Weather patterns in Texas, the second largest state in the U.S. after Alaska, have been all over the place recently. "Summertime in Texas just means very active weather with heat, rain, wind, and hurricanes not being uncommon," says Dante Galeazzi with the Texas International Produce Association. Eastern Texas, which includes the city of Houston, was hit with a number of storms a few weeks ago. One of these storms battered downtown Houston and caused 700,000 people to be without power for days. This time of year, watermelons are the big fruit crop in Eastern Texas. "Fortunately, it looks like the watermelon crop made it through," Galeazzi said. "The plants were in the ground at the time the storm hit, but it was still early in the growing season and the fruit hadn't developed yet. In a few weeks, we will have a better idea of production estimates."
Hot weather impacts sizing
In the Winter Garden and South/Central part of the state on the other hand, it has been warm, but weather conditions for onions, cabbage, and melons have been good. Further south, in the Rio Grande Valley, it has been unusually hot. "We've been seeing temperatures of 100°F for weeks back-to-back," Galeazzi said. While onion harvest recently finished, melons will keep going for a few more weeks. This includes watermelons, cantaloupes, and honeydews. With the current heat index, temperatures of 100°F feel like 118°F, making it challenging for harvest crews. "Harvest is often limited to the morning hours, until about noon," Galeazzi commented. The short harvest days are creating production challenges and as a result, it will take longer to get the crops harvested. "It sounds like harvest will carry through a good portion of June." The heat and lack of water are also causing the fruit to be smaller in size. "Hot weather and limited waterings have impacted the diversity of yield, which is creating a challenge for growers and shippers. Everyone prefers a good mix of sizes for their customers," Galeazzi mentioned. This year, the majority of fruit is trending towards a smaller size. "On a positive note, heat drives sugar levels and the melons are sweet and delicious as a result."
Shift in crops
Due to the extreme heat and limited rainfall, reservoirs are at extremely low levels in the Rio Grande Valley. "There's just not enough water to irrigate the usual crop mix and growers had to be strategic about what they planted last fall. We're seeing less leafy greens and almost no broccoli, celery, and cauliflower." There is less flexibility with water for these shorter crops that take between 45 and 70 days to mature. Instead, acreage of watermelons, onions, and cabbage saw an increase this season. In addition to a shift in crop mix, some growers have let fields fallow or put in cover crops like milo.
For more information:
Dante Galeazzi
Texas International Produce Association
Tel: +1 (956) 581-8632
[email protected]
www.texipa.org