LUBBOCK - Farming on the Texas South Plains is risky business at best, but the region's wild weather can make management decisions all the more difficult, said a Lubbock row-crop expert.

"Hail is a very real threat that's all too common this time of year," said Dr. Calvin Trostle, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist at Lubbock. "After a hail or other disaster occurs, the decisions a producer makes concerning the remainder of the season often mean the difference between a profit and a loss."

Is the crop salvageable? Should a switch be made to an alternate crop? Is there even time before cold weather arrives to make a crop? These are questions Trostle said often must be answered soon after disaster strikes.

To address these and other crop management issues for the current season, Trostle and other AgriLife Extension personnel have released the guide, "2008 Alternative Crop Options after Failed Cotton and Late-Season Planting for the Texas South Plains."

The on-line publication, also available through county AgriLife Extension offices, details replant and late-planting alternate crop options typically implemented following a failed cotton crop.

The guide includes seeding rates, hybrid maturity and last-recommended planting dates for grain sorghum, sunflower, guar, sesame, summer annual forages, black-eyed peas and other short-season vegetable crops. Also addressed are some lesser-used regional options including soybean, peanuts and corn, and links to information needed to assess cotton stand losses.

To find the guide go to:http://www.lubbock.tamu.edu/cotton/pdf/cropreplantoptions08.pdf">http://l