Small Town News

Tough times for ag

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Crops thirst for rains that won't come

If Wharton County doesn't receive some rain soon, it could mean trouble for the area's main industry.

The county's four staple row crops -- corn, grain sorghum, cotton and soybeans -- as well as rice, an irrigated crop, are already planted and trying their best to grow in soil that hasn't seen significant rainfall in months. Pastures that should be green with lush grass brought by spring showers instead grow shorter and browner by the day.

Wharton County is in severe drought roughly south of U.S. 59 and extreme drought north of the highway, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center said in its most recent update that conditions "continue to deteriorate" in Texas, due to the ongoing warm, dry weather. Wharton County AgriLife Extension Agent for Agriculture Peter McGuill said it's impossible to say how much longer farmers and ranchers can go without rain.

"It depends on how much moisture was already there, and the moisture-retaining characteristics of the soil," he said. "There's a bigger window in a soil that's slow to drain. It's so variable out there.

"Even within a field, there's areas that look good and areas that are skippy, so there's no one answer that'll fit every situation."

He said the need for rain is crucial.

"The message, if there is one, is that we need some rain -- really bad," McGuill said. "Commodity prices are where they've never been before, especially cotton, but we need some rain so the farmers can actually take advantage of the market, and the weather's not cooperating right now."

The city of Wharton has had only 2.8 inches of recorded rain so far this year.

In 2010, that total through April 5 was 7.96 inches while in 2009 the tally was 4.08 inches and in 2008 the city received 10.26 inches.

"Soil moisture is well below average over much of eastern Texas, with less serious deficits elsewhere across the state, while the Vegetation Drought Response Index is consistent with severe to exceptional drought conditions in and around the Ark-La-Tex region," the drought center said this week.

"Unfortunately, the (Climate Prediction Service) 30-day and 90-day outlooks, as well as the ... soil moisture outlook through the end of June, forecast the continuation and the intensification of anomalously warm and dry conditions for most of Texas."

In other words, no relief to the drought is expected anytime soon, with the only hope of change being tropical storms closer to summer.



Copyright 2011 East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 East Bernard Express East Bernard, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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