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Saturated soils causing concern for Texas farmers

Spring planting season Texas farmers. Rainwater saturates the soil, creating long and

narrow puddles running parallel between each row in the field. The irregular temperatures

continue to fluctuate between extremes and the sun remains hidden behind deep clouds.

Texas producers remain behind spring planting schedule because of numerous heavy

rains and inconsistent temperatures, making them unable to disperse seeds in their fields. A

delayed planting season can result in low crop supply and higher consumer costs along with

several concerned famers.

Unforgiving Texas weather

Few sunny days accompanied by many rainy and cloudy weeks accurately describes the

weather in many areas of Texas since November of 2018.

Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension specialist, explained while limited

amount of rain and certain climates remain necessary for a successful plant season, too much of

either can cause extreme delay and potential loss of needed crops.

“Certain areas of Texas are not too far behind yet. End of February, first of March, but

March 15 is late,” Mowrer said.

Mowrer explained by mid-March, corn and forage should start experiencing greenup, but

Mother Nature continues to prevent farmers from planting at all.

“Rain is the biggest issue. Can’t drive on the soil to plant or spread herbicide because

compaction will occur, causing damage to the root system,” Mowrer said. “Continuously driving

a tractor on saturated soils will ultimately mash the soil down and cause more issues than just

rain.”
 In farming, timing ranks as the ultimate priority. When weather forces farmers to plant

too early or too late in season, it poses a threat to crop yields and overall growth. Producers strive

to grow a high quality harvest. Therefore, they must be aware of the risks by not following a

crop’s schedule.

“Planting too late can cause poor emergence. A range of temperatures are required for

good seed germination and emergence,” Mowrer said. “If it’s too hot, you’ll have poor seed

germination and nonuniform emergence.”

Mowrer clarified that corn prefers a cooler germination, while cotton prefers a warmer

germination, which is why cotton is planted last.

According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Texas remains the No. 1 cotton producer

in the U.S., but the state struggled this season. Typically, farmers bale their cotton in November,

at the latest. However, too much rain prevented that and many producers ended up plowing their

wasted crops all together. As a result, the lack of quality cotton drove supply down, forcing the

price to increase for consumers.

However, facing loss one season can often mean struggling the next crop schedule.

To maintain high quality soil, producers rotate their fields between different crops. Many

Texas farmers will alternate corn and cotton on the same field, depending on the time of year and

their operation. Further proving the possibility of multiple delays for some growers.

“A lot of farmers recognize they don’t want to go cotton, cotton, cotton. They need

rotations, so corn is still a pretty good bet, but it’s getting late,” Mowrer said. “This kind of rain

goes into a farmer’s decision to move from something that you plant already to something that

you plant a little later. Cotton is going to be the latest one we got, so that’s probably your best

bet.”
 As farmer’s planting timeline for some crops begins to narrow, an accurate prediction of

consumer prices cannot be established quite yet. If the weather immediately decides to cooperate

for producers, they still reserve the opportunity to till the soil.

Support your local farmers

According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, 98.6 percent of Texas farms and

ranches are family farms, partnerships or family-held corporations, while also leading the nation

in number of farms and ranches. Families who produce much of the nation’s food and

commodities could likely be your neighbors, friends or even strangers in the local grocery store.

This planting delay does not just impact large commercial farmers, it also hurts small

scale growers who rely on their crops to clothe their children, feed their families and keep the

lights on in their homes.

Stephen Mahalitc, multigenerational row crop farmer from Eagle Lake, Texas, began

growing crops when he could climb up in a tractor on his own.

“I would say I’ve been farming for almost a lifetime, except the years I was at college,

but I was always on the farm,” Mahalitc said. “I am 54-years-old, so other than the college days,

I’ve been on the farm.”

Mahalitc joins the other delayed farmers by explaining how the weather continues to set

him back, but like all producers; he understands that he cannot control the rain, so he must just

go with the flow.

Although Mahalitc graduated from Texas A&M University and could seek a more stable

and consistent career, he recognizes that farming runs in his blood.

“Farming was something that was afforded through my parents. They showed us the way

and gave us the opportunity, I am actually on a family farming operation,” Mahalitc said. “It’s
just something that came second nature to me, even after going to college I knew I was coming

back to farm.”

Many producers purchase crop insurance to prevent large losses, but sometimes farmers

do not receive enough compensation to continue their fields. Keeping risks and monetary value

in mind remains crucial because most producers farm as their sole career. Therefore, planning

and preparing must be done regularly to stay ahead as much as possible.

“Farming is 100 percent of my income,” Mahalitc said. “I am 100 percent tied to the

farm.”

Mahalitc stressed one of the biggest challenges in this career would be the ability to

understand the financial aspect of it and knowing how funds must be used in order to be

successful.

The nature of farming and its constant evolving and unpredictability requires a certain

type of person. Besides planting a seed in the ground, a strong farmer realizes how crucial

patience, hope and intelligence goes into being successful.

“I see lots of guys that farm and I don’t know if they really enjoy doing it,” Mahalitc said.

“The success comes in when you’re able to take the hard knocks and not go into town and gripe

about it, but get out there and work to get past it and overcome those obstacles.”

Harvest

Mowrer advised that growers must remain patient, and not get ahead of themselves and

resist driving in their fields.

The public needs to be reasonable and correctly informed about agriculture to fully

understand the severity of the delay. Farmers are people too and they want the best harvest more

than any of us.

 “Go out and hug a farmer because they don’t get any love,” Mowrer said.

As the growing season continues, producers must remain vigilant and confident.

Hopefully by harvest time, farmers will gaze into their prospering field of crops, while

feeling the warm sun on their skin as they wipe the sweat from their brow once again realizing

why God made a farmer.