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Many cotton farmers in Texas feel that they got off pretty light as Hurricane Emily managed to not damage their crops too much. They didn't have much damage from winds, but heavy rains hurt crops some.

"Since we are in the middle of harvest, we'd prefer hot, dry weather," said Texas Cotton and Grain Association executive director Jeff Nunley. "If we could have gotten these rains back in June, they would have been very timely." AP reports:

Although wind gusts as high as 50 mph hit Harlingen, any crop damage will come from heavy rain, said Webb Wallace, executive director of Cotton and Grain Producers of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which serves a four-county region. The quality of a cotton boll's fiber suffers under heavy rain, he said.

Farther inland, Emily brought rain and occasional gusty winds as storm bands crossed South Texas.

"Compared to what we were thinking, we're tickled," said one Texas cotton farmer, Sam Simmons. "We managed to dodge a bullet."

The hurricane did slow down energy production in Mexico. Exports, many of which were going to the U.S. were halted, and contracts have been delayed.
"We are not talking about losses, because these are shipments that were only deferred," said a Pemex spokesman. "The contracts will be met."

Pemex, which is the 9th largest crude exporter in the world, has begun production again. The spokesman said that shipments may be stepped up to meet needs.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.