WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS!

Wow, last week was one for the record books for Nueces and surrounding counties, as the rain just kept falling. I personally measured 15.5 inches over the recent ten day period and 11 to 15 inches were common reports and some reported more.  What a difference a year makes, as we have gone from desert like conditions to the swamp.  Obviously the rainfall has prevented field work from occurring, thus we still have cotton in the field, along with cotton seedlings and stalks that are not destroyed.  As a result the cotton stalk destruction deadline has again been moved.

The Chairman of the Zone 2 Cotton Producer Advisory Committee has sent a request to TDA to extend the cotton stalk destruction deadline for Zone 2 Areas 2, 3 & 4 until October 15, 2010.

With this request, Zone 2 Areas 2, 3 & 4 will have an October 15 stalk destruction deadline.  This includes the following counties:  Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, Goliad, Jim Wells, Kleberg, LaSalle, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio and Victoria.

For producers in these counties that still have unharvested cotton and have not filed for an individual extension this season, an individual extension request must be submitted to TDA no later than October 5, 2010.   For producers that have already applied for an individual extension for unharvested cotton, subsequent extensions for unharvested cotton may be made up until the extended deadline of October 15th instead of the original requirement of requesting 10 days prior to the deadline.

Producers in these counties with harvested, regrowth, and volunteer cotton will have until the day of the deadline (October 15, 2010) to apply for an individual extension if necessary.

Extension requests for fields in Calhoun, Goliad and Victoria Counties should be faxed to TDA's Houston office toll free at (888) 223-5606.

Extension requests for remaining counties in Zone 2 should be faxed to the Corpus Christi office toll free at (800) 909-8223.

For complete information on the Cotton Stalk Destruction program visit the Texas Department of Agriculture website at www.TexasAgriculture.gov
To Navigate to Cotton Stalk Destruction, click "Programs", then click "By Name", then click "Cotton Stalk Destruction"

COOL-SEASON FORAGES COULD OFFER WINTER GRAZING

            The recent rainfall has offered forage producers some alternatives if they wish to establish winter pastures.  Although cool-season annual forages can be expensive to plant and grow, they

can be a less costly substitute for supplements found in a bale, sack, or tub.  There are several options when it comes to a cool-season forage, and all have different pros and cons.

            Oat is the least winter-hardy cool-season annual grass, but for South Texas, this would be a good choice, since hard freezes are not common. Oats can be planted in early fall and will more than likely produce the most early dry matter of the cool-season forages in South Texas.  Keep in mind that forage production can be variable with oats and oats do not grow well on sandy soils, but tolerate wet, poorly drained soils better than other small grains.

            Rye is the most winter hardy of the annual winter pasture grasses. Compared to other annual winter grasses, rye produces more fall and winter forage. It matures earlier in the spring than most wheat varieties - usually peaking in early Spring. Rye grows well on well-drained soils that are sandy in texture.

            Wheat provides the most flexibility as a crop as it can serve as a forage crop and grain crop simultaneously, if managed properly. It produces well on a wide range of soils, with very sandy soils being the exception. One negative aspect of wheat is that most of the production occurs in the Spring.

            Barley and Triticale are cool-season annual grasses which are not as widely used. Barley is most noted for being tolerant of saline and alkaline soils. It does not grow well on sandy soils, but is drought tolerant. Triticale is a "cross" between wheat and rye and its forage production generally exceeds that of wheat.  Triticale has characteristics of both parental lines that may make it the most widely adapted of the small grains.

            Ryegrass is adapted to a wide range of soil types, growing better on wet soils than most other cool-season annual grasses. It can be easily established by simply broadcasting seed on the soil surface or on grass sod, but establishes better if a light disking operation on a short sod is performed prior to broadcasting the seed. Production of dry matter from ryegrass will be late in the cool season; therefore, most ryegrass forage will generally be available later than the small grains.  This is an advantage of ryegrass because mixtures of small grains with ryegrass can work well to extend the grazing season.

            Legumes like burr medics and clovers are good for the soil and provide good nutrition for livestock; however, their dry matter production will be late in the cool season, most of which will occur in early Spring.  Cool-season legumes are an attractive option to decrease the production cost associated with nitrogen fertilization because legumes have the ability to fix atmospheric N. Annual clovers can contribute about 75- 100 lbs N/acre for the subsequent grass crop. They are, however, only able to fix N from the air if host-specific strains of Rhizobia bacteria are present in nodules on their roots.

            In South Texas, the general recommendation is to overseed cool-season annual

forages from 6 to 8 weeks before the average first killing frost.  Correct timing for cool-season

annual forage establishment cannot be overemphasized. If planted too early, warm temperatures and the competitive nature of the warm-season perennial grass sod can result in stand failure.

            Planting cool-season forages with a drill is usually better than broadcasting as more of the seed is placed at the proper depth. When broadcasted, the seeding rates should be increased 25 to 30% to compensate for fewer seed becoming established plants. Small grains should be planted

from 1 to 1.5 inches deep, and ryegrass should be planted approximately 1/8 to 1/4

inches deep.  Clovers and medics have very small seed and should be either planted 1/8 to ¼ inches deep or broadcast on the soil surface and rolled.  Seeding rates for cool-season small grains range from 90-120 pounds per acre, while ryegrass seeding rates range from 25-30 pounds per acre and clovers and medics range from 4-16 pounds per acre.          

