What a Change!
After a prolonged severe drought across the High Plains, we have been blessed with some very beneficial rains. For the most part, the rains have been slow soaking and have helped replenish the soil profile. We went from a dire situation to having hope for a good summer crop in a short amount of time.
Although many acres of wheat had already been abandoned in far western Kansas, eastern Colorado, and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, the wheat that has hung on during the drought has set a good head, and some producers will still cut a decent wheat crop this summer. Yields have a chance to be average, but overall bushels will be down due to the abandonment in the most severely affected areas.
Dryland corn, milo and cotton across the High Plains are off to a good start. Planting conditions are very good, and with a good soil moisture profile, we should be able to get this crop rooted down. We can expect a heavy flush of weeds to come up along with the crop, so having a good weed control program in place and implemented will be crucial. Contact your local Crop Quest Agronomist for help with weed control and your other management decisions.
We find ourselves humbled by what we know we cannot control, and grateful for the blessing of these rains. We will continue to pray that we will be blessed with even more timely rains as we head into the heart of summer. Once again, our Ag community has shown its resiliency and patience through some very tough times. We are grateful for the risks that our producers take every day to provide us all with the food and fiber that we need. We trust that we will be blessed with a good harvest again this year!
