Local News

Crop Losses Around Texas Caused by Excess Moisture

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Agriculture experts are chalking up recent crop losses around the state to the moisture-heavy season we’ve had lately.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists believe that while some regions in the state will be just fine when weather patterns are stabilized, others have experienced extreme losses in areas of major flooding. As the Abilene Reporter-News reported, the moisture-heavy weather has affected the corn crop the most. “The problem for the corn crop is flooding came in several waves at critical periods of growth.” While the Upper Gulf Coast region should see an abundant corn crop despite weather, the bottomlands in the region could see a major hit.

The Blacklands region from Austin to Dallas is one of the heaviest farmland areas hit by the rainfall, and their crop losses could reach tremendous numbers. “It is too late to do any replanting of corn, so at this point producers will ride it out and see what they can harvest or some might shred it.” Corn isn’t the only crop affected, either.

Researchers believe that while hay crops will be abundant, the quality will be very low because farmers are unable to cut it in time. As Dr. Larry Redmon, an AgriLife Extension state forage specialist in College Station, says, “Producers will need to get any forage they receive later this summer tested before feeding it to their livestock.”