was in pretty good shape, said Brent Bachelor, AgriLife Extension agent for Matagorda County.

Download or preview a two-minute MP3 audio version of this report
“We were later than normal planting, probably by 15 to 20 days at least, but we did get it all in,” Bachelor said.

Another rain came after the planting, and other than some disease issues from the high humidity, much of the already established crop is progressing well, he said.

However, he noted the 3,000 acres of rice planted this year was severely reduced from the average of about 25,000 acres typically planted before the drought and the resulting water restrictions the Lower Colorado River Authority.

“From the big picture standpoint, we haven’t farmed much rice since 2011 and the water usage restrictions from the lower Colorado River and the Highland Lakes,” he said. “But we haven’t had to pump this year, and that’s a bright star in the picture.”

Other counties weren’t so fortunate, Bachelor said.

“I know that in Wharton County, they had some issues with the rain and the floods, particularly with this last round, because they had some fields that were heading,” he said. “If it’s heading and not blooming, it can go underwater for a short period of time. But it’s certainly important for it not to be completely submerged if it’s blooming, because once flowers are open, and they get wet, then we see blanks in spikes where rice kernels should be developing.”

Stephen Janak, AgriLife Extension agent for Colorado County, said about 60 to 70 percent of the county’s rice crop was in pretty good shape. These fields were already established before Tropical Storm Bill.

“When Bill came through, the levees blew out in a lot of the fields of where younger rice hadn’t been established yet and was still flooded,” he said.

The rain also created problems where the levees held, including completely submerging some rice, he said.

“The fields were saturated before Bill, which added 10 to 15 inches of rain on top of that,” Janak said. “There’s some organic rice that never got planted. It’s just a hodgepodge of conditions, depending on the situation, the soil type and when it was planted.”

In Jefferson County, a large percentage of the crop was not planted, and much of what was planted varied widely in development, said Emilee Bean, AgriLife Extension agent for Jefferson County.

As in other areas, the condition Jefferson County rice that got planted varied widely in development. In her weekly report, Bean rated 45 percent of the crop as good, 45 percent fair and 10 percent excellent.

According to the Chambers County weekly report, about 45 percent of the crop was planted and emerged, with most of the crop in good condition and 25 percent in fair condition.

Brazoria County rated 85 percent of the rice crop as being in good condition, and the rest fair to excellent.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following crop and weather summaries:

Central: Soil moisture, rangeland and pastures, and livestock were generally in good condition. Overall, crop conditions were rated as fair. The region generally had scattered showers, but heavy downpours caused severe flooding in isolated areas. The condition of the corn crop varied widely, with some fields drowned out while other fields looked good. Sugarcane aphid pressure on grain sorghum remained low. Lakes and stock-water ta nks were full, and rivers were running strong. Many producers were still trying to get the first cutting of hay moved out of fields. Some producers reported getting four to six rolls of Bermuda grass hay per acre. Livestock were in good condition. The wheat and oat harvests wrapped up, with yields lower than expected. Grain sorghum was still struggling, but some fields bounced back from excessive moisture and were growing.

Coastal Bend: Winds brought by Tropical Storm Bill caused only minor damage and brought moderate flooding to row crops and pecans. Corn was maturing. Sorghum was flowering. Cotton development varied greatly, from full bloom to the six-leaf growth stage. There was some insect pressure in grain sorghum. The mixed maturity of sorghum caused management of the crop to be challenging. Hay harvesting was shut down by the rain. Rangeland was in excellent condition.

East: Most counties in the region received substantial rainfall from Tropical Storm Bill. Jasper County received the most at 10 inches. Henderson County got 3 to 5 inches, and Shelby County reported 5 to 8 inches. Several counties changed their subsoil and topsoil moisture ratings from adequate to surplus. The Jasper County towns of Kirbyville, Buna and Evadale were flooded. The Trinity River bottom remained flooded. The continued wet conditions were causing disease and insect infestations on some crops. Pecan scab infestation was heavy, and there were some reports of powdery mildew. Many trees were stressed because of saturated soils; some were losing leaves. In Anderson County, corn and grain sorghum fields were lost. Blueberry and blackberry harvests were behind due to the rains. Vegetable harvesting was slowed, and crop quality was diminished by the muddy conditions. Forage pastures and hayfields were in mostly good to ex cellent condition, but producers were unable to make hay due to the rains. Rain and wet conditions prevented some producers from marketing cattle. Otherwise, cattle were in good condition, and the market continued to be strong. The horn fly population exploded.

