Drought conditions have eased, but concerns remain for Texas farmers
HOUSTON - Heavy winter rain has erased drought conditions, in our part of Texas, for now. According to government drought figures, January was the 4th wettest in the last 130 years, leaving Fort Bend County about five inches above normal, in precipitation. That's good news for farmers who are planting this year's crops.
Already, corn planted just days ago has sprouted. In Texas, farmers are planting with high hopes that Mother Nature will be kind to these fields of corn, grain sorghum, and cotton.
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Needville farmer Paul Freund has spent his life working these fields, "We're starting out good. Hopefully good start, good finish," but the last few seasons have been challenging. Last year was good for grain, with enough early moisture to set the growth that it needed to mature, while cotton struggled when drought set in.
But weather is not the only challenge. So many costs, like fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and manpower make it expensive to run a farm. Corn, alone, costs about $400 an acre to plant. Consequently, farmers have to hope for a decent price at the market and have enough to sell.
"Our commodity prices haven't gone up, like everything else, so our yields have to make the difference," says Freund, "That's where we get into trouble: if we make half of a yield, then we're in trouble, financially."
For now, though, getting the crops started is all farmers can do, with no small concern that another hot dry summer may be coming. "Long-range weather planning doesn't look great," says Freund, "That's our main worry. That, and the prices. Hopefully, the prices will come back, some."