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A river runs through it
By Bill Hankins
The Paris News
Published May 15, 2009
A river runs through some of the major farmlands in Northeast Texas and Southeast Oklahoma, and it is a major player in the area’s agriculture production.
Red River, which for centuries has left sandy deposits along its banks, splits farmlands in Choctaw and Lamar counties and Red River and McCurtain counties.
It’s running full now, and bottom land farmers look to the skies daily, hoping for sunshine.
On either side is some of the most fertile farmlands in the nation.
In Lamar County, soils range from sand to sandy loam to clay and to blackland.
The sand or sandy loam along Red River can take more water and shed it to allow farmers into the fields quicker after it rains.
Because of frequent spring rains, many of the planned crops are not yet planted because farmers have not been able to get into the fields for weeks. Bountiful harvests from this year’s crop depend on sunshine now.
But in dry years, many of the farmers, such as Toby Kautz who farms near Arthur City, turn to the river for water.
Kautz irrigates his crops, and even in dry years his yield is high.
In fact, he has a national corn yield win against some of the largest growers in the nation.
Randy Meade, who farms both in the sandy soils along Red River and the blacklands farther south, said there is a difference between the two farming areas.
“The difference really depends on the weather,” he said. “Normally river bottom land will plow up easier than blackland because of the sand in it, but in a year like this, it’s all about the same.”
Meade has 1,000 acres in corn and soybeans, with 700 acres in soybeans in Red River County.
“I am not through planting soybeans,” he said. “I hope to get into the fields soon to get the rest planted.”
Meade said river bottom farming is better because the river bottoms are a little more forgiving.
“The river bottoms will take the hot and dry a little better than the blackland,” he said. “The soils are deeper on the river, and there is more natural fertility on the river than the blackland.”
Meade said the important issue is the water on either the sandy or blackland soils.
“Last year was an average year,” he said. “In 2006, everything burned up no matter where you were.”
This year, he has planted mostly corn and hopes prices will hold up at harvest time.
“It’s like my wife says. They go up when you are planting and down when you are harvesting,” he said. “It just depends on the crops in the north. If they make a good crop, prices will go down.”
Meade said he does not irrigate but depends entirely on the weather.
“This year, the rain is keeping everybody out of the fields, and everybody is just chomping at the bit to get back in.”
Loyd Thompson, who farms 1,100 acres in the Red River bottoms, said sandy soils versus blackland is sometimes dependent on what you grow.
“Sandy soils are better for alfalfa,” he said. “Sandy soils are easier to farm for all crops, though.”
Thompson said he has all his corn in for this year.
“Because of the rains, it is not looking too good right now,” he said. “All the beans are not in as yet, and I have some pasture land.”
Thompson said the harvest has been “pretty good” the past few years, and prices have been “pretty high, but the cost of fertilizers, seeds and fuels have been “pretty expensive.”
Thompson has farmed the area more than 40 years and said it has been an experience.
“We have had some drought years — some really bad drought years,” he said. “Everything burned up, but we got a little relief from the government — disaster pay. Then we have had some years that have been too wet. And it looks like the late freeze we had this year may have hurt the wheat crops. We needed some of this rain before the freeze hit.”
Joe Sanders, who farms 4,500 acres on the Texas side of Red River said he has everything planted despite the rains this year, and his wheat is looking good despite a late freeze that slowed down the corn.
“I like farming along the Red River bottoms,” he said. “I grew up on blackland, and this is a lot better — easier farming and more production.”
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