Texas crop, weather

Cattle on supplemental feed in East Texas. (Texas AgriLife Research photo by Dr. Monte Rouquette Jr.) COLLEGE STATION - - Where weather permitted, harvesting of cotton, soybeans, hay and other crops continued in many parts of the state, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service reports.

In East Texas, beef producers began feeding hay or other supplemental feed. In Henderson County, as in many parts of the state, producers were trying to finish a final cutting of hay in front of rain and frost, said Rich Hirsch, AgriLife Extension agent based in Athens.

In North Texas, some producers were harvesting soybeans in the mud, said Roger Skipper, AgriLife Extension agent for Fannin County, northeast of Dallas.

"They're tracking their fields up (with four-wheel drive combines) to get them out," Skipper said. "We've had more than 30 inches of rain in September and October."

Skipper said some of the soybeans were alright while others were rotting in their pods. Whichever was the case seemed to depend upon many factors, including maturity of the variety, soil type and the amount of rain they received.

Despite the inconvenience, for most the rain was still welcome as it turbocharged the growth of wheat pastures and other small win- ter grazing. In the Panhandle, stocker cattle were already on winter wheat pastures, said Dr. Brent Bean, AgriLife Extension agronomist based in Amarillo.

"In general, I think the wheat crop has gotten off to a good start," Bean said. "For those guys who were able to plant early when we had a little more moisture, the crop came up in reasonably good shape. For the most part, I think the grazing is pretty good this year."

According to a 2008 survey, Panhandle producers typically graze cattle on 50 percent to 55 percent of the wheat planted.

"Used to be higher than that, actually, closer to 70 or 75 percent, depending on the price of wheat," Bean said. "And on some years it may approach that, but I think the 50 to 55 percent is a pretty good number to use."

Bean said they didn't think they'd ever get the corn in because of wet conditions, but cotton was still being harvested.

"We had some wet, dewy mornings that kept people out of the (cotton) fields," he said. "Some the guys who were stripping cotton couldn't even start until 5 p.m, and then they would work until midnight."

The Panhandle cotton harvest should be finished in a couple of weeks, he said.