            Fertilization for cool-season forages should be based on soil test recommendation and

fertilizer should be applied at planting or after emergence, except for phosphorus, which

should be applied several weeks ahead of the anticipated planting date.  Nitrogen fertilization of

over-seeded small grains or ryegrass is usually split into two applications of 50 to 60 lbs/acre each. If ryegrass is planted in combination with a small grain, one to two additional applications of N will be required.  The initial N application on small grains should be delayed until after the small grain is established and cool temperatures have reduced warm-season grass growth.  For ryegrass-only pastures, the first N application should not be applied until mid January and then again approximately six weeks later.

            Although winter pastures provide forage that is high in nutritive value, establishment

and maintenance costs are relatively high. Therefore, winter pastures containing small grains

should be carefully managed to maximize the return on the investment, and one more thing, we have to have rain to make this system work.  Variety test information is available at http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/

IMPROVING WHEAT PRICES STIMULATES INTEREST

    As a good cotton harvest comes to a close, and Tropical Storm Hermine giving us some beneficial rains, some folks are thinking about what to plant later this fall.  This year we had some outstanding wheat yields and then saw the price fall dramatically.  However, with the recent improvement in wheat prices, there is again interest in growing wheat in South Texas.
     Recently, Dr. Mark Welch, economist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service made some comments about the improving wheat markets.  According to Dr. Welch, U.S. wheat exports are projected to be the second-highest since 1996, and strong future demand is expected.
    "Other than exports, the demand categories for U.S. wheat have been relatively stable the last few years," said Welch."Production is up with better-than-expected yields, but if exports stay strong, they will reduce ending stocks. The level of ending stocks had grown to levels not seen since the mid-1980s."  The change in wheat supply and demand fundamentals can be seen in the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, with special emphasis on the impact of the drought in Russia, Welch said.
    "It’s particularly hard-hitting in the wheat markets because over the last several years the nations of the former Soviet Union have intensified wheat production and captured more world market share," he said. "The nations of the former Soviet bloc are now the number one exporters of wheat in the world, and with the drought, that’s creating volatility in the market."
Wheat prices had increased as the impact of the drought became more evident, but wheat prices moved even higher when Russia announced the suspension of wheat exports and the canceling of forward contracts.
    The world’s wheat supplies are more than adequate to meet demands at this time, Welch said, and looking ahead to the fall planting season, there are several factors to consider.
"One is the drought in Russia and will it continue," Welch said. "They will need rainfall to replenish those soils and establish the new crop. Winters are extremely harsh. That crop needs to be in good condition to survive winter weather. In the U.S., a La Nina winter is on the horizon, which is usually associated with lower-than-normal wheat production in the Southern High Plains."
    Typically in a La Nina winter, temperatures are above normal and precipitation levels below normal through much of the southern winter wheat growing areas, Welch said.
"We are moving from an El Nino weather pattern where you have above (average) precipitation and one of the best wheat crops ever," Welch said. "But just because we face a La Nina doesn’t mean it will be a crop failure. On average, Texas production of wheat in an El Nino winter is 5 percent above the trend line average and in a La Nina winter, about 5 percent below because of the likelihood of poor growing conditions."
    The current wheat situation has created some profitable price levels in the futures market, Welch said, but the question is does a producer have the tools to take advantage of these opportunities.  "The basis (the difference between the local cash price and the futures price) for wheat during this past harvest was very poor," he said. "We saw cash wheat prices fall to the lowest levels in years. That basis remains relatively low and to lock in cash wheat prices now generally locks in that poor basis. I want to lock in this price on some of next year’s crop, but not necessarily this basis. Futures and options let you do that or hedge to arrive contracts with your elevator."  Welch predicts the cost basis to improve for wheat.
    "The factors that contributed to the recent weakening of the basis-large crop, tight storage, shut down in the export market appear to be changing," he said. "We may not see the storage difficulties of this year if production is back to normal levels or less and exports are on the rise with the drought in eastern Asia and weakness in the dollar. Wheat customers are coming back to the U.S. because of the dependability and adequacy of our supply. I think there are some good opportunities to lock in some prices for next year; however, I would be hesitant to lock in this basis right now unless that’s the only alternative you have."
    Another important decision to be made with wheat production is selection of good varieties to plant.  This decision will impact yield potential, seed quality, disease and insect management, and maturity.  Variety diversification is important as it spreads the risk associated with potential yield loss factors.  Data for variety trials can be obtained from numerous sources.  We conducted a Wheat Variety Test at the Texas AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Corpus Christi this past year.  Eleven spring wheat varieties were evaluated and the grand mean yield for this test was 50.9 bushels per acre. Numerically the top performing variety was Expresso at 58.6 bushels per acre, although not statistically significant from other varieties like Albany, Faller, Express, and Dinero.  The complete results are posted on our web site @ http://nueces-tx.tamu.edu/publications.cfm under the link for Wheat Result Demonstrations.
There is also data posted from other South Texas locations including; Castroville, Uvalde, and Luling @ http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/wheat/index.htm.  When making variety selections, producers should look 2 to 3 year averages for varieties and several relevant variety trial locations.
    More information about Wheat Production may be obtained from your local County Extension Agent.