I’ve had several questions over the past two weeks about how many heat units we have accumulated and how this compares to our average year. As of August 28th, we have accumulated 1,974 DD60s since May 1. We’ve broken from the 30 year average trend line several times throughout the year; May was considerably warmer, June pulled us back to the average trend line, and although we have been rolling above and below the line from the end of July through August, as of August 28th, we are within 15 heat units of the 30 year trend line; on average, by August 28th, we accumulate 1,961 DD60s. As you look at the above graph, you may notice these breaks with the trend line are ever-so-slight. Keep in mind rate of change is important. If you zoom in on several of the regions highlighted above, you can see how our weather this year breaks from the trend line before rejoining it throughout the season. Continue reading
Temperatures this week have really pushed our crop; node above white flower counts are crashing and bolls are hardening in our earliest crop well-up past the middle of the plant. Many of those who have the option of irrigating their cotton have called this week to discuss if the rewards for irrigating outweigh the risks. In this blog, I try to outline those discussions to help those in a similar situation. 