Story trip through time.... something to ponder on

[1982vett]

We will begin our story February 4, 2011....

First "major" snow and ice in years.

By March the oats is looking ok

Pastures...not so much.

By mid May it's not any better.

Can't remember if those clouds were just a tease or not but the unplanted ground is parched.

Hello July

August and September

October

I think that is the Bastrop Fire, 55 miles away.

November

November 19, last "rain" till Christmas. Did germinate the oats.

After Christmas we began getting some decent rain and pastures are recovering, although minus a bunch of cows which the wild hogs don't care about.

Starting to buy back some forage needy cows. Nothing to look at but something to eat some grass.

And by April you wouldn't have know it was one H E L L of a year.

Since then we still have periods short of rainfall and periods of excessive rainfall. This year January 1 to March 31 just 4 inches. April and may brought 20 inches. Where I once ran 120 cows, I now run 60-80. I no longer have an objective to grow hay to sell. I'm way understocked by most standards, but in my opinion, my input costs and labor savings more than make up for it. I have an abundance of under utilized grass right now. I had an abundance of under utilized grass a couple years ago in July-August when we had a wet June and July. Last year I made it through July and August on 2 1/2 inches of rain without having to feed a bunch of hay.

It's nice to have an operation where the weather lets you run on all cylinders all the time....but that's not always the option you get.

 

[True Grit Farms]

We had a new well drilled just to feed our pond at the house last month. I'm not willing to loose my fish. I don't think our soil will ever open up like that. We have sugar sand now in the driveway that you better not stop in when you're leaving. Your pictures are proof that It'll get better it's just a matter of time.

 

[Bright Raven]

Thanks for sharing that. There are many reasons I am understocked but one of the reasons is expressed well by your pictures. There was a horrible drought here in the 1990s. Nearly everyone sold their cattle before it ended. I don't want to be caught in that trap.

 

[1982vett]

We had a new well drilled just to feed our pond at the house last month. I'm not willing to loose my fish. I don't think our soil will ever open up like that. We have sugar sand now in the driveway that you better not stop in when you're leaving. Your pictures are proof that It'll get better it's just a matter of time.

I don't have the sugar sand. It's a couple hills north of me but I'm familiar with it. It actually does a decent job of growing Coastal Bermuda. Hard to keep fertile Due to leaching but the roots can get down deeper in search of moisture.

 

[bird dog]

The Bastrop fire was going on when our area in Limestone county caught fire, The forestry service was sending down reinforcements to Bastrop and were close by, so they rerouted them to our fire. They saved my bacon but I did lose about half of what little grass I had left.
They sent over three large dozers and a helicopter with a water bucket. They used some of the water from my biggest pond and stopped the fire on my place. It was a scary time.

 

[greybeard]

That, was a really bad year.

 

[kenny thomas]

I was by the Bastrop Fire area 2 years ago. Looks like it destroyed everything. Every tree dead. Fresh sprouts coming back though.

 

[5S Cattle]

A lot of people must have forgot 2011 around here already. Pastures grazed down to the dirt already. Next drought is gonna tear em a new one.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

A lot of people must have forgot 2011 around here already. Pastures grazed down to the dirt already. Next drought is gonna tear em a new one.

We have people around here praying for a drought.

How soon we forget...

 

[1982vett]

I was by the Bastrop Fire area 2 years ago. Looks like it destroyed everything. Every tree dead. Fresh sprouts coming back though.

Mother Nature is taking over and rebuilding for sure. Not sure how many of the 1600 plus homes have gotten rebuilt. Also their was another fire in Bastrop County in 2015.

 

[1982vett]

A lot of people must have forgot 2011 around here already. Pastures grazed down to the dirt already. Next drought is gonna tear em a new one.

We have people around here praying for a drought.

How soon we forget...

The wet April and May has set crops back around here too. Looks like it is to wet or to dry some place all the time.

 

[cowboy43]

Do not ever want to go through 2 years without rain again, a lot of people never went back into the business after selling out :cry2: :cowboy:

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Vette for a long time i thought you lived in the desert.

 

[kenny thomas]

Vette for a long time i thought you lived in the desert.

About 8 of the last 10 years it was almost a desert.

 

[snoopdog]

Thanks for sharing, 09 was when we sold out the cow/calf the last time, and we were in full hay production after that. Your photos are too familiar. I'll take all the rain and an over mature hay crop over a drought anyday.

 

[1982vett]

Vette for a long time i thought you lived in the desert.

:lol: Takes about 30 days to go from swamp to desert around here this time of year. Raining again this morning. It's coming from the south rather northwest. Maybe it will slide off and make to Georgia and Florida....

 

[1982vett]

Thanks for sharing, 09 was when we sold out the cow/calf the last time, and we were in full hay production after that. Your photos are too familiar. I'll take all the rain and an over mature hay crop over a drought anyday.

It toyed with us a few years before it smacked the whole state. It would start hitting the 90's in February and we would be cutting hay in March. Feed some of it in August and September to make it till we could get on oats in October. Doesn't quite work like that anymore.

 

[1982vett]

Ran across this drought monitor snapshot just a few minutes ago. A different story this year. Well above average rainfall this year.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Central Texas is the land of perpetual drought punctuated by flooding. Only been here 16 years but that is the most accurate description of this areas weather I've ever heard. Either a swamp or desert and not much in between. Just been thru a swamp/flooding phase and afraid drought may be just around the corner.

 

[1982vett]

Central Texas is the land of perpetual drought punctuated by flooding. Only been here 16 years but that is the most accurate description of this areas weather I've ever heard. Either a swamp or desert and not much in between. Just been thru a swamp/flooding phase and afraid drought may be just around the corner.

Had 5/100 of an inch for the week. Got an upgrade in the forecast of 50% chance of 1/10th of an inch Monday afternoon. Rest of the 10 day forecast is the usual 10-20% chance of 0".... somehow I think the way that is stated is the loophole if it rains...... wouldn't a 20% chance of it not raining indicate an 80% chance it will rain? Makes my head hurt. :lol: