Crop Scan Ag Report: Slow Progress; Patience Required
May 6, 2023 
Cotton planting is underway in parts of the Eastern Cotton Belt and Texas. But, for the most part, cool and wet conditions are slowing progress or keeping the planters parked. And scattered rains in West Texas raise hopes as planting gets ready to begin. The planting window is open. But our contributing cotton consultants say the key right now is patience.
Here’s their report for early May.
Wes Briggs consults on cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans, and small grains for growers in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.
We have cotton planters going, but we’re not wide open yet. Mornings have been cool, with some temperatures in the upper 40s. Cotton that has been planted is coming up slowly, taking almost 10 days to get to a full stand.
But everything is fixing to change. Temperatures are going to be in the upper 80s and low 60s. With that, hopefully we’ll get a stand of cotton in 5 to 7 days. Soil temperatures have been anywhere from 62 to 68 degrees, so the soils are warming up. We had some rain two weeks ago, but it’s starting to get dry again. We really could use another rain shower.
Not everybody is planting cotton yet. Probably 50% of the farms we work with have started planting. I’m kind of glad we don’t have more planted by now. There are a lot of things that can influence a really good cotton stand negatively. And that’s what we’ve had with this cooler planting window we’ve been in. With the warmer temperatures coming, cotton should be coming up pretty good.
It’s a little early to tell, but it looks like thrips pressure is going to be pretty heavy, which it usually always is on early cotton.
Peanuts are the priority right now. Peanut planters are running wide open.
Chad Harrell owns and operates Harrell Agronomic Services in Northeastern North Carolina.
Not much has changed since the last update. We have been sitting still the past week with cool, wet conditions. The first week of May brought us 2-to-4 inches of rain along with night temperatures in the 40s. A few peanuts have been planted, but still no cotton.
Much better conditions are in the forecast for this upcoming week. With good moisture and excellent DD 60’s ahead, I think we will be in full swing planting cotton this week.
Tucker Miller is a Mississippi-based independent private consultant for cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, rice, and vegetables.
As I write this on May 5, we have received 0.2 inches of rain. We had about one hundred acres of cotton planted last week that looks like it will make it to a stand.
Some planters got going May 4. But for the most part, we are sitting still waiting on the weather and temperatures to get right.
Our cotton acres are way down from last year – probably around 40%. It has been cold and wet up until the last couple of days. We can plant this crop in five days if we can just get a run of good weather.
Corn and bean planting is about finished. Our oldest corn is V7, and our oldest beans are at third trifoliate. Most corn has been laid by and will receive a last shot of fertilizer at tassel. We will start weed control in our beans next week as needed.
I hope everyone has a good window to get this cotton planted.
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.
Things in Central Texas have been slow to start. We’ve had unusually cool temperatures and wet conditions here for the last three weeks.
Any cotton that has been planted has not done much. Temperatures are finally coming up now (as of May 4), and we are drying out. Planters are starting to roll again. The decision to replant some is being discussed now.
The forecast is calling for an extended wet spell starting soon. With that in mind, herbicide applications are going out fast and furious. Cotton may not be growing fast, but the weeds are exploding with the wet conditions. There are still a few mud holes, and the applicators are having to play Evel Knievel and jump through them.
Kerry Siders is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent-IPM for Hockley, Cochran, and Lamb Counties.
The Texas High Plains drought continues even though some isolated rain showers have been received in the last few days. At my office in Levelland, TX, we have not received a single weather event where the precipitation measured more than 1.0 inch since October of 2022. That’s 200 days since we have received appreciable measurable rain. Maybe conditions may be more conducive for a rain event now.
A portion of our irrigated acres have received pre-irrigation. These acres will be planted first as soil temperatures are more consistent here and nighttime air temperatures are now trending above 55 degrees. As we move deeper into May, the temperature conditions become more conducive for cotton germination. It is moisture that is the huge hurdle. Even in areas where it has rained, soil can dry out so quickly because there is little to no stored moisture in the profile for that rain to meet and remain in the seed zone for more than a few days, if not hours. My suggestion is that we be as patient as possible to allow for the chance of rainfall and soil/air temperature to continue to improve.
Currently, I am not finding thrips moving in or near wheat fields, which is the source for this cotton pest. High Plains cotton producers need to be mindful of both above ground plant pest activity, but also the developing root system for any abnormalities such as galls from nematodes or root pruning from wireworms.
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