The fat lady has sung

[dieselbeef]

man what a shame there is no way to make a good situation out of all this...we know theres gonna be some good cows going to burgerland...dam shame...i am sure thered be some of them animals do fine in my herd...we finally got seedheads..aint seen them in a gooooood long while..i actually had to mow the yard instead of just hittin the edges with the weedeater like i did all last summer..

seems so wasteful....if we could only find a way to work together to keep evryone from havingto do what theyred oin right now out there..maybe we could al make a few$$ somehow long term??

gary

 

[spinandslide]

Feel for ya...
Our local news station did afew stories on the effect of the drought on the cattlemen..
http://texomashomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=135847
http://texomashomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=135727

Friend of mine whose BF works at the salebarn posted a picture Tuesday afternoon..bumper to bumper trailers loaded with cattle waiting to unload for Wed sale..2-3 hour wait in line..over 3000 head sold.

Type in Hay in a craiglist search and you pull up hay wanted ads..but hardly any hay actually for sale.

I drove 2 1/2 hours east to buy a load of bermuda/rye rounds last weekend. Ill be making two more trips out that way next month. Im putting it up for fall/winter..Id rather have the hay and not need it..then need it and not have it.

 

[agmantoo]

The drought here has been minor this year compared to past droughts and what many or you are experiencing. A severe drought can and will knock anyone's knees from under them. Each individual has his own risk tolerance and goals and only the individual knows what is acceptable to them. I have not yet recovered from the 2007-2008 drought we experienced. Not only were my pastures adversely impacted, my earnings since were because I have not had the number of feeder calves to market . In retrospect I have concluded that I would have been ahead to have forfeited a years income by buying expensive trucked hay and maintaining the brood stock in BCS at not less than 5 and rested all the pastures. Had I done that I believe that I could have resumed the before drought daily operations with the resulting income once rains returned. Instead, I have been impacted with a reduction of brood stock that will take time to replenish, some cattle were slower to cycle due to reduced body condition, the pastures were harmed extensively and the before drought income took a hit for 2 years following the drought. The pastures still have not recovered to the before drought condition. The reason that I posted this was to suggest to look forward as to the impact along with the current situation. I did not have that foresight as I had never experienced such severe drought.

 

[spinandslide]

appreciate your insight agmantoo..whats the saying? Hind site is always 20/20?

I am seeing alot of pastures around here grazed to dirt. a wise friend of mine pulled his cattle off the pastures 2 months ago..he has them grazing under the irrigation divits right now..his concern is the pastures recouping..you cant graze a pasture to dirt and expect it to come back the following year, even with rain...

 

[TexasBred]

appreciate your insight agmantoo..whats the saying? Hind site is always 20/20?

I am seeing alot of pastures around here grazed to dirt. a wise friend of mine pulled his cattle off the pastures 2 months ago..he has them grazing under the irrigation divits right now..his concern is the pastures recouping..you cant graze a pasture to dirt and expect it to come back the following year, even with rain...

Get any showers last night? DFW weather showed some in your area.

 

[spinandslide]

It spit on me abit on my way back from Fort Worth (picked up my hellraiser from TCU soccer training camp) right outside of Henrietta and then for a minute at my house..it rained hard for about 2 minutes in Wichita Falls, I was told..but my poor place got a sprinkle, thats it.

Another aftereffect of the lack of rain is the DUST..it is really making my allergies act up.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Sorry CB & all of you.

 

[highgrit]

All I can say is good luck, and my hope and prayers are with ya'll.

 

[1982vett]

The drought here has been minor this year compared to past droughts and what many or you are experiencing. A severe drought can and will knock anyone's knees from under them. Each individual has his own risk tolerance and goals and only the individual knows what is acceptable to them. I have not yet recovered from the 2007-2008 drought we experienced. Not only were my pastures adversely impacted, my earnings since were because I have not had the number of feeder calves to market . In retrospect I have concluded that I would have been ahead to have forfeited a years income by buying expensive trucked hay and maintaining the brood stock in BCS at not less than 5 and rested all the pastures. Had I done that I believe that I could have resumed the before drought daily operations with the resulting income once rains returned. Instead, I have been impacted with a reduction of brood stock that will take time to replenish, some cattle were slower to cycle due to reduced body condition, the pastures were harmed extensively and the before drought income took a hit for 2 years following the drought. The pastures still have not recovered to the before drought condition. The reason that I posted this was to suggest to look forward as to the impact along with the current situation. I did not have that foresight as I had never experienced such severe drought.

