Crop Analysis & Selection for Site 3

Cody Callender
Managing a plant-to-harvest operation in the farming industry is not an easy task to accomplish.
It can be compared to a machine with several hundreds of dials that all need to be finely tuned
before everything works at an optimal rate. Figuring out how to work all these dials to have the
best possible operation that is going to reach the yield goals is a complicated process. With the
450 total acres that are present in western central Texas 65 miles northwest of Abilene, deciding
what type of row crop to produce with the given circumstances is a very crucial decision for the
land owner. The soil type is a sand to a sandy loam with a CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)
score of 2-7. This means that the soil is going to have poor water holding capacities. This
problem can be resolved with the good, stable wells that are already present. With the area
having adequate aquifer water quality, irrigation practices are going to be easily accessible.
Since the land has been poorly managed and has issues of weed populations, there is going to be
some work that will need to be completed to be able to meet the yield goals. With knowing that
the land is deficient in potassium and micronutrients, some fertilizers are going to have to be
used to diminish these problems. Through all of this, there will be many problems, or dials, that
will need to be addressed for the maximum growth and productivity for this piece of property.
1.) Deciding in what type of market the crop
is going to be sold will be the first thing that
is discussed. It is arguable that it is the most
important step, or dial, in the process of
growing and harvesting crops. Everything
that is done to get the crop planted, the
whole way to harvesting leads up to the end
result of getting paid for the final product.
This is one of reasons that it is such a
beneficial concept to have a plan for. There
are many different routes that can be taken
to get the crop sold so that the planter will
net the greatest profit. Making the highest
profit is something that will help to cover
the variable costs. These costs are things
such as: equipment, seed, fertilizers,
pesticides, insecticides, fuel costs, freight,
and many more. Therefore, deciding which
route to take is very important. For this site,
a market-to-harvest agreement might be the
best option. With this method of selling, the
farmer is able to sell the product at the
current price per pound that the market sets.
One thing that needs to be taken into
consideration is the thought of the weather

impacts. These can be regional, local,

national, or global. The weather is
something that cannot be controlled, but can
be expected. Different weather elements
(droughts, heat, cold, hurricanes, floods) can
leave a lasting impact on the crop.
Unfortunately, there is nothing planters can
do about this. With the market-to-harvest
option, it leaves the crop the best chance to
be sold for as much as possible and
everything that is harvested to be sold. The
other options are going to be the preestablished type of agreements. When these
are signed, the harvester is liable for
everything that he/she and the buyer agreed
on. If one of the prior weather impacts are to
happen, the harvester could be left with a
lesser amount than what was previously
agreed upon. If this is the case, the harvester
is going to still be responsible for making up
for what has been lost. That is the major
reason that the market-to-harvest route
would be the best fit for this type of
operation. The last thing to be considered
when thinking about the marketing of the

harvested crop, is storage. At the time of

harvest, the crop could be stored in a
location that would aid in the longevity of
the crop value until the market for the
particular crop rises to a price that the
farmer is satisfied with. The type of crop
that is chosen will decide how long that crop
could be stored before the value starts to
degrade.
2.) Choosing a crop to plant in this type of
soil is something that could be tricky.
Flexible crops are any sort of crop that can
be planted and will perform and grow well,
no matter what type of soil they are put into.
Any type of flexible crop could be planted to
be harvested on this piece of land. Flexible
crops can be: Corn, Wheat, Milo, Soybeans,
Forages, and Spinach. Any of these would
be one that would be successful for the
planter, and help to reach the desired yield
goals. The soil type that is present on this
plot of land is a sand/sandy loam, this means
that the soil is going to be a large particle
size and have a very poor water holding
capacity. The only downfall to having such a
poor water holding capacity is that it is
going to make it harder for the seed to
properly undergo the germination process. A
seed needs to have a proper soil moisture to
germinate to its fullest capabilities. With this
sandy soil not being capable of holding
water well, it is going to require a greater
amount of water to be applied so that the
moisture levels will be at an adequate level
for the seed to germinate. With the type of
soil playing a major role in the water
transfer for the chosen crop, irrigation is
going to have to be in place. If no irrigation
is practiced, the crop will not have a
substantial amount of water to survive. The
soil type is also going to be the spot of
nutrient transfer and exchange. Water
infiltration is going to be a major factor in
the crop selection. Being as the soil type is a
sandy soil, it is going to have the best water

infiltration rate of all soils. This means that

the soil is going to be capable of easily
taking on water as compared to other soil
types; however, the water is not going to be
able to be retained in the soil for long
periods of times. One beneficial factor for
this area is that the land has a history of
receiving around twenty-five inches of rain
annually.
Average Precipitation
3
2.5
2
1.5
Average Rainfall (in)
1
0.5
0

Month

Figure 1. In the graph presented above, the most

precipitation occurs between the months of May and
September. With this span of months being the hottest
of the year, the rainfall levels will aid in keeping the
soil moisture at a proper level. It will help the soil
from becoming too dry and arid.

