LUBBOCK, Texas –The recent precipitation over the past few days has been a good sight for farmers who are desperate for any amount of rain or snow they can get.
Koby Reed said he had seen terrible droughts throughout his farming career. For 18 years, he grew cotton and peanuts in Gaines, Texas. His last crop was in 2014, before calling it quits, but still knows how important rain is before planting season.
Reed said the record-breaking snow didn’t do much for our drought, but it’s better than no precipitation at all.
“It’s a drop in the bucket,” Reed said. “We’re going to need a lot more rain between now and planting, but this will help.”
Guy Harmon with Harmon farms agrees the snow helps saturate the ground and gives them some hope for the planting Season ahead.
“This snowstorm has been relatively mild, but it’s brought a lot of moisture,” Harmon said. “It’s encouraging to get some precipitation this year, maybe the outlook is a little bit better than last year.”
Reed said the ground savors saturation better than rain, and it can do more for crops come planting season.
“One thing about snow that a lot of people don’t realize is that snowflakes will capture more nitrogen out of the atmosphere than a raindrop will,” Reed said. “This will help not only build that moisture profile but will also help build that nutrient profile in the dirt as well.”
Reed says after the lack of precipitation this year, he knows a lot of farmers are praying for a saturated Season ahead.
“Right now, that’s all we have is hope that we’ll transition to a wetter year and hopefully have something to work with next year,” Reed said.
