Saturday, November 15, 1997

You take rain when you can get it in these parts

By J.T. Smith / Abilene Reporter-News

The late Albany rancher Watt Matthews used to always tell me that you never cuss a rain or a newborn heifer in our part of the world. (Of course, I never heard gentleman Watt ever cuss anything).

Although the rain and cold that arrived a mid-week interrupted one of the better area cotton harvests in years, ranchers desperately needed the welcome rain.

When I visited with Helen and Tom Stewman at their Nolan County ranch exactly a week ago, they were in dire need of rain at Maryneal.

Helen told me that they hadn't sown a single acre of wheat because of the lack of moisture. Hopefully, they -- and other farmers and ranchers -- will get enough precipitation out of this round of rain to plant the winter wheat crop.

Lonnie Jenschke, Brown County Extension agent in Brownwood, said moisture had become short there.

Jenschke said that most warm-weather plants have stopped growing with the cooler nights. Meanwhile, farmers are trying to finish planting wheat in the Brownwood area.

Robert Pritz, CEA for Callahan County in Baird, said soil moisture had become very short there.

Tommy Antilley reports about 80 percent of the wheat sown in the Robert Lee and Bronte area.

The Coke County ag agent said about half of the wheat has emerged there. Rain will be a great boost to that wheat. Oats also will benefit immensely from rain.

Antilley said rain also will help native pastures for winter forage, as very little winter grass or forage was growing prior to the rain.

Justin Hansard said a lot of cotton already has been harvested in the Roby and Rotan area. It is one of the better cotton crops there in years.

The Fisher County ag agent said the wheat stands were in need of a rain. Some stands were thin from lack of moisture. And some other wheat hadn't emerged.

Jones County cotton is superb

Cotton harvest will resume in Jones County when sunny days return.

CEA Todd Vineyard of Anson said much cotton already had been harvested before the rain arrived.

"Yields are excellent," Vineyard reported.

The hard freeze, which dropped leaves for farmers waiting for Mother Nature to defoliate their crop naturally, will put harvest in high gear. Many area cotton gins are covered with cotton modules now.

Some farmers still are busy harvesting the last of this year's grain sorghum crop in Jones County.

"Sorghum yields are excellent," Vineyard reported. "Average yields are about 3,000 to 3,300 pounds."

Although the peanut crop is a record in Texas, Vineyard said peanut yields aren't quite as great as earlier expected in Jones County. Nevertheless, the peanut production is still pretty good.

"Peanut yields are ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 pounds," Vineyard reported.

The rain should give Jones County wheat a real boost as winter draws closer.

Taylor County Ag Agent Gary Bomar said the Abilene area pecan crop looks great.

So there's much for which to be truly thankful as we approach Thanksgiving.