Lack of moisture remains a key issue for southwest peanut growers as they head into the hottest, often driest months of the summer.

Moisture levels are mostly rated short to very short for most of Texas and New Mexico peanut production areas with slightly better conditions in Oklahoma, according to the latest National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report.

Oklahoma is in the best shape with only 41 percent of the state’s peanut acreage rated short to very short. And 57 percent is considered adequate with 2 percent surplus.

Texas peanut acreage shows 65 percent in the short to very short category with only 34 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

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New Mexico is almost as bad with 64 percent rated short to very short, 36 percent adequate and none rated with surplus moisture.

Crop conditions are holding up well in spite of poor moisture, however. No Oklahoma peanuts are rated below fair and 39 percent of the crop falls within the fair category with 51 percent rated good and 10 percent excellent.

The Texas crop shows 1 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 33 percent fair, 49 percent good and 8 percent rated excellent.

New Mexico peanuts are rated 3 percent very poor, 21 percent poor, 68 percent fair and 8 percent good. No acreage was rated excellent in New Mexico.

The NASS report indicated that rainfall has benefitted Oklahoma peanuts in recent weeks and South Texas growers are irrigating as peanuts continue pegging.

Other peaut producing states are showing crop conditions as mostly good.