Crop Scan Ag Report: Harvest is Here/Near
September 4, 2022 
Harvest has begun in parts of Texas and the lower Mid-South, with defoliation coming quickly for many additional acres. Recent rain has caused some flooding and sprouting problems in parts of the Mid-South, while some late rains across the Texas High Plains may help save that region’s irrigated acres. Here’s what the Crop Scan consultants told us as September begins.
Chad Harrell owns and operates Harrell Agronomic Services in Northeastern North Carolina.
Our cotton is advancing fast with some fields showing about 30% open bolls. We are about 1-to-2 weeks ahead of last year, and the earlier planted cotton should be ready to defoliate in a couple of weeks. Even the later cotton is further along than expected and should be ready to defoliate by early-to-mid October.
It’s been hot and dry for the past couple of weeks, causing some of our top bolls to abort. Even so, we still have a nice boll load throughout the plant. I think we could be looking at an above average yield potential this year if we can avoid any hard lock later this month.
Wes Briggs consults on cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans, and small grains for growers in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.
Cotton still looks good for my area.
Photo: Wes Briggs
We dodged the big rains in most areas, and older cotton is beginning to open better this week. Last week’s 7-to-8-day span of cloudy rainy conditions led to more fruit shed in younger cotton this week. We’ve had three consecutive days of much needed sunny weather this week (8/31) and thankfully managed to miss all the rain our neighbors to the west have received. Our prayers go out to those in South Mississippi and Louisiana dealing with a bad situation with all of the rainfall.
Currently we are still managing stinkbugs, whiteflies, disease, PGRs, and late Irrigation needs. Our oldest cotton is three weeks away from defoliation, and our youngest cotton still needs 5-to-6 weeks of good, hot weather. In fall, it generally takes 65 days to go from a white bloom to harvestable boll. September 10 white bloom has a 50/50 chance to make it before a killing frost.
Overall, this cotton crop continues to amaze me. Boll counts are still pointing to above average yields with a lot of 5-lock bolls. We need to finish September with good weather and very little rain.
Tucker Miller is a Mississippi-based independent private consultant for cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, rice, and vegetables.
We have made our last insect sprays on a small amount of acres this week. This cotton was replanted and was still green and blooming.
We have started defoliation on some of our early planted cotton. Most of our cotton is about a week away from being ready to defoliate. We are hoping for good weather, but the forecast doesn’t look good. We already have a good bit of hard lock and some rot in some areas. The crop still looks very good if we can avoid any more weather issues.
Photo: Tucker Miller
Most of my growers have said that this is the most expensive crop they have ever had. We don’t need any weather issues here at the end.
Hope everyone has a good harvest season.
Mark Nemec is an independent agricultural consultant for cotton, wheat, grain sorghum and corn in the Blacklands and Brazos River Bottom area of Central Texas.
After five or so days of rain showers, we were able to get back in the fields. Harvest aids on irrigated cotton are starting to go out, and the strippers are rolling in the Blacklands. Yields have been half or less than normal this year in most fields thanks to the extreme heat we had this summer. Some areas that caught a lucky shower or had adequate water look to be fair.
Photo: Mark Nemec
But just as we got going, the rains are back, and they are heavy in places. Some areas have had over 4 inches just today (Aug 30). As soon as it dries out, we will crank back up and go again. We are hoping to just get this crop behind us and get ready for next year.
Kerry Siders is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent-IPM for Hockley, Cochran, and Lamb Counties.
Cotton here on the Southern High Plains of Texas ranges from May planted seed just now emerging from recent rains to good, irrigated cotton with seven nodes above cracked boll. August ends with 2.79” of rainfall, which mostly fell the last few days of August. This has helped some acres stick those last few bolls, fill some bolls, cause regrowth concerns, germinate a flush of pigweed, and – most importantly – head us in the right direction from a drought.
Most all acres of cotton have accumulated sufficient heat units (>450 DD 60s) to be safe from economic insect damage. We will continue to watch for cotton aphids, which have been few and far between of late, for a few more weeks. Most all irrigation has been terminated except for a few drip irrigated fields which may have additional water applied in a week or two if no further rains are received as we move into September.
Many cotton producers await an insurance adjuster to make boll counts mid-September to decide on harvest. The value of lint, seed, and other considerations may cause some producers to gather cotton they normally would not consider profitable. Producers need to put a sharp pencil to paper to help decide whether this low yielding cotton may still have an advantage of being harvested versus an insurance claim.
Harvest aid season is right around the corner. I anticipate we will have some of the better cotton ready for ethephon and a defoliant by the third week of September. I have no reason to believe these harvest aid products will not perform as normal, other than on fields which have developed regrowth from these recent rains. No doubt patience, two harvest aid applications, and/or a freeze may very well be necessary.
GET THE NEWSLETTER TODAY!
