The atypical weather across of Texas this year has thrown several of the state’s biggest cash crops out of joint. The USDA’s October crop production report finds cotton, soybean, and peanut crops down notably from a year ago.
Cotton production took the biggest dip, down almost 20 percent since last year, when the state produced more than 9 million bushels. This year's projected haul is projected to be about 6.7 million bushels. Soybeans and peanuts saw double-digit drop-offs in production too.
THe USDA says the downturns in these and other crops – including rice, pecans, and corn -- stem from a year that started wet, got severely dry, and then got soaking wet again.
Agricultural areas in the Northeast and Gulf Coast regions of the state are projecting big drop-offs in planted acres compared to 2017. Both regions are looking at about two-thirds fewer planted acres by the end of the year.
