GENERAL SITUATION: IS this year’s weather “normal”?? This season is so different than the last 10 to 12 years that most folks don’t quite know what to make of it. We have had rain, about when we needed it. Cold days, when we didn’t need or want them. And now, hail, which we certainly did not need, especially on the cantaloupe, onion and cotton fields along the Rio Grande. Severe damage to the cotton, grain sorghum, corn, sugarcane, onion and melon crops from Starr county to Brownsville was reported on Tuesday morning, April 8. Most of the damage was from the floodway levies and south along the Rio Grande, but not the entire length, based on reports from producers and others who viewed the damage. Damage from the hail was more consistent (but not complete) from Progreso west to Rio Grande City in Starr County, but spotty from Progreso east to Brownsville. Most of the heavier rain amounts, like the hail, was confined to the southern portions of Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties, except in the Southmost area near Brownsville, where rainfall amounts were reported to be nil. The city of Brownsville, just northwest of the Southmost area, reported large amounts of hail damage. Elsewhere on Tuesday, rainfall ranged from 0 to 3.5 inches. Some more rain in reported amounts of 0.1-0.2 inches fell on Thursday night and early Friday morning. Actually, when you get right down to it, this April is very much like the LRGV experienced in the 70's and early 80's with the cotton-killing hail and increased chances of rain. This week’s weather is reminiscent of those “good old days” and maybe the reminiscing is “normal”. Cotton insect activity was reported to be increased slightly this week.

The damage to cotton along the Rio Grande was reported to be from a few leaves lost to nearly total stalk destruction. Some talk of replanting was heard this week, but the amount, if any, of replanting was not known. Late planting is always risky. But, moisture is good, but a late maturing crop will have all of the hazards associated with the end of the production season, including large numbers of pests and potentially bad weather conditions.

Cotton growth was slowed this week because of the cool to cold nighttime and daytime temperatures. Starting Tuesday, nighttime temperatures were in the 40's until Friday morning where they were up closer to 60. Temperatures below 60 simply stop cotton growth.

Cotton growth ranged from still-to-emerge to squaring. Most of the cotton planted in February was squaring this week. Other planting dates will begin shortly, provided we don’t drop back in the low temperatures seen earlier this week.

Boll weevil trap numbers showed a considerable increase this week over last week. (See attached sheets for trap numbers) Warmer temperatures this past week until Tuesday of this week, probably allowed boll weevils which had been “hiding out” during the cold weather of a week ago, to emerge once again and were trapped through Tuesday of this week. The colder temperatures of this week will likely suppress weevils trapped through next Tuesday. Also, cotton is getting larger, though very slowly, and will bring more squares to bear, shortly.