Good enough advice....but take to take it a little farther....

What I've seen since 1996, basically my first run in with drought...we came into a dry spell in early spring which broke in late July....made plenty of forage for pasture and hay...Oats were planted early early September.....from then we had wet spells and dry spells...usually lasting 2 - 3 months June to August...learned to work with that pattern....first sign of change was 2006 dry spring...some moisture in summer and dry fall. Oat planting time slipped all the way to mid-October....when moisture began to return...Then 2007....2008...wet spells were 3 months long usually Jan - Mar...then 2009 dry till September and 80% of the years rainfall average fell in 3 months before tapering off and leaving 2010 15 inches short for the year...At present I'm 16 inches behind for this year....Oats, few had any grazing from them at all since it was a Christmas Eve rain that brought them up.

What am I getting at....It's still getting worse, not better. pretty much the same weather South Texas has experienced since 1996 except for the occasional tropical storm passing by. Dry spells are longer and wet spells are a few days long about 40 to 60 days apart.... Look at my avatar... From 1996 to Now is 15 years....I'll wager it WILL NOT change tomorrow and WILL NOT return to "Normal" any time in the near future....This isn't localized as it once was where you can feed thru it. I'm not screaming and Al Gore climate change...Dig up the long range forecasts from 94 and 95....for our area they predicted below normal precipitation for 15 - 20 years...(el nino, la nina effects :roll: ) some how I guess they got it right...which means we shouldn't expect "change" for another couple years....and what they didn't say - if it take 15 - 20 years to get here it is probably going to take that long to get back....roughly means another 7 before we get back to the wonderful 2006 conditions....IF it turns on a dime TODAY!

Folks better understand the difference between "localized" and "wide-spread"...one you can feed thru and hit the ground running....the other you run till you hit the ground.


No amount of MIG grazing or pasture rotation is going to fix that.

This is what I've seen and learned since 1996. ;-)

The reason that I posted this was to suggest to look forward as to the impact along with the current situation.

The reason I posted this was to suggest to not only look forward to where you are headed...but to remember a bit about where you just came from before looking ahead to see if the picture has a rose in it.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I got 4 inches of rain today . Hay fields have gotten at least an inch a week for the past 3 weeks. I should be able to make enough hay to feed my cows now. Im running.100 cows on 500 acres . And I've fenced off 75 acres to cut for hay . Along with the 150 acres I have in hay fields . It's sad to cut that much land just to get 4 or 5 hundred rolls. But I'm not giving up . To hard headed I guess .

 

[Caustic Burno]

I got 4 inches of rain today . Hay fields have gotten at least an inch a week for the past 3 weeks. I should be able to make enough hay to feed my cows now. Im running.100 cows on 500 acres . And I've fenced off 75 acres to cut for hay . Along with the 150 acres I have in hay fields . It's sad to cut that much land just to get 4 or 5 hundred rolls. But I'm not giving up . To hard headed I guess .

Looked at a place to lease to much fence repair for a short term thing.
If I get four inches of rain I would dig in as well.

 

[novatech]

About a year ago I sold out because of economic reasons. I kept my lease pastures and sublet them. (I am optomistic about getting back in.) With the sublet lease I have the right to govern the number of cattle grazing. I let him run 1 cow to 8 acres. With only 6 " rain since last Sept. there is still grass and the cattle are fat. He has not had to feed hay. The only thing that got them through was a 10 acre test plot of B Dahl Bluestem and naturalized KR Bluestem on most of the rest of the pastures. The Bahia bit the dust a while back but will come back from the seed bank, and the bremuda has gone dormant and will come back, If, If, If we ever get some decent rain.

