Extreme weather, from persistent rainfall over much of late winter and early spring, to hail, floods and tornadoes, High Plains farmers may be faced with significant failed or non-uniform acreage this spring.
Some may opt to pursue crop insurance remedies; others may replant or try alternative crops behind failed or on-uniform acreage.
Texas AgriLife Extension agronomist Calvin Trostle and Mark Kelley, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service cotton agronomist, have developed a guide to help producers walk through the alternatives following extensive early-season crop loss, including replant alternatives, risk factors, and judging yield potential of sketchy stands.
The guide notes: “As is the case with any crop, sometimes replant decisions are made on insufficient information and emotion, and tearing up a stand that in fact still has respectable yield potential is a mistake to avoid.” Kelley says producers may find it appropriate to retain surviving cotton stands with as little as 1.5 healthy plants per foot of row, particularly if the remaining stand is uniformly spaced
The guide, 2015 Alternative Crop Options after Failed Cotton and Late-Season Crop Planting for the Texas South Plains, 13th Annual Edition, is available the Lubbock Texas A&M website.
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