News

Texas farmers race against Harvey to get cotton harvested

Farmers on the Texas Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Harvey.  Unharvested crops are at risk of damage.  Matagorda County cotton farmer Bob Reed has his crop out of the field, but he tells the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network there are many farmers putting in long hours to get done before the storm.

“A lot of cotton in the field, maybe as much as 50 percent of the cotton still in the fields around here,” said Reed, “so everybody is scrambling, working longer than normal to get that crop out.”

Reed says the cotton crop is one of the biggest in many years.

“It’s an excellent crop in the field, but the cotton crop doesn’t need any rain on it prior to harvest,” he said, “and certainly doesn’t need a hurricane.”

Reed says even if cotton is harvested in time, bales in standing water will be damaged.  Reed tells Brownfield Ag News 30 inches of rain are forecast for his area.

AUDIO: Bob Reed (16 min. MP3)