Wet Conditions Delayed Harvest In Virginia Remaining Peanut Crop Fared Better Than Cotton
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irginia’s cotton and peanut harvests lagged behind in early November due to a series of disruptive weather events. And the threat of additional rain further dampened farmers’ efforts to get in the field. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service Nov. 9 crop report, Virginia’s cotton and peanut harvests were just 35% and 65% complete, respectively. At that time last year, Virginia farmers had completed the peanut harvest and harvested 74% of the state’s cotton. “Peanuts and cotton are both extremely late,” says Mike Parrish, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent in Dinwiddie County. “That was compounded by wet weather in the spring that pushed back the planting season, and dry weather in the summer that slowed growth. As we faced the challenges of more rainfall, farmers just weren’t able to get on the ground to harvest their crops.” Cotton Quality Affected
Shelley Barlow, a Suffolk cotton grower, says she delayed the bulk of her harvest in hopes that a streak of beneficial weather would allow her slow-growing crop to mature. But as rain continued to threaten her cotton, she realized another pause in harvest was likely. “We’ve been trying our best to wait until the cotton is at an optimal stage, but then you look at the calendar and realize you have to go whether it’s ready or not. Another rain event only slows us down from getting back into the field. It also diminishes the quality of the cotton.” Barlow notes in mid-November that she had harvested 100 of her 400 cotton acres but said the quality “was probably the worst” she’s ever produced. The NASS report indicated 43% of Virginia’s cotton was in poor or worse condition. Peanuts In Better Shape
Isle of Wight County farmer Steven Crocker says his peanut
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COTTON FARMING | DECEMBER 2020
crop was about three weeks behind schedule due to wet conditions. With saturated soil and wet peanuts preventing farmers from running combines through their fields, harvest had been “a struggle for everybody,” he says. While the quality of standing cotton was a concern, Virginia’s remaining peanut crop fared better despite late harvests. Fortyfive percent of the crop was in good condition, and 44% was in fair condition. Parrish says that 10 days of dry weather preceding mid-November rain allowed farmers to make progress on each harvest. When another dry spell was forecasted, he anticipates that trend will continue. “After this wet period comes through and the ground dries back out, we’ll finish up the bulk of these harvests,” Parrish says. “We’re just hoping everything stands up and will be able to be harvested.” The Virginia Farm Bureau contributed this article.
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