drought conditions

• By Seth Byrd, Oklahoma State University • Like any cotton season, 2020 was a roller coaster in Oklahoma, although we tended to avoid the extremes experienced in the two previous years. Coming off a hot and dry 2018 followed by a cool and wet spring and a hot and dry summer in 2019, this season was slightly more moderate. ... Read More »

Good rains last fall filled soil moisture profiles for much of the state and set up a good yield potential for Texas farmers, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. Dr. Calvin Trostle, AgriLife Extension agronomist, Lubbock, said lines between areas with plenty of good soil moisture and those dealing with drought were distinct. Big rains in the ... Read More »

Uncertainty surrounding the spread of coronavirus has Texas cotton producers in limbo regarding their crop options for 2020, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. Dr. John Robinson, AgriLife Extension cotton marketing specialist, College Station, said cotton prices have been dropping due to the disease’s effects on global production, manufacturing and consumption. The ripple effect of coronavirus on ... Read More »

Widespread drought continues in Alabama, as nearly 84% of the state is in severe drought. In fact, 55% of the state’s soil and subsoil moisture is reported to be “very short.” Even with these conditions, producers are still hard at work bringing in this year’s crop. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 96% of the corn planted in Alabama ... Read More »

While it seems Georgia is finally seeing a break from the summer heat, the long hot summer, including a record-setting September, has already caused problems for many Georgia farmers. With almost no rain during September, drought conditions expanded across the state. Record-setting temperatures and almost no rain during September caused a major expansion of drought across Georgia. The dry conditions ... Read More »

• By Lindsey Thiessen • Cercospora leaf spot of cotton (Fig. 1), caused Cercospora gossypina (syn. Mycosphaerella gossypina), has been observed across North Carolina cotton growing regions. Foliar symptoms include reddish lesions that enlarge to have white to light brown centers. These symptoms may also be similar to other foliar diseases, like Stemphylium leaf spot or Alternaria leaf spot. Symptoms ... Read More »

Cotton Acreage Continues To Climb In Northern Texas Panhandle • By Kay Ledbetter • Cotton acreage has almost tripled in the past five years in the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service District 1, which covers the 22 northernmost counties in the Panhandle. Dr. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Amarillo, says the cropping picture has definitely changed as producers deal with ... Read More »