July 2, 2009 - Dry is the best description for agriculture in this area. There has been some spotty rain for the last week or two, but for the most part, there has been very little accumulation over the majority of the region for more than 3 weeks now dating back to early June. 

The momentum for cotton growth is slowing. Even cotton that has been growing good is slowing down. Most of the cotton that was planted in April is beginning to bloom and in these dry conditions will not grow much more until we get some rain and even then, it will take it a while to regain momentum. 

The cotton to watch which could be the exception is the cotton that was planted in mid-May or later and is planted on land that can push the growth and has recently gotten some good rainfall. That might be 1 out of 100 fields. 

Hopefully this dry period will soon end.  The lack of rain is also resulting in some yellow cotton that has just not gotten the side-dress fertilizer activated yet. This is more apparent on sandy land. A good soaking rain would be sweet.  There is some chance of rain being forecast and maybe we'll see it before another week goes by.