Cotton conditions vary across the area, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service reports, mainly due to weather conditions and when it was planted.
Following are reports from county extension agents for this area:
ROLLING PLAINS: Conditions were hot and humid across parts of the district. Isolated pockets of rain benefitted areas where it fell. Cotton conditions were mainly fair. Older dryland cotton looked good. Some younger cotton looked rough because of hail and wind and the fact some was replanted two or three times. Weed control was becoming a problem. Grasshoppers were beginning to show up in numbers, and sugarcane aphids were on sorghum. Pastures were starting to turn yellow due to heat and lack of moisture. Hay was continually harvested.
WEST CENTRAL: Weather conditions were seasonably hot and dry with a few isolated rain showers. Scattered storms were reported late in the reporting period in some areas. Fire dangers continued to increase in dry areas. Burn bans were reinstated in many areas that did not receive moisture. Cotton conditions varied across the district, with some fields looking good due to timely moisture and others struggling to produce a good stand. Producers were busy spraying weeds in cotton after recent rains. Sugarcane aphids were noted in Sudan-type forages. Small-grain fields were in good condition. Cutting and baling hay continued. Many producers started their second cutting of Coastal Bermuda. Hay reports were good. Rangeland and pasture conditions continued to look good in most areas that received rainfall. Stock tanks were in good shape. Livestock remained in fair to good condition. Pecan crops remained good.
SOUTH PLAINS: Conditions were dry and warm with temperatures below 100 degrees. Widely scattered showers were received in some areas, but more rainfall was needed for all aspects of agriculture. Overall, cotton fields looked good. A few cotton fields began blooming, and some were struggling to rebound from recent weather conditions. Corn stages ranged from vegetative to brown silk. Pastures and rangelands were green and in fair to good condition.
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