Far West: Thunderstorms in Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties brought as much as 1.5 inches of rain. The thunderstorms also produced high winds and lightning, which increased wildfire danger. Winkler and Loving counties had scattered showers. Upton County rangeland conditions improved, but broomweed took over ground that had been left bare from the previous drought. Cattle were in good condition. Cotton, corn, sunflowers and alfalfa were all doing well. Wheat producers were finishing up harvesting. Pasture and rangeland were in fair to good condition. Topsoil and subsoil moisture was adequate.

North: Topsoil moisture was mostly adequate. Tropical Storm Bill brought 3 inches of rain during the middle of the week, which halted planting of soybeans, cotton and grain sorghum. Bill also stopped the hay and wheat harvests, and other fieldwork. Fields and pastures were saturated. Corn was growing quickly, but there were issues with non-uniformity in the fields that were underwater for long periods. Summer pastures were growing really well. Livestock were in good condition. The cattle market was strong. Grasshopper numbers were high in some areas. Wild hogs continued to cause damage.

Panhandle: Most of the region was hot and windy for the most of the week, with near-average temperatures. Soil moisture was mostly adequate. The warm and dry conditions allowed Collingsworth County farmers to catch up on fieldwork. Cotton there appeared to be overcoming too much moisture and was emerging. Acres not able to be planted in cotton were being switched over to grain sorghum or haygrazer. Dallam Hartley corn was progressing good under irrigation. Wheat looked good, and producers were taking a second cutting of alfalfa. Isolated storms in Deaf Smith County hailed out some wheat and cornfields. However, the corn crop in general was in good shape. Even the late-planted fields were in from three-to-four leaf to eight-to-ten leaf growth stage, so there will be a wide variance in the crops maturing. The condition of wheat there was also widely variable with many fields affected with disease issues and a wide range of mat urity levels – even in the same field. Some grain sorghum acres were just being planted, while others were at the five-to-six leaf stage. Due to wet, damp and cool weather very few cotton acres were planted in Deaf Smith County. In Hansford County, areas north of Spearman and Gruver received the 2 inches of rain along with strong winds and hail. Corn, sorghum and cotton were doing great. The wheat harvesting started over the weekend south of Spearman. Irrigated and some dryland wheat looked really good, but weeds were starting to become a problem. Wheeler County producers finished planting cotton. Some cotton was just emerging. The crop was expected to be late to mature. Cattle were in good shape, but horn flies were troublesome in most all herds.

Rolling Plains: More rain fell across parts of the region. Montague County received 16 inches of rain, which brought the total rainfall since the beginning of May to more than 45 inches. Severe flooding displaced cattle, downed fences, and destroyed ponds and personal property. The wheat harvest was on hold because of the rain. Some cotton planting was prevented due to the rain. Hay producers were having trouble getting hay baled because of rain, but most weren’t complaining after four years of drought. Where hay could be harvested, yields were excellent. Livestock remained in good to excellent condition. Area reservoirs and stock-water tanks were full. Rangeland and pastures were in good to excellent condition. Farmers were focusing on weed and insect pest issues. The peach crop was looking very good with harvesting starting. The harvesting of most peaches will begin in two weeks and continue through July.

South: Tropical Storm Bill brought widespread thunderstorms and rain to much of the region, but no damaging winds. In the northern part of the region, corn and cotton were in good condition. Peanut and grain sorghum were in fair condition. Rangeland and pastures were in excellent condition. Frio County had warm days and minimal rain, which allowed producers to complete the wheat harvest and continue potato harvesting. In Live Oak County, conditions remained very wet, and many crops were damaged by too much moisture. Soil moisture conditions were generally adequate throughout the northern counties. In the eastern part of the region, Tropical Storm Bill brought 5 to 10 inches of rain in some areas, and many fields in those areas remain flooded. In Kleberg and Kenedy counties, cotton and sorghum fields looked great, and rangeland and pastures continued to improve. Weeds, though, continued to be a problem for many cattle produ cers in that area. Soil moisture was adequate in Jim Hogg and Jim Wells counties, and 100 percent surplus in Kleberg and Kenedy counties. In the western part of the region, there were reports of webworms in pecan orchards, but spraying controlled the pests. In Zavala County, timely and substantial rains resulted in big savings on irrigation costs. Cotton, corn, sorghum and pecans made excellent progress. Soil moisture conditions were generally adequate throughout the western counties. In the southern part of the region, Hidalgo sunflower harvesting was interrupted by heavy rains. Starr County grain producers were baling hay. Soil moisture was adequate in the southern counties.

