Horizon Ag: Farmers Watching Weather, Results as Harvest Moves Toward Completion

South Louisiana and Texas

Things have gotten really slow and quiet in the South. The first crop is done with the exception of a few late fields that farmers planted behind crawfish or other reasons. Most farmers in south Louisiana are trying to harvest beans. Soybean harvest has been very difficult because of all of the rain we’ve been getting.
 
I think the lack of sunshine is going to have some adverse effects on our ratoon crop. I don't know to what extent, but the crop just doesn't look that great because we have been so cloudy the past couple of weeks. We saw the effects on the first crop last year when we had a bunch of cloudy weather. Most of the farmers that I have talked to feel the same way.
 
Rice has been really slow moving to the mills and may cause some on-farm storage problems for the ratoon crop. Unlike Texas, we have plenty of storage space in Louisiana, but on-farm bins are full and some farmers may have to go to commercial dryers with some of their ratoon crop. In Texas, several commercial dryers still had 2017 crop that the mills hadn't moved yet. They are starting to move some of this rice, which should open up some drying space for the ratoon crop. If you have any questions, please give me a call.

Michael Fruge 
District Field Representative
(832) 260-6193

Mississippi and North Louisiana

Harvest in my territory appears to be approximately 70 percent completed. Progress has slowed some with some machines being diverted to soybean harvest. But with 10 days of favorable weather, we should be getting close to wrapping up.
 
Yield reports I’ve heard in my territory have been variable — mostly average to good. There have been some incidents of herbicide drift, however, that have negatively impacted yield and overall grain fill.

Tim Jett 
District Field Representative
(901) 687-6362