Plains Ranchers Face Heat, Drought, Fires And Now Serious Hay Shortages For Those Who Remain

[hatrack]

EDIT

July temperatures have topped 110 degrees in the heart of cattle country, from Texas to Kansas. Ranchers complain that not only did the wildfires destroy the hay population, they also burned summer crops such as wheat or cotton, that usually can be counted on to support rural economies when there are dips in the cattle market. Agriculture losses from the drought will tally $1.5 billion this year, according to estimates from TALES.

From October to June, most of Texas reported the driest season on record. In Beaumont, for example, a total of 8.80 inches of rain have fallen so far in 2011; the city’s normal accumulation by now is about 31 inches.

In Aspermont and other Texas towns, municipal water towers are being opened to farmers, as a last-ditch measure. “That thing’s been busy all day, every day,” says Stonewall County Judge Ronnie Moorhead. “We’ve been hot and dry for so long.”

Desperate ranchers face premium prices to import hay from out of state. Some are accepting donations, and the Texas Department of Agriculture has set up a hotline to streamline the process. Last week, Republican Gov. Rick Perry directed the state’s Department of Transportation to waive permitting restrictions for transporting hay bales into and within the state. Some ranchers are resigned. “There’s no hay here. If you don’t have old hay you’re not going to have hay production here,” says Holly McLaury, whose family operates a 1,400-acre ranch in Stonewall County, Texas. The wildfires scorched about 80 percent of her grazing land. Emergency helicopters fighting the fires drained her water tanks in just two days.

EDIT

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0719/Drought-and-wildfire-threaten-America-s-cattle-capital

[Uben]

1. I've noticed all livestock ponds are almost dried up

Those that aren't used for watering livestock still have water, but cows drink a lot of water, especially in this heat and drought. A friend is going to drill a well just so he can water his cattle! His biggest watering hole is almost dry. This is about as low as it got in 1980, but it's going to dry up within the week. The creeks are dry, too, so there is no water for any of the animals. A neighbor still has water, but he sold it to an oil company, a move he now regrets. They paid good money for it, but when he contracted it, there wasn't a drought. He doesn't have livestock, but he did stock the pond with fish, and he'll likely lose all of those. He's thinking of deepening the pond once it dries up.

[pscot]

2. Any sense of how the aquifer

is holding up? Are people having to drill deeper to find water?