Texas has seen a lot of rain lately, but what does that mean for Texas farmers and their crops?
Texas farmers are usually excited when it rains but not when it rains this much.
The freeze back in February did a number on crops in Texas and now the constant rain we are seeing isn’t helping.
”One producer that has a hay field on the Brazos that produces a lot of grass and it’s totally under water right now. The water back into his field and that’s just a loss of revenue when that happens,” said Dr. Shane McLellan, Texas Ag Extension Office Agent, McLennan Co.
A lot of crops like wheat and grain are ready for harvest but the rain is preventing the use of heavy equipment.
” We basically have to scrape the ground to be able to pick it up without losses and you can’t do that when it is muddy,” said James Kamas, Central Texas Farmer.
The rain is causing more issues with grain than just hindering equipment and that makes for an even greater need to harvest as soon as possible
”If it stays wet like it is and we have some humid days mixed in there, we could actually have more of our wheat sprouting in the grain head and that’s not good,” said McLellan.
Just a small amount of sprouting can cause the crop to be sold at discount prices but, that’s just a small amount of sprouting.
”A lot of sprout means that it can’t really be sold in traditional markets, and it might have to go to non-traditional markets such as feed for cattle,” said Kamas.
While crops like grain and wheat are taking a big hit crops like corn are still thriving.
The big take away, Texas farmers and their crops are ready for the rain to stop and the sun to come out.
