Texan Mosaic

Story By Caleb McDonald, COMM 2311.001, News Writing; Photos by Matt Brown, COMM 1316 News Photography

As the sun rises over fields of white, farmers across Hockley County are preparing for another cotton harvest season. The results of months of hard work under the hot sun rest on these next few weeks.

Kerry Siders, senior integrated pest management specialist for the Hockley County AgriLife Extension Service, is hopeful for this year’s crop.

According to Siders, both the fiber and seed quality of the cotton are expected to be above average this year. The amount of rainfall this growing season has also sparked some hope.

“Very efficient temperatures, very timely rains, and a very good root system on the plant that was able to capture both nutrients and the moisture that we received,” Siders said. “I’m very optimistic about this year’s crop and its value.”

This harvest season has brought many challenges to farmers; weeds, pests, disease, and storms have all hurt the cotton crop.

“We get ice storms or snowstorms, all sorts of vagaries that can occur in the loss of yield and quality,” Siders said, “We have to practice earliness and try to get the cotton crop planted as early as possible, when the temperatures are right.”

While these challenges might have hurt cotton crops, it didn’t stop farmers from pivoting before harvest.

“Probably 30% of our original [cotton crops] were lost and most of those were converted to grain,” Siders said.

Timing is crucial in the cotton-growing process, from planting to fertilizing to harvesting; there is little margin for error,” Siders said.

And the countdown has been on ever since the fluffy white boles started showing earlier this season.

“The day that [the cotton] opens up, it’s at its highest quality and every day after that it begins to deteriorate in both yield and quality,” Siders said, “It’s a balancing act.”

A local farmer, Brent McDonald, said every season is volatile. But in true West Texas spirit, he says it’s not over until it’s over.

“It’s hard, you don’t know how it’s going to turn out until it’s all said and done, but West Texas is resilient,” McDonald, an accredited farm manager with Farmers National, said.

Hopeful uncertainty is the theme for Hockley County cotton farmers. The results of their hard work will be revealed in just a few short weeks. Harvest will be brought in, and quickly, it will be time to prepare the ground for new seed to be planted.