High Plains On Fast Track to Planting
April 20, 2010 By Shawn Wade
No matter whom you talked to before this week, the tone of just about every conversation about 2010 production prospects was optimistic. It began with a smile, and included a comment about how the area’s soil moisture profile has rarely looked better. After this week’s plentiful, widespread rainfall the situation has only gotten better in most of the High Plains.
Since it is the High Plains, though, those prior conversations also included the obligatory reminder that the area still needed a “planting rain” to replenish upper level moisture lost during pre-plant field operations and really get things started right.
Following several inches of rain over a majority of the region, it appears the requests for a timely “planting rain” have been filled beyond most expectations this week. With just 2-3 weeks remaining until planting operations normally begin, and soil temperatures on the rise, things are looking pretty good for the 2010 High Plains planting season.
Rainfall amounts reported by the National Weather Service were lightest in the counties along the Texas-New Mexico border. Rainfall totals rapidly climb above the 1-2 inch mark moving eastward, however. Rain was still falling at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning when the NWS showed Post, TX, at 3.2 inches, with the highest rainfall total for the previous 24 hours.
It’s hard to imagine the current situation could have been scripted any better following multiple rainfall and snow events throughout the late Fall and Winter months. Early moisture already had High Plains producers whistling a happy tune when thinking about the opportunity for a solid start when 2010 cotton planting begins in late April and reaches terminal velocity in mid-May.
About the only thing left on the 2010 checklist, other than to fill in the moisture gaps along the western edge of the region over the next few weeks, is to have soil temperatures reach optimum cotton planting levels.
In order to help growers track soil temperatures and finalize 2010 planting plans, Plains Cotton Growers has reactivated the “Soil Temperatures” link on the PCG Weather pages at: http://www.PCGwx.com
For the past several years, as a service to High Plains cotton farmers, PCG has made daily soil temperature information available on the PCG Weather Pages. Look for the “Soil Temperatures” link in the left sidebar.
Growers can also go direct to this page and bookmark it by typing http://www.plainscotton.org/weatherdata/index.php into their internet browser.
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