Oct. 9, 2020
After two weeks of solid harvest weather, Hurricane Delta may tap the brakes
By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Corn and rice have made successful harvest gains in late September, early October
- Hurricane Delta the 25th named storm of 2020
- Weather system likely pushing rain into eastern Arkansas by Saturday
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LITTLE ROCK — After nearly two weeks of clear skies and dropping temperatures, producers across Arkansas have increased their harvest tempo as fields have dried, but now the year’s umpteenth weather system — Hurricane Delta — threatens to slow progress again.
As of Friday morning, modeling from the National Weather Service placed Delta’s path as likely to be moving up the Arkansas-Mississippi border Saturday, and into northern Mississippi and Tennessee by Sunday, gradually downgrading from a hurricane to a tropical storm to a tropical depression along the way.
The National Weather Service also predicts that the remnants of Hurricane Delta will pour varying degrees of rain on the southeastern half of the state, with Chicot, Ashley and Desha counties receiving five inches of rain or more through Saturday night.
As has been the case for several years in a row, the 2020 Arkansas harvest has been stop-and-go, largely due to large weather systems pushing rain and wind from the Gulf of Mexico into the Southern Plains and beyond.
The Laura weather system — first a hurricane, then a tropical storm — pushed through Arkansas in late August, and slowed both the Arkansas sorghum and corn harvests, which had already begun, and effectively delayed the beginning of the rice harvest. Between Sept. 21-22, nearly the entire state received between a half inch and five inches of rain, followed by a week in which the southeastern corner of the state received an additional five to six inches of rain.
In the past two weeks, however, Arkansas producers have made strong gains in harvesting rice, corn and soybeans, with each commodity seeing 10 percent or more of its respective total acreage harvested or more over the past week alone. As of Oct. 4, 86 percent of the state’s corn acreage had been harvested, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. That puts growers still behind the five-year average of 96 percent by this point in the season, but within sight of the crop’s last leg.
Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said corn producers in the state are trying to wrap harvest up this week.
“We are more than 90 percent done at this point, and we would make a good push at nearing completion without the rain that Delta is brining,” Kelley said. “Corn that has not been harvested yet really needs to miss this rain and wind, as many fields are lodging and will be more difficult to harvest if we get wind from Delta.
“Delta will also bring wheat planting to a stop,” he said. “Wheat acres look to be up this year with increased grain prices, but that hinges on the weather allowing for planting.”
About 70 percent of the state’s rice acreage had been harvested by Oct. 4, according to NASS, with growers making the most of the first week of the month. Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said last week’s above-average temperatures aided progress.
“We’re making excellent progress on rice harvest right now,” Hardke said.
“While we’re still behind the five year average, we should have over 80 percent of rice harvested by the time Hurricane Delta reaches the state,” he said. “If the upper two-thirds of eastern Arkansas can avoid major rainfall amounts, we have an excellent long-range forecast after Delta leaves to try and finish harvest on a high note.”
Soybean producers were still seeing the effects of saturated soils, however. Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said the fields would need additional time to dry from September’s penetrating rains.
“On the soybean side, we just need some dry weather to get the crop harvested,” Ross said. “Prolonged periods of wet, cloudy weather could have some quality issues. We have seen some quality issues after Tropical Storm Laura, but most everything looks good so far.”
Of the state’s major commodity crops, cotton has struggled the most this season. As of Oct. 4, only 13 percent of the state’s total acreage had been harvested, well behind the five year average of 29 percent of acreage typically harvested by this point in the season.
“Cotton harvest statewide has just gotten rolling this week, and should be 20 percent complete as the rain bands from Hurricane Delta arrive,” Bill Robertson, extension cotton agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said. “This time last year, we were over 50 percent harvested.
“We need mother nature to be a little more kind to us,” he said.
To learn more about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Ryan McGeeney
Communications Services
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
rmcgeeney@uada.edu