This is not an amount of rain that will allow

planters to cut out all irrigation practices
completely. It will, however, help out and
allow for less amounts of water that will be
needed to be applied to the crop annually.
Since plants are 89-96% water in their
makeup, depending on how succulent they
are, water is a very import factor to be
considered. The environment of this area is
one that is going to have higher
temperatures in the summer months. With
the temperature being on average in the mid90s degree range in the months of June, July,
and August, the soil is going to tend to dry
out quicker during these months. More
water will need to be applied during these
months to compensate for the higher
temperatures that are going to be present.

With these warm temperatures, the soil

temperature will be at a level that freezing
will not be something that will need to be
worried about. The soil temperature is very
crucial and can have a negative impact on
the germination process. That is why it such
an important factor to think about. The soil
temperature needs to be measured at the
depth of planting, in the morning, in a moist
soil for the flexible type crop that is going to
be chosen. With the soil being deficient in
potassium and the micronutrients, a soil test
should be conducted. A 0-46-0 fertilizer will
aid the soil and raise the potassium levels.
This will give a more thorough analysis on
what the soil is lacking. The soil report will
help in choosing what type of fertilizer
should be applied to the fields. It will also
show where the weak areas are in the fields.
These weak areas will need to be taken care
of differently than the areas that are not
weak.
3.) Many different factors will need to be
thought about before cultivation and
planting will be able to take place. One of
the most crucial things will be how the high
population of weeds will be controlled. A
herbicide will need to be chosen to help
bring these high levels down to a point that
will not affect the crop growth and the
overall yield goal. Along with this, a
pesticide will need to be sprayed on the
fields to prevent any pests and diseases from
evolving. This can be administered by many
different types of methods. It can be put into
the pre-existing irrigation that will get
sprayed on the field/crop along with the
water. It can also be applied by an aircraft
flying over the tops of the fields,
administering the product chosen for the
desired crop selection. Another major factor
that will need to be considered will be the
amount of water that is going to be applied
to meet the yield goal. The water can be
brought to the field from the source of wells

that are already present on the piece of

property. The wells will tend to stay on the
full side due to the source of rainfall, the
local aquifers, and present ground water
levels. Water will need to be applied in an
amount that will benefit the chosen crop in a
positive manner. If too much water is
applied, the crop will not properly germinate
and the seed will rot. This will cause a
decrease in the yield and will affect the
overall crop production drastically. Looking
at the way the wind is blowing in this area
will play a major role in which direction the
chosen crop will be planted. In this area, the
wind typically is blowing out of the south
the majority of the year.
Wind Direction Over the Entire Year
40
30
Percentage

20
10
0
N NE E SE S SW W NW
Direction

Figure 2. The table above is showing that the wind is

typically blowing out of the south. This crucial
element needs to be considered when thinking about
which way to plant the desired crop.

The crop would need to be planted in the

north to south direction, or vice versa. This
will minimize crop destruction due to the
wind. If the chosen crop was to be planted in
an east to west direction, the crop would be
getting beat down from the prevailing wind
the majority of the time. This would result in
a crop loss and have an overall effect on the
ending yield goals.

4.) Once the crop is planted, there is still

work and maintenance that will need to be
completed to aid in the crop growth. The
crop will have to be checked periodically
throughout each and every week for any
changes. Keeping an eye on the crop for any
problems that arise which will be
detrimental for the ending yield is one key
step in the turning of the dial process. These
changes can range from wildlife destruction,
weed growth, insect infestation, and
sickness. If weed growth is something that is
being noticed, a herbicide will need to be
applied in hopes to destroy the weed
population before it grows out of control. If
these weeds are not tended to as soon as
possible, it could choke out sunlight to the
crop as well as take nutrients from the soil

that are needed for the crop to grow

properly. This would have an impact on the
growers yield at the end of the crop season.
These different type of environmental
factors are ones that cannot be controlled but
are only to be expected. Unfortunately, it is
just part of the process of a plant-to-harvest
type of operation. After the crop has been in
the field growing for the period of time that
the crop can reach proper maturation, it is
time to harvest. Maturation is when the crop
has reached its fullest possible nutritional
value. When this stage happens, the crop is
done growing and will only begin to degrade
after being cut or harvested. Once
harvested, the crop is ready to be hauled off
and sold in the desired market chosen by the
farmer.

Journal Style: Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics