Agricultural News
2011 Cotton Crop Prospects Will Depend on Southwest Oklahoma Rainfall
Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:24:46 CDT
Pictured here is a cotton field in Kiowa County that has received two waterings via center pivot irrigation system. The picture was taken of cotton planted one month earlier- with this view as of June 29, 2011, courtesy of NTOK Cotton.
Cotton industry observers are thinking that here in 2011, the only reliable, season-long source of soil moisture for cotton and other warm-season crops will be where farmers have access to irrigation wells. With no rain clouds in sight, it would be interesting to observe the progression of a cotton field watered with a center-pivot irrigation system.. Such a field is the one pictured- located southwest of Snyder,Ok; a little west of Snyder and just south of HW62.
Cotton, the variety FiberMax 1740, was planted there May 10. The crop belongs to Joe and John Bates, Altus, Ok., who farm in Jackson and Kiowa Counties. The field is the responsibility of John's son, Billy Bob Bates.
"We planted the crop dry," Billy Bob said. "After the plants had come up, we put about .8 of an inch of rain on it to get it started growing. We will water it again this week (June 7, 2011)."
"Availability of water will be the deciding factor on the success of this year's cotton crop," said Dr. Randy Boman, director of the Oklahoma State University cotton production program.
Also the director of the OSU Southwest Research and Extension Center south of Altus on HW283, Boman explained farmers in the Lugert-Altus Irrigation District have been limited to six acre inches of water this season for their crops. "Most farmers will probably use that six inches to their best advantage for their crops," he said. "After that, unless enough rain falls north of Lake Altus to recharge the lake, the crops in the irrigation district will have to depend on what rain may fall." Lake Altus is only at 47 percent capacity now.
Bates said the seed planted in the field near Snyder had been treated with Acceleron to combat thrip and mite depredations. Bates said the field contains approximately 105 acres.
Click here for the Oklahoma Cotton Council website, which offers a lot of resources for the cotton industry in the state.
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