When Hurricane Beryl barreled into Texas, extreme winds caused the most damage to crops rather than the flooding often associated with a hurricane. In fact, the downgraded storm brought beneficial moisture to many counties, according to post-storm reports from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agents.
Ben McKnight, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension statewide cotton specialist, Bryan-College Station, said croplands sustained varying levels of damage and that many acres will require more time to assess the storm’s impact on yields and quality. While up to 10-15 inches of rain and high winds battered Harris County and neighboring counties, farms on the hurricane’s outskirts received beneficial rain that helped boost dryland cotton.
“We are so far along in the cropping season for those folks in the upper Gulf Coast, so how it fared may depend on when the cotton was planted – some was more mature, and some was younger after being replanted,” McKnight said. “The latest planted cotton has enough growing season left to compensate for any damage and regain yield potentially. The older cotton we will have to wait until it is harvested to determine how much damage was done.”
Aside from the cotton damaged by wind, the overall rainfall was beneficial, he said. Much of the cotton acres in the Upper Gulf Coast are dryland and have been very dry the past two years, he said. This year, the region received good rain and looked very good before the storm. The storm delivered needed moisture in areas where soil moisture levels were declining. In College Station, producers were getting ready to start irrigating, but the rain allowed irrigation to be delayed.
“Anytime you get in one of these situations with tropical weather, you can get extreme flooding, and we don’t have that,” McKnight said. “The wind damage can be overcome, but with flooding, the plants have to just sit there and endure until the water recedes and then start growing again.”
All the crops still in the field
Two of the hardest-hit counties, crop-wise, were Matagorda and Wharton counties, which saw significant damage to crops. It will take time to determine how much damage will impact crop results, especially since the rains continued to fall after Hurricane Beryl passed, AgriLife Extension agents serving those counties said.
Corrie Bowen, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Wharton County, said 3-8 inches of moisture fell as the hurricane passed over the county with winds over 86 mph.
“We have extensive crop damage and ongoing damage,” Bowen said. “Nobody can remember a time when all 235,000 acres of crops were still in the field and susceptible to a hurricane or tropical storm. This was an early storm. Corn harvest had barely begun, and only about 30% of the grain sorghum had been harvested. And all our rice was still out there, along with soybeans and cotton.”
He said it is still too early to tell the extent of the damage, but most producers are estimating 20% to 30% losses in corn. Some fields have plants leaning 45 degrees that might still be harvestable, but in other fields, the corn is lying flat. Producers estimated that 50% of the sorghum crop in those counties is damaged.
The growth stage of corn during the storm is a concern, Bowen said. When the corn ears drop and are pointed down, the crop can withstand rain. But most fields were not that far along, and the ears were still standing up, which could lead to decreased quality and disease under continued moisture.
“Only time will tell,” Bowen said. “We’ve had a week of rain, another 4 to 5 inches after the hurricane, which continues to degrade the quality of grain crops that need to be harvested.”
Unsure about crop losses
The cotton is a twisted-up mess right now, Bowen said, with the row delineations no longer visible because the plants were so entangled by the winds.
“We were expecting a record crop the day before the storm,” he said. “Now, our cotton is laid down and twisted with the upper squares twisted off and the leaves flipped up and tattered. The bolls, however, had not opened when the storm came in, so we hope the crop will have time to grow out of it. So, with cotton, we are just not sure.”
Greg Baker, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Matagorda County, had a similar report, with 8-10 inches of rain during the storm and another 5 inches since it passed.
“The corn is blown over, and the producers are not sure about losses,” Baker said. “Some are expecting at least 30%-40% loss. We were lucky most of the grain sorghum was out, but even the remaining fields seemed to fare well. And our cotton is twisted and blown together, so producers are still unsure.”
Not all was a loss
On a brighter note, Bowen said, soybean fields are at pod fill, and the rainfall will be extremely helpful as the crop matures. Cotton should also benefit from the moisture — producers were just about to start irrigating before the storm.
Most of the rice was still in the flood stage and green and was not damaged. He said some rice fields drained for harvest before the storm were laid over, so harvest will be slower. Also, there was extensive levee damage that rice producers had to repair to retain water.
But in many other counties along the storm path, Beryl provided a reprieve from the heat and some much-needed moisture. For many areas, producers could return to the field late in the week to continue harvesting. Hay production stalled for a couple of days but was back in full swing.
Other agricultural damages
Bowen said Wharton County also lost some capacity to store crops once the harvests resumed. Three empty grain bins at two different storage facilities suffered damage from the high winds.
While no livestock losses had been reported in the counties, there were reports of producers having to get out and clear downed trees from fencerows as well as hay fields.
“There were a lot of trees down,” Bowen said. “Ranchers with timberland have trees on fences, which is keeping them busy trying to keep their livestock in. Also, with all the power down, many ranchers had to haul or pump water with generators. Livestock must have access to quality water, especially after a stressful event like this.”
Panhandle
The district continued to be hot and dry, with most fields needing moisture to support crop growth and development. Early planted corn and cotton reached the flowering stage and were beginning to set fruit. Heat units were accumulating at a sufficient pace for warm-season crops, and crop irrigation continued. The extremely dry conditions and heat were decreasing potential yields in irrigated crops. Overall, soil moisture was very short to adequate, with very poor to fair pasture and range conditions. Crops were in fair to good condition.