 

[3waycross]

About a year ago I sold out because of economic reasons. I kept my lease pastures and sublet them. (I am optomistic about getting back in.) With the sublet lease I have the right to govern the number of cattle grazing. I let him run 1 cow to 8 acres. With only 6 " rain since last Sept. there is still grass and the cattle are fat. He has not had to feed hay. The only thing that got them through was a 10 acre test plot of B Dahl Bluestem and naturalized KR Bluestem on most of the rest of the pastures. The Bahia bit the dust a while back but will come back from the seed bank, and the bremuda has gone dormant and will come back, If, If, If we ever get some decent rain.

Talked to a friend of mine yesterday. He told me he is running 10 pairs and a bull on pasture that usually feeds 30 pair. We are green but the grass won't grow. Everyone I know thinks it's cuz the nightime temps are so low.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I got 4 inches of rain today . Hay fields have gotten at least an inch a week for the past 3 weeks. I should be able to make enough hay to feed my cows now. Im running.100 cows on 500 acres . And I've fenced off 75 acres to cut for hay . Along with the 150 acres I have in hay fields . It's sad to cut that much land just to get 4 or 5 hundred rolls. But I'm not giving up . To hard headed I guess .

Looked at a place to lease to much fence repair for a short term thing.
If I get four inches of rain I would dig in as well.

That's a shame . I have one lease pasture that really doesn't have a fence . If it wasn't for the youpons id have to pull the cows out. I don't understand why people let their place go so long before leasing it out . Seems like every place I look at to lease is either grown up with 10 foot pines and China berry trees or there isn't a fence to speek of .

 

[Caustic Burno]

About a year ago I sold out because of economic reasons. I kept my lease pastures and sublet them. (I am optomistic about getting back in.) With the sublet lease I have the right to govern the number of cattle grazing. I let him run 1 cow to 8 acres. With only 6 " rain since last Sept. there is still grass and the cattle are fat. He has not had to feed hay. The only thing that got them through was a 10 acre test plot of B Dahl Bluestem and naturalized KR Bluestem on most of the rest of the pastures. The Bahia bit the dust a while back but will come back from the seed bank, and the bremuda has gone dormant and will come back, If, If, If we ever get some decent rain.

Talked to a friend of mine yesterday. He told me he is running 10 pairs and a bull on pasture that usually feeds 30 pair. We are green but the grass won't grow. Everyone I know thinks it's cuz the nightime temps are so low.

What time did you call? I don't remember :help: Sounds like my place.

 

[andybob]

Sorry to hear the drought is taking such a heavy toll on so many ranchers, my prayers are with you all for a sufficient rainfall over the next few days.

 

[chippie]

 

[F350]

I got 4 inches of rain today . Hay fields have gotten at least an inch a week for the past 3 weeks. I should be able to make enough hay to feed my cows now. Im running.100 cows on 500 acres . And I've fenced off 75 acres to cut for hay . Along with the 150 acres I have in hay fields . It's sad to cut that much land just to get 4 or 5 hundred rolls. But I'm not giving up . To hard headed I guess .

Looked at a place to lease to much fence repair for a short term thing.
If I get four inches of rain I would dig in as well.

That's a shame . I have one lease pasture that really doesn't have a fence . If it wasn't for the youpons id have to pull the cows out. I don't understand why people let their place go so long before leasing it out . Seems like every place I look at to lease is either grown up with 10 foot pines and China berry trees or there isn't a fence to speek of .

People let it grow up because they are lazy, absentee owners or they want a forutne to lease the property. The result is that it turns to crap.

 

[vclavin]

I am so sorry about your needing rain. Here we are flooding and you have dirt flying. Prayers for your animals.
Sure wish those farmers would quit turning their pastures into corn crops... :bang: Making it hard to find hay, even with the rain.
Valerie

 

[Caustic Burno]

Couple of the weather models have a mild tropical storm coming in here around friday or sat.