Rain comes to western Texas just in time for cotton planting

“It could be a bust if we have very hard weather.”

Craig Heinrich and other South Plains cotton producers no longer have to look to the sky and pray _ widespread rain arrived just in time for planting.

Heinrich, who grows irrigated cotton and the dryland type that relies solely on rainfall, said he's 'tickled' by this week's rain. Officials said its value to the region's cotton crop could be in the millions of dollars.

'That's about as good as it gets,' Heinrich said. 'It's a godsend to get rain on all the acres, especially in May when you want to plant.' Read more