Heat. Wind. Drought. These are three words the farmers of the Texas Panhandle know all too well.
And now these conditions are forcing farmers to choose between their crops.
Dry-land crops are pretty much non-existent, and irrigated crops such as corn are on the verge of failing. Irrigated fields allow only so much water and corn is now using more water than allowed. This is putting stress on the corn and causing it to fail. So, do the farmers abandon some corn acres and concentrate water on fewer acres to ensure it gets through the corn silking period, or do they cut back on corn and water other acres such as cotton that don't require as much water? This is the decision farmers are having to make- and fast!
"Every field is different and depends on the pumping capacity and water stored," says Texas Agrilife Extension Agronomist Brent Bean. "This drought has been devastating to our crops."
The current conditions are already affecting next year's crops, and with wheat season approaching, rain is mandatory.
