Have you recovered from last years drought?

[Jogeephus]

I guess this is directed mostly at the folks I read about in Texas last summer but could apply to anyone. I was just wondering how things are going out there and if it looked like it was gonna be better than last year. Just wondering.

 

[hurleyjd]

I guess this is directed mostly at the folks I read about in Texas last summer but could apply to anyone. I was just wondering how things are going out there and if it looked like it was gonna be better than last year. Just wondering.

Lots of clover and ryegrass, best spring pasture in years. There are a lot of the cowmen in the area busy cutting ryegrass for hay. They usually shred it or spray it to get rid of it. I guess they learned a lesson from the drought. Here is hoping things will stay the same. But you never know. Could quit raining and go dry again. I got 18 acres of Tifton 85 out, good fresh sprigs and rolled, did not get preemerge out. I talked to a sprayer and he said to wait and he could take care of any weeds and stuff later. Jack H.

 

[Ryan]

we are doing pretty good here. got some pretty good rains on the ranch. I've got grass up to my thighs on my lil 7 acre place i live on (only about 3-4 ac of which is actually grass). Will be putting my 2 heifers over there tomorrow actually, and will have a pair there here shortly. they're gonna love it. just keep praying for rain,and great weather throughout the rest of the year. between the rain and having lost only 1 calf this year, we have truly been blessed.

Ryan

 

[dun]

Just as one swallow doesn;t make a summer, one year of normal or even above normal rainfall doesn't mean you've recovered from a drought! Not until the deep and shallow aquafers have been replenished can you really assume a drought has been recovered from.

dun

 

[CUZ]

Jogeephus - I notice you're from South Georgia, are the big wildfires down that way close to you? Hope you're not in any danger. Just curious.

Cuz

 

[Rangenerd]

It is our turn to have the drought. Here in northern California the snow pack is only 15% of normal. Unlike the midwest and the south we get the overwelming percentage of our precipitation during the winter. Could be a very long summer.

 

[msscamp]

No, we haven't recovered - it will take quite a few years of above average rainfall/snowfall to do that. We got anywhere from 1-4" of rain yesterday - depending on area within the county, and a bit more today - so we are just about where we were this time last year, maybe slightly above. Last year was our 7th year of drought.

 

[Jogeephus]

Jogeephus - I notice you're from South Georgia, are the big wildfires down that way close to you? Hope you're not in any danger. Just curious.

Cuz

Yeah they are. It is still terribly dry here. Weatherman said we are in a 50 year drought. Woods near the house are still burning - this will be the third time fire has gone across the blackened landscape. There just isn't any moisture at all. Up late tonight cause I wanted to watch it rain but I just felt the temperature drop so now we are west of the low pressure front. Same old story, it just fizzles out when it gets here. I thought last year was bad but I'm afraid this is gonna be worse.

I'm just glad the drought isn't as widespread as it was last year and most are getting some much needed rain.

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

Last year it took all summer to grow out the hay field to lower than what it is now. We have already gotten more rain than all of last summer. Grass is waist high in some spots, and we need more cows to eat it. Anyone care to donate a few?

 

[flaboy?]

We are burning up down here. They keep showing a chance of rain but it never appears. We got one cut of hay last year and that wasn't very good. We have lakes at record lows and my wells are spitting air at times.

I am seeing dry ditches that I have never seen before.

 

[Limomike]

Here in NE Oklahoma we have had some fairly decent rains.. but not nearly enough to recover from the last few years which were way down. Both of my ponds are still about 2-5 feet low..

 

[*Cowgirl*]

Still hasn't rained much. If it keeps up Nobody is gonna have AGAIN.

 

[Frankie]

So far this year, things are better than last. We're about normal for rainfall this year. We'll have grass if/when it warms up. The native grasses are out, but we keep getting these little cold fronts that keep it from growing. Right now the cows are mostly on cool season stuff.


I've seen people hauling new hay past the house and we've already spoken for enough to get our cows through winter this year. So we're in better shape. We're still going to be selling some cows, though.

I hope you folks with the fires get rains soon. We had fires in '05 and '06 and it was a terrible situation.

 

[cowboy44]

It seems like ranchers are doing ok grass wise, but no one has mentioned how long it will take you to recover financially, after 2 years of drought and selling off half my herd, using that money for feed and expenses, pulling out of my savings to pay bank notes, I could go on and on but I will say it will take me 5 to 10 years to recover financially,now at 62 years of age that will put me close to retirement age, but I will never retire till I can not get out of house

 

[MillIronQH]

We're in good shape on the surface but the water table is still low. The area lakes are full and the creeks are running but I have a spring fed tank that hasn't filled up yet. Last year it dried up completely. Something that my old-timer neighbors say it had never done before in nearly 40 years. It would probably take 1-2" every week for the rest of the year to really catch up and that "ain't gonna happen". We should get two really good cuttings early on. We'll just have to see what summer and fall bring.Z

 

[Gate Opener]

We have been getting a good amount of rain. The rye grass is growing well and is very tall in spots. Our bermuda has suffered from the drought. Even with the rye grass I can tell that our bermuda pastures are nowhere near what they used to be. It doesn't look good. I think it will take a long time to recover from this. Hopefully we will keep getting the rain.

 

[BRG]

We are located 40 miles south of the nd/sd border and 30 west of the Missouri River. So far since the end of March we have recieved around 5 inches of rain. This came at the right time as this is when our grass needs it the most. Last summer we never had any rain at all until the fall. When I say any, I mean maybe 2 inches over the entire summer. We never even started up the swather. Seemed like the area was constantly fighting grass fires. The rain we have recieved this spring has been great, but their isn't much submoisture there yet, but it will come. Hopefully it will keep coming for all who needs it. In our area it really saved alot of ranchers. If it wouldn't have come when it did, lots and lots of cows would have had to leave the country. But most of them are staying, and once again the grasser market is high with them light weights bringing good money, same with the pair market. It seems good as well. Even the bull sales have improved the last couple weeks. Looks to be a better year.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Fortuneately we did not burn up in the wildfires of '05. Right now I could graze 200 more head but it would be the limit. It is going to be bumper hay crops. No irrigation costs but fertilizer cost is going to keep hay prices up. Fuel costs will impact things a little too. Irrigation is beyond doubt the most expensive factor for me and it is eliminated so far.

 

[sidney411]

We baled up some nice ryegrass last weekend and we've got more on the ground right now. So far haying is looking to be good, I don't know about the warm season fields yet though.