As dust from the South Texas harvest season settles and the combines are finding their way back into the barns, South Texas corn farmers have had the opportunity to reflect on the most recent growing season.
In the months of April through June, South Texas precipitation was at record highs, which had farmers on the edge of their seat waiting to see how their crops would react. Despite the difficulties accompanied with intense rainfall in the earlier stages of planting, corn farmers in the southern regions are wrapping up their year and are happy with the end result.
Colin Chopelas, a Texas Corn Producers Association (TCPA) board member from Corpus Christi, Texas, was one of many farmers who was glad he decided to get his boots muddy when the rain hit.
“Harvest was a little later than normal for us because it was so cold and wet for so long,” Chopelas said. “We didn’t do a lot of irrigating this year because it did rain so much.”
However, atypical years yield atypical harvests, and for this 5th generation farmer, the rains brought his family business an additional 30-40 bushels than an average year.
“We had the highest yielding corn crop we have ever made,” Chopelas said. “We had dryland corn making higher yields.”
Chopelas was not the only farmer who experienced an outstanding growing season in the Coastal Bend area. Jim Sugarek, TCPA board member from
Beeville, Texas, rendered similar results to his regional neighbors.
“So far, we have had good harvest weather to go along with a very good crop, and we are thankful for this year’s yields,” Sugarek said. “As harvest winds down, and prices being where they are, producers will face some hard decisions on planting intentions for the 2020 crop.”
With the undesirable corn markets paired with the unrest in the world of trade, farmers like Sugarek continue to keep the glass half-full and are thankful regardless for the yield that came out of the ground this harvest. Looking forward to the upcoming year has agriculturalists eager to get their feet wet in another growing season, as well as hopeful for continuous support from their legislative representatives in improving the commodity markets.
