Texas drought
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Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Only makes you wiser at this game and teaches you not to BS yourself.
Neighbor ask me two days ago why I still had grass in my bottom pastures.
My reply was I started liquidating quality cattle last year when this drought begin.
He ask why didn't I sell my oldest stock. I replied they have a proven record of decades, if I retain anything it will be out of them.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I still kick myself for not coming and getting the heifers you offered to sell me last year.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
CB - I am with you. My older cows are my factories. They would not still be in my herd if they weren't GREAT MOMMA's.
58" is a lot, you're lucky we only average 39" average just south of Dallas. Yeah, once cattlemen sell out and if they're older than 60/65 they probably won't be re-funding back-in with cattle (at these higher prices)...and then they'd be waiting a year or two years before making any calving profits. If I got out it'd be hard to restart-rebuild what I have. Thanks God for my endless well water and for nuisance lambs quarter... it's one of the most hearty fast-growing drought resistant weeds that helps cattle thrive during this 3 month span of no rain.It's not common in Tyler county we average 58" a year.
This is the second year of this drought. I have never seen a drought that only lasted one year.
It's going to take a Harvey event to break this drought .
It is already impacting the US Herd . There is definitely an opening for Brazil and Zimbabwe to make some money.
Several men I know have sold out and are not going back in.
My neighbor ask me yesterday why I still had grass ? I told him I sold off half of mine when this started last year.
Texas Counties: Annual Precipitation
Texas counties listed in order of mean annual precipitation, 1971-2000.www.texascounties.net
Ouachita
Well-known member
Hmmm "Texas drought"……sounds like it could be a Stevie Ray Vaughan song.
EasTex
Well-known member
I wish I was sitting on the front porch watching it rain and listening to SRV's Texas Flood! 
Ouachita
Well-known member
Sometimes we have to make it up as we go.I wish I was sitting on the front porch watching it rain and listening to SRV's Texas Flood!
Get your lawn sprinkler out, turn the volume up, and jam.
EasTex
Well-known member
Listening to it now. Maybe I can jinx the weather.
greybeard
Well-known member
This is so true. If one is going to get their feet wet in agriculture, jump in the deep end.There is some good to it. It's far worse to come in when times are good and get false hopes, imo.You will be better for it.
Wall Murray Greys
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I Grew up around cattle in the Waco temple area. 38" rain fall area. Hauling square bales and working for my buddy's dad through high school 20+ years ago. I was finally able to start my own herd in 2019, We now live in an area that averages 25"s of rain a year and thats what I got the first few years. I started learning what my grasses could do. Took me a bit, much different than what I grew up with, but last year I only got 16". Learned real fast you can't raise cattle with $160 bale prices and expect to make a profit. We have been lucky this year, got 20"s from February to June. Neighbor keeps asking why I have not added a few head. Reading from the people on here who have been doing this for a long time taught me that just because you have grass now doesn't mean it'll be there in the future.
My advice, which probably ain't worth much, is it's better to be under stocked and have a little extra grass than to be overstocked and run out of grass the same time as everyone else. Second, When you find good hay at a fair price get a little extra for a backup plan. Finally, learn as much as you can from others mistakes. It cost less. This website has really helped me tremendously.
tex452
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- Burleson Leon Coleman counties texas
Having extra hay is always wise.
I had extra hay the year before last and tried to sell some at break even pricing and didn't sell one roll, I'm glad I didn't because we needed it last year.
I have 500 rolls put up so far this year, if we get rain in early fall I might put up 200 more?
I'm feeding hay at my home place now, we have some grass but I want to keep the cows full, we are planning on selling a bunch this fall.
farmerjan
Well-known member
We are not in a drought area now. It was very dry and very very cool for so long this spring and nothing was growing much. Only had 1.2 inches in March which is usually much wetter. Had warmer than normal in April, only a little over 2 inches for the month until the last weekend... got over 1.5 inches, temps most days 70's and 80's... too warm for here... Then along comes May and less than 1/2 inch until memorial day weekend with days in the 70's but nights were in the 40's and 50's which is cold... and an inch rain the last 2 days...things just weren't growing much. Perfect hay making weather and we made quite a bit although early yields were off by 1/4 to 1/3 in some fields due to the chilly nights. June was the same, nights in the 50's.... constant breezes that kept the ground dry and no rain until the 20th when we got 2 inches... night temps warmed up late in the month, got another inch... things started to really grow finally. Now it is humid and sticky, pop up showers wherever they feel like, and making hay is IFFY any day even when they say 0% chance...
