Getting Ready to Plant in the High Plains of Texas
Unlike other areas of the Cotton Belt, cotton planting is ready to start in the High Plains of Texas. Pre-planting jitters have settled and the “busyness” of planting will soon be in full swing.
As growers pray for additional rain and a more successful growing season than last, Dr. Jourdan Bell, Regional Extension and Research Agronomist at Texas A&M AgriLife in Amarillo, TX, has some advice for growers in these early days.
According to Bell, water is where the pre-plant and planting season conversations begin, because water availability has the highest impact on planting and later management decisions. On irrigated acres, Bell says there are typically two water allocation options for growers.
“Producers are trying to determine if they want to reduce their irrigated acres so that they’re irrigating fewer acres at a higher irrigation rate or spread that water over more acres and essentially deficit irrigate a broader amount of cotton,” Bell says. “Both strategies can be viable. It just depends on someone’s production system.”
For cotton growers who are rotating crops or are allocating water across multiple crops, Bell suggests looking to the markets for guidance. With that market knowledge, growers can find the crop that will give the most return on water investment and allocate their water there. The final decisions on variety selection and weed management then become easier, though Bell says it is always better to make these decisions sooner.
The topic of water also brings up pre-irrigation decisions. Growers have the difficult task of balancing conserving water, ensuring water moisture, and being hopeful for potential precipitation in an abnormally dry forecast.
“Soil moisture is like the savings account for a farmer,” Bell says. “We have limited irrigation capacities, so producers are having to depend on that soil water to help them get through those really hot and dry periods during this season.”
Bell cites that up to 50% of water can be lost because of evaporative losses when pre-irrigating. She recommends considering weather, time of day, possible herbicide application, and other factors to ensure that the moisture stays in the soil profile and is not lost to evaporation.
Pre-irrigating also gives growers a chance to check and maintain their irrigation systems. Bell recommends taking this time to evaluate and repair pivots and other irrigation systems to maximize the efficiency of pre-irrigation and irrigation later in the season. Similarly, Bell recommends being proactive in planter maintenance.
“Make sure your planters had a good run through before they hit the field,” she says. “This will minimize breakdowns and ensure proper planting depth.”
It is just as important to prepare your fields as it is to prepare your equipment for planting. Fertilizer prices are still high compared to years past. But luckily for growers, prices have gone down compared to this time last year. To make the most of your fertilizer investment, Bell advises growers to use the time before planting to take soil samples and have them tested.
“It’s a small cost that could help save a producer thousands of dollars in the long run or help a producer make more in the long run just by improving yield and fiber quality,” Bell says.
When it comes to soil sampling, a deeper sample is usually better – although not always feasible for growers. A 6-to-8-inch-deep sample, notes Bell, will still give more insight into soil fertility than no soil sampling at all.
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