Fields of dirt have become the Coastal Bend harvest.

The lack of rain in the past 10 or so months killed most of the plants before they broke through the surface. Those that did manage to grow had short stalks with little production.

This year’s drought has further stressed farmers who haven’t fully recovered from a devastating drought three years ago.

In 2007 the area saw a wetter-than-average summer, and last year’s conditions were below average, so it was considered a partially bad year.

Scott Frazier saw 30 percent of his grain come up. The grain that did bloom produced about 30 percent of what it would under normal conditions, said the Nueces County farmer.

Only about 5 percent of his cotton crops came up, and they are producing about 25 percent of their average yield. Grain fared better because it’s a bit more tolerant than cotton and a few showers here and there helped, Frazier said.

Troy Nedbalek, president of the San Patricio County Farm Bureau, said the area is seeing lower-than-average yields for grain sorghum and cotton, the two prevalent crops in the Coastal Bend.
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