South Plains: Some areas received rain — from light and isolated showers to widespread storms — with certain areas receiving from 2 to 5 inches. The moisture benefited crops, but made field work difficult. Earlier planted sorghum and corn looked very good. The wheat harvest was underway and yields are average to slightly above. Farmers were running sand-fighters cultivators over fields to stop blowing topsoil on some fields and to break crust to help seedling emergence on others. Pastures and rangeland were in good condition, and winter wheat harvest was in various stages, from just starting to being completed. Lubbock County cotton ranged from having one to five true leaves. Corn and sorghum were progressing well with exception of a few sorghum fields that were stunted in appearance. All Garza County cotton acres were planted, with crop development ranging from just emerged to the four-true-leaf stage. Some dama ge has been seen in cotton due to wet weather blight. In some low-lying areas, the crop showed signs of a lack of oxygen due to excessive soil moisture. Rangeland and pastures were in excellent condition, and cattle were mostly in good to excellent condition. Mitchell County received rain at the beginning of the week, which again kept farmers out of the fields. Scurry County also received rain that prevented cotton planting.

Southeast: Soil moisture throughout the region was mostly adequate to surplus, with San Jacinto, Chambers, Galveston and Hardin counties having 100 percent surplus levels. Rangeland and pasture ratings varied widely too, but were mostly good to excellent, with good ratings being the most common. San Jacinto County and Hardin County reported 100 percent excellent conditions. Brazos County got from 0.75 inch to 2.5 inches. Pastures and hayfields continued to benefit from abundant moisture. Brazoria County soybeans were blooming. In Chambers County, Tropical Storm Bill dropped from 4 to 11 inches of rain atop of already saturated ground. Some parts of the county had already met average rainfall totals for a full year. Some early rice that did not have to be replanted in late April was starting to head. Any more rains will make herbicide and fertilizer applications on rice difficult. In Fort Bend County, the tropical storm brought 3 to 6 inches of rain. Although producers got more rain than they wanted, they were spared the 12 inches of rain that fell to the south, so the extra moisture was manageable. Galveston County received heavy rains from Tropical Storm Bill too.

Southwest: Though Tropical Storm Bill brought rains, no major damage or flooding occurred. Rainfall totaled for the week ranged from 3 to 4 inches. Corn was in poor condition from too much water. Pasture conditions continued to improve, and rangeland was in good condition. Crops looked good as well, with above-average yields expected. Livestock were in fair condition.

West Central: The region had hot and very humid days with warm nights. Scattered showers fell in some areas, while others remained dry. Subsoil moisture remained good. Field activities increased as rain-soaked fields dried out. Producers were spraying for weeds. Cotton planting and wheat harvesting was nearly completed, though some wheat fields had to be abandoned due to poor quality and weeds. All row crops were off to a fine start due to good moisture conditions. Producers were cutting and baling hay, with the first-cutting yields above average with good quality. Grain and forage sorghum, and corn were in excellent condition. Rangeland and pastures were also in great shape. Livestock remained in good to excellent condition. Horn flies required some control in most herds. Stock-water tanks and ponds were in good condition. Cattle prices remained very good. Peaches were ready to harvest. Pecans were progressing well, with a heavy nut crop in some areas and light in others.

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Farm & Ranch

Tumble Windmillgrass

Published

3 days ago

April 15, 2026

NTFR

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.

Farm & Ranch

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

Published

5 days ago

April 13, 2026

NTFR

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.

Farm & Ranch

Changing the Way We Handle Hay

Published

4 weeks ago

March 22, 2026

NTFR

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.”