Although some agricultural producers in South Central Texas and the state’s Winter Garden area have suffered losses due to recent rains and flooding, many others will benefit from them in the long term, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.
Dr. Rob Hogan, AgriLife Extension agricultural economist in Uvalde, said though persistent rains have had a negative impact in both urban and rural parts of the region, damaging or destroying property and crops, producers should expect positive returns from future crops and livestock.
Winter cabbage fields are especially susceptible to bacterial diseases encouraged by cool, damp weather. Onions have also been affected by the wet weather that is predicted to continue through at least May.
“The amount of rain we received this spring was devastating to our onion crop,” said Bruce Frasier, president of Dixondale Farms in Carrizo Springs. “Typically we hope to get 20 inches of rain during an entire growing season, and it’s rough when you get about that much over a few weeks. I don’t think there are any vegetable crops that can withstand that much rain.”
Frasier said the replenished water table may be of future benefit, but Winter Garden producers have already lost millions of dollars due to crop damage and loss.
“It will take quite a while to plant and harvest enough crops to make up for those losses,” he said. “While some of the area’s producers took a pretty hard beating this year, overall I suspect the rains will ultimately be a blessing,” Hogan said.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/
