COLLEGE STATION - Drought, flood, fluctuating energy costs, high feed costs, low milk prices - 2009 was a challenge for many Texas producers.

Nearly all of the state’s agriculture was adversely affected by atypical weather during the year; some areas fared better than others.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service district administrators summed up the year in agriculture for their regions.

CENTRAL: (Ron Woolley, Stephenville) 2009 was a challenging year with extreme drought conditions during the first eight months. Improved forages provided minimal grazing or hay production. Rangeland forage production was also very limited. As a result, hay prices escalated, and many beef producers had to reduce or liquidate their herds. Blackland field crops were severely affected by the drought. However, during the last four months of the year, the region received record rainfall that increased early fall hay yields and provided excellent growth on small grains, improved forage pastures and native rangeland. Abundant rainfall also established good supplies of stock water.

COASTAL BEND: (Donnie Montemayor, Corpus Christi) Most row crops failed due to the lack of rain. Most of the cotton, grain sorghum and corn production was very limited in all parts of the district. Much of the production was zeroed-out under crop insurance programs. Livestock and forage production was limited as well, with forage production also very limited due to the extreme drought. Lacking feed and water, producers had to sell most of their beef cattle herds; some even liquidated their entire herds. The high cost of feed contributed to the liquidation of many herds. The severe drought limited wildlife. The fall brought much needed rainfall.

NORTH: (Hurley Miller, Dallas) The soil moisture ranged from dry through the summer months to very wet in the late summer through fall. Some crops stayed in the field too long because of wet conditions. The increased cost of fertilizer had some producers seeking alternative crops to assist in adding nutrients back into the soils. Some producers had a surplus supply of hay and shipped some to hay-poor areas across the state. The livestock were in good condition due to the large amount of forages in the area. Producers across the region consistently reported large losses of crops and damage to pastures by feral hogs.

PANHANDLE: (Danny Nusser, Amarillo) It was a normal year because, as usual for the district, there was nothing normal. Winter moisture was below normal with very little snow except in the northern Panhandle. Most of the region's wheat yields were below normal or non-existent, with the exception of the northeastern counties where there were outstanding yields. Moisture for summer crops was very good in the mid- to late summer, which promoted much-needed pasture growth for summer and winter grazing. Storms early in the year cut cotton acreage to below normal, but summer rains allowed for excellent yields with corn and other feed grains. In some areas, an early freeze cost cotton producers yields and even hurt sorghum weights on lateplanted and dryland fields. Fall moisture has been below average.

SOUTHEAST: (Dale A. Fritz, Bryan) The year began with only fair surface and sub-surface soil moisture, and things did not improve during much of the growing season. Initially wheat in the Brazos Valley had very good yield potential and corn planting got off to a good start. However, a late winter freeze killed the developing grains. Almost all of the wheat was harvested for hay. Most plantings of corn, grain sorghum, cotton and rice emerged, making adequate to good stands. Early spring moisture was good, but the lack of subsequent rainfall significantly impacted dryland crop and forage production. Dryland crop yields were very poor. Those who could irrigate saw good yields but had high input costs. Rice yields were the bright spot due to the crop's response to open sunny days. Forage production was very poor. Calves were sold early and cow herds were reduced by at least 30 percent. Pastures and rangeland responded to good rains in late September and October. In some areas the continuous rainfall prevented hay harvesting and delayed the cotton harvest, greatly reducing its quality. By mid-December there were fields of cotton and second-crop sorghum that were not harvested. Also, due to wet field conditions, soil preparation for the next season has been delayed and wheat planting has been prevented.

SOUTH: (Ruben J. Saldaña, Weslaco)The eight-month drought caused a lot of problems, including high costs for irrigation and supplemental feed. Because of non-stop, extremely high temperatures, and lack of moisture, farmers had to heavily irrigate to keep up with crop production and land preparations for spring and fall crops. Producers in the eastern parts of the region were hurt the worst. Most crops were zeroed-out by crop insurance adjusters. In the western parts of the region, pecan crops did not do well this year due to the inability of producers to obtain water from the Nueces County River for irrigation as a result of extremely low flow. In the southern parts of the region, most vegetable and citrus crops did well with irrigation, but 63 percent of dryland and 18 percent of irrigated cotton, corn and sorghum failed. Livestock producers had a difficult time, too. Lack of forage production and the high cost of supplemental feed were compounded by temperatures above 100 degrees by mid-summer and critically low stock water tanks. Some producers were forced to reduce or completely liquidate their herds. During September, from 3 inches to 10 inches of rain came to the region. Parched rangeland and pastures began to green-up, but were still short of being at normal production levels for livestock grazing. Producers began purchasing replacement livestock and preparing feed storage for the winter months. The year ended with extreme cold.

SOUTHWEST: (Cheryl Mapston, Uvalde) A severe drought beginning in 2005 became even worse from September 2008 through August 2009. In addition, record-high temperatures during the summer and the lack of rainfall had a negative economic impact on agricultural producers and businesses. During the last three months, rainfall was good and in many areas, exceeded rainfall amounts of the previous 12 months. Consequently, the outlook for the coming year improved. Drought decreased livestock forage availability, and stocking rates were reduced. Wildlife resource management enterprises also decreased due to a combination of drought conditions and the economic recession. Substantial dryland crops were lost. Overall, vegetable production was excellent. The spring vegetable crop was better, in terms of yield, quality and even markets, than the fall crop. Since almost all vegetables in the region were produced under irrigation, a very dry spring and summer with supplemental water created a nearly ideal growing environment. However, a cool, wet fall increased disease intensity, delayed harvests and reduced yields and quality.