Farmers need more rain in coming weeks

While recent rains have certainly been welcomed by local farmers, the county remains in a D4 drought, i.e., exceptional drought.
Jeff Davis County Agent Jennifer Miller says the drought didn’t just happen overnight but actually began last season.
“We didn’t get any tropical weather last season,” Miller said, adding that the subsequent dry periods since that time have added to the drop in the area rain gauge.
“We had rainfall totals around the county anywhere from one and a half to two and a half inches over the last few week,” Miller said. “But that wasn’t enough to really affect the rain gauge.”
“It’s not going to significantly improve our situation,” she continued. “We’re not where we should be.”
Miller said some farmers have planted their corn late because of the drought and while farmers can irrigate their fields before they plant, that’s not the kind of water farmers need.
Miller mentioned the fact that many fields are showing uneven emergence which happens when soil moisture fluctuates. “You have dry pockets where the plants aren’t getting the moisture they need and it all causes lots of issues,” Miller said.
The dry conditions have hampered field preparations as well. “A lot of people didn’t do their pre-emergent herbicides, because it takes moisture for the herbicides to work,” Miller said. “So the farmers have to play catchup.”
Miller said that, though many people feel the local farmers are behind, that may not necessarily be the case.
“With peanuts, we typically plant at the end of April, then we start on the cotton,” Miller said. “May 10 is the optimal date to plant cotton, so we’re really not so far behind. It depends on what happens in the next few weeks. I just hope we get some more rain.”
“Cattle producers are what I’m really worried about,” Miller said. “Most years by this time cattle producers have their hay crop in but this year they don’t have the hay because there was not much rain.”
And grazing grasses have suffered due to the drought. “There are going to be people looking for supplemental hay if the grass doesn’t grow,” Miller said. “And that means good quality hay.”
But there is a positive note for cattle farmers — “The good thing is prices are up right now,” Miller said.
In summary, while the drought has been causing big problems for area farmers, there’s still time for the growing season to be productive, but much depends on the rainfall farmers get in the coming months.