Crop Scan AgReport (April 19): Some Planting, but Mostly Hurry Up and Wait
April 19, 2021 
Cotton Grower® magazine’s Crop Scan AgReport for mid-to-late April shows seed in the ground in the central and southern parts of Texas. Growers in the Southeast and Mid-South are waiting for warmer temperatures and drier conditions, while the Texas Plains badly need water.
Wes Briggs is an independent consultant providing recommendations on weed, disease, insect and fertility management, plus variable rate soil sampling, for growers in Georgia, Alabama and Florida for more than 30 years. He and his scouting team cover about 10 counties in the tristate area, checking cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans and some small grains.
As of April 19, we have averaged about 1 inch of rain (lately) across the Southwest Georgia area. To date, we have good soil moisture and would be too wet to plant today. Currently, I have zero cotton planted and less than 500 acres of peanuts planted. Current soil temperatures are 65 degrees to 68 degrees at 4-inch soil depth.
With Wednesday’s low predicted in the mid-40s, it has put the brakes on cotton planting. But by Friday, I expect cotton planters will start rolling. As soon as it dries out, we will start back planting peanuts, probably Wednesday this week. With highs back in upper 70s by the weekend, soil temperatures should rise quickly with sunshine.
Planting is not behind yet, but we need to get started by next week. Hopefully, May weather conditions will be good for planting. June peanuts typically don’t do as well, but cotton planted up to June 10-15 has still yielded well under irrigation in this area. We need good weather the next five weeks. One week of rain will put us behind.
Chad Harrell owns and operates Harrell Agronomic Services in Northeastern North Carolina. He is a member of the North Carolina Agricultural Consultants Association and serves on the board of the North Carolina Cotton Producers Association.
Not much has changed since my last update a couple weeks ago. We are still wet in some areas from rain we received last week. Growers are finishing up on burndown herbicide applications and making fertilizer applications. Most corn has been planted in this area, but we haven’t even thought about planting cotton yet with nighttime temps in the 40s.
Tucker Miller is a Mississippi-based independent private consultant for cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, rice and vegetables. He is a member and past president of the Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association.
We are rapidly approaching cotton planting time. Corn planting is about finished, and soybean planting is underway. It is dry enough to plant cotton now, but the overnight temperatures for the next week are forecasted to be in the 40 degree range.
We will finish land prep and apply Reflex on some rolled beds and wait on a rain. Our cover crops have been burned down, and we are ready to plant these fields when it warms up. Farmers have been going back and touching up our ryegrass spots with Gramoxone where needed. Our applicators have been trained and are ready to roll when the time comes.
We have been going over our notes from last year and are preparing for our usual insect, weed and disease issues.
One of the most important decisions a grower can make is picking the right variety. We will be planting more Bollgard III this year and will also get a look at the ThryvOn Technology. Our best management practices include planting early as possible, and controlling early season insects, weeds and diseases.
Good luck to everyone, and let’s get off to a good start this year.
Mark Nemec is a Texas independent agricultural consultant, now in his 27th year of checking cotton, wheat, grain sorghum and corn in the Blacklands and Brazos River Bottom area of Central Texas.
Most of the cotton in Central Texas has been planted in the last two weeks. We had a cold snap right before Easter that put a lot of planting on hold. When it warmed up, the wind started blowing and drying out the top. Planters were set a little deeper than normal to get to good moisture, and it looks like the majority of the cotton was coming up good. We have received some beneficial rain this past week that should bring the rest up to a good stand.
We are currently in okay shape moisture-wise, but Central Texas is way behind normal on rainfall this year. The drought index has us in a moderate to severe drought. So, after a good start, we are all praying for more rainfall to keep the crop going.
Kerry Siders is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent-IPM for Hockley, Cochran and Lamb Counties, providing education and applied research for weeds, insects, diseases, nematodes, growth regulators and harvest aids in cotton. He is a member of the High Plains Association of Crop Consultants.
We are about 3-4 weeks out from rolling cotton seed in the ground here on the Southern High Plains of Texas. Stored moisture remains a huge challenge as we have not benefitted from recent moisture events. So, basically, we are in a severe drought, and our producers know that we supplement rainfall with irrigation and not the other way around. We will plant, we will get cotton up, and pray that we receive good moisture in May and June.
This brings me to my point about cotton planting season here in the Texas Plains. As we concentrate on planting and stand establishment, we must keep watch for early season insect pests on those earliest stands as we continue to plant. Insect pests such as thrips, wireworms and potentially others can rob us of stands, vigor, and most importantly time. So, producers must have someone designated to keep an eye on those already planted acres. If it be the producer themselves or someone else in the operation, scout those earliest established fields for pests and then be prepared to react if something is causing damage at economic levels. As I have mentioned before, this is another good reason to have a crop consultant on the job.
Praying for rain!
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