We cut our cow numbers last year, mostly through attrition... sold a bunch of mediocre producers, a couple that liked to constantly get out, many were sold due to old age and open status. Then with the price of what the feeders were bringing, we sold all the steers except for the bunch out on pasture that we do in a partnership type deal... and sold all but 5 replacement heifers when we would have kept 25 plus. We are under stocked and are glad of it. Grass aplenty, and more hay than we should need. Because we sold off all the feeder/stocker calves, we have a bunk full of silage we never opened and will be glad of it this winter. Due to wean off calves in about 2-3 weeks for the fall calving cows to get a break, and will have plenty to feed them... but if prices continue to stay high we will sell a good number of them also.
With the prices where they are, we will do as good with fewer cattle right now. Plus, we got the hay storage pole barn built finally and having over 200 rolls under roof; not counting all that is still stored outside..... will cut alot of waste and so will need less # of rolls for the winter. We also did not put in corn this year since the bunk is full, but sorghum-sudan and since it got warm finally, and we got a few rains, it has come on much better than we anticipated. Although my son hates to wrap stuff, he said we may wrap it to carry it over, better quality that way, although we like to dry bale it and the cows love it.
My heart goes out to those of you that are so dry and no reasonably priced hay to be found and the quantity that you are making to be so reduced. The best thing we did was to NOT replace animals this year but to stay understocked. The pastures are in very good shape, even with the slow start, we even subleased a 20 acre place to a neighbor needing a place to put heifers since we did not keep all of ours.
But it can turn around tomorrow, and we know that. We try to keep at least 200 rolls over from year to year to have a cushion... 2 years ago we had 25 rolls left and that was scary. We fed hay way into late May this year and 2 places were getting hay in June until we moved them out to summer pastures that just hadn't grown much.
We cut our cow numbers last year, mostly through attrition... sold a bunch of mediocre producers, a couple that liked to constantly get out, many were sold due to old age and open status. Then with the price of what the feeders were bringing, we sold all the steers except for the bunch out on pasture that we do in a partnership type deal... and sold all but 5 replacement heifers when we would have kept 25 plus. We are under stocked and are glad of it. Grass aplenty, and more hay than we should need. Because we sold off all the feeder/stocker calves, we have a bunk full of silage we never opened and will be glad of it this winter. Due to wean off calves in about 2-3 weeks for the fall calving cows to get a break, and will have plenty to feed them... but if prices continue to stay high we will sell a good number of them also.
With the prices where they are, we will do as good with fewer cattle right now. Plus, we got the hay storage pole barn built finally and having over 200 rolls under roof; not counting all that is still stored outside..... will cut alot of waste and so will need less # of rolls for the winter. We also did not put in corn this year since the bunk is full, but sorghum-sudan and since it got warm finally, and we got a few rains, it has come on much better than we anticipated. Although my son hates to wrap stuff, he said we may wrap it to carry it over, better quality that way, although we like to dry bale it and the cows love it.
My heart goes out to those of you that are so dry and no reasonably priced hay to be found and the quantity that you are making to be so reduced. The best thing we did was to NOT replace animals this year but to stay understocked. The pastures are in very good shape, even with the slow start, we even subleased a 20 acre place to a neighbor needing a place to put heifers since we did not keep all of ours.
But it can turn around tomorrow, and we know that. We try to keep at least 200 rolls over from year to year to have a cushion... 2 years ago we had 25 rolls left and that was scary. We fed hay way into late May this year and 2 places were getting hay in June until we moved them out to summer pastures that just hadn't grown much.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
No such thing as too much hay.
bird dog
Well-known member
Last year there was none to be had. This year we had early moisture which screwed up trying to get the Rye grass and Oats baled but made for a nice batch in early summer. I hope everyone made some because it has sure dried up now. I have 75 rolls of rained on junk hay outside but got enough good stuff put up under cover to last two years.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
I have seen several years we got in excess of 90".
Ouachita
Well-known member
Were you using your wife's tape measure?
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Nope got 40" in Harvey aloneWere you using your wife's tape measure?
I cant remember what year it was, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. We had so much rain the grass was insane. It didn't matter what you did it was outgrowing the cows. We had an extremely mild winter also and a pretty wet year the next year. I didn't even feed hay that winter. A little molasses and some cubes and they were still fat and sassy. We might have browned up a little for 30-45 day during Feb but the winter grass was strong too.
Those years are like the hole in one shot that keeps you playing.
Those years are like the hole in one shot that keeps you playing.
Ouachita
Well-known member
Wise man.
