Wheat harvest winding down

Hot and dry weather affected most of the state during the week ending July 1, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Southern Plains Regional Field Office, Texas. High winds damaged some crops and dried out the fields in the Low Plains. Precipitation was low throughout most of the state, but areas of the Southern Plains and the Edwards Plateau received up to 1.5 inches of rain, with isolated areas getting upwards of 3 inches. There were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork.

Wheat harvest was winding down in the High Plains. Some producers in the Edwards Plateau were getting their fields ready for planting small grains.

Dryland cotton had little emergence in the High Plains, while irrigated cotton continued to progress. Some fields in the Northern High Plains were showing signs of wet weather blight. Weather conditions continued to delay cotton progress in the Low Plains and the Blacklands. In areas of the Coastal Bend, South Texas and the Lower Valley, cotton responded well to recent rainfalls and continued irrigation. Conditions continued to dry out corn in areas of the Blacklands, while ear development was being hampered due to the lack of water. Sorghum and corn harvest began in areas of South Texas. Sorghum was starting to bloom in the Southern High Plains. Harvest of sorghum continued in the Coastal Bend, South Texas and the Lower Valley. Rice was heading and flowering in the Upper Coast.