Well here we go again TEXAS DROUGHT

[cowboy43]

After having a good first 7 months this year, we are now in moderate, extreme and severe drought, with it predicted to last well into next spring. The majority of the last 15 years has been drought conditions , a lot of ranches have not restocked from the sell out from last year. Looks like another sell out or high feed bills again for next year. Oh we have to love this business to keep going up and down and hopefully to break even in the end. I have sold out twice in the last 15 years from drought and am now rebuilding again for the 3rd time. I am now way understocked this time and hopefully I can survive this one, I am getting a little long in the tooth to keep starting over, Like the old saying ( Cowboys never die they just smell that way )

 

[VanC]

After having a good first 7 months this year, we are now in moderate, extreme and severe drought, with it predicted to last well into next spring. The majority of the last 15 years has been drought conditions , a lot of ranches have not restocked from the sell out from last year. Looks like another sell out or high feed bills again for next year. Oh we have to love this business to keep going up and down and hopefully to break even in the end. I have sold out twice in the last 15 years from drought and am now rebuilding again for the 3rd time. I am now way understocked this time and hopefully I can survive this one, I am getting a little long in the tooth to keep starting over, Like the old saying ( Cowboys never die they just smell that way )

I admire your perseverance in difficult times. Especially since you haven't lost your sense of humor.

 

[bigbull338]

heres hoping you can make it through the drought without any probs.droughts can sure mess you up for awhile.

 

[1982vett]

What do you mean "here we go again"....... "Again" denotes we were not already in one.

I do see it as a good sign we are about to come out of it as those that are paid to forecast them can't see them unless they are looking at year old data.

 

[Caustic Burno]

What do you mean "here we go again"....... "Again" denotes we were not already in one.

I do see it as a good sign we are about to come out of it as those that are paid to forecast them can't see them unless they are looking at year old data.

We had being doing just fine on rainfall a little behind pastures were holding up well, until ya'll decided to share.
I keep telling the Mrs. we need to sell every cow and just bale hay to sell. At least it is not wanting to eat year around and this time of year everytime I walk out the cows come running like their Lone Star card was just refilled.

 

[1982vett]

Yeah Caustic...I just had an epiphany the past few weeks and part of what was in it was " Even though this farm has been in my family for 3 generations and 109 years and me being the last one that will be interested in working it, I don't have to stay here if the road to a happy life leads elsewhere." Oh, I should be able to hang on to the land for quite a while but someone else will be working it and the last of 3 families will be gone from this hill. Sort of sad if that happens, but the carrot I'm looking at could be so much more rewarding.

The problem I have found going the hay route.........you can spend a bundle on fertilizer and if it doesn't rain at the proper times you still won't have anything worth baling. However it doesn't mean you can't scrap some stuff off and call it hay... Suppose you can always find a backhaul trucker that doesn't know the difference in hay quality to sell it to.

 

[SRBeef]

Yeah Caustic...I just had an epiphany the past few weeks and part of what was in it was " Even though this farm has been in my family for 3 generations and 109 years and me being the last one that will be interested in working it, I don't have to stay here if the road to a happy life leads elsewhere." Oh, I should be able to hang on to the land for quite a while but someone else will be working it and the last of 3 families will be gone from this hill. Sort of sad if that happens, but the carrot I'm looking at could be so much more rewarding.

The problem I have found going the hay route.........you can spend a bundle on fertilizer and if it doesn't rain at the proper times you still won't have anything worth baling. However it doesn't mean you can't scrap some stuff off and call it hay... Suppose you can always find a backhaul trucker that doesn't know the difference in hay quality to sell it to.

I feel for you guys in repeated drought conditions. Is there any possibility of gradually, over a period of years perhaps, adding irrigation in some fields so you are not quite so at the mercy of the weather? you could at least raise good hay on some irrigated acres. Maybe rotationally graze a big pivot in sections??? Rotational grazing plus irrigation in Texas seems like it would give you some incredible stocking rate possibilities for a much longer part of the year than my approx 7 mo grazing season in WI.

Think "out of the box" as my son would say??? After a couple days where the temp has been below zero and high winds and snow blowing, Texas sounds like it might have some interesting possibilities! Hang in there.

Jim

 

[Caustic Burno]

Yeah Caustic...I just had an epiphany the past few weeks and part of what was in it was " Even though this farm has been in my family for 3 generations and 109 years and me being the last one that will be interested in working it, I don't have to stay here if the road to a happy life leads elsewhere." Oh, I should be able to hang on to the land for quite a while but someone else will be working it and the last of 3 families will be gone from this hill. Sort of sad if that happens, but the carrot I'm looking at could be so much more rewarding.

The problem I have found going the hay route.........you can spend a bundle on fertilizer and if it doesn't rain at the proper times you still won't have anything worth baling. However it doesn't mean you can't scrap some stuff off and call it hay... Suppose you can always find a backhaul trucker that doesn't know the difference in hay quality to sell it to.

I feel for you guys in repeated drought conditions. Is there any possibility of gradually, over a period of years perhaps, adding irrigation in some fields so you are not quite so at the mercy of the weather? you could at least raise good hay on some irrigated acres. Maybe rotationally graze a big pivot in sections??? Rotational grazing plus irrigation in Texas seems like it would give you some incredible stocking rate possibilities for a much longer part of the year than my approx 7 mo grazing season in WI.

Think "out of the box" as my son would say??? After a couple days where the temp has been below zero and high winds and snow blowing, Texas sounds like it might have some interesting possibilities! Hang in there.

Jim

In Central Texas this would most likely be a way to get some control. Normally I am in the opposite mode as I have drainage system in my pastures due to so much rain. Normally I get 60 inches or more a year. I plugged off all the drains this summer to hold water in the bottom pastures.

 

[Isomade]

I'm 10 miles from the Ok/Tx Border. If I don't get some rain in the next month to 6 weeks my ponds will be dry. :help:

 

[1982vett]

Yeah Caustic...I just had an epiphany the past few weeks and part of what was in it was " Even though this farm has been in my family for 3 generations and 109 years and me being the last one that will be interested in working it, I don't have to stay here if the road to a happy life leads elsewhere." Oh, I should be able to hang on to the land for quite a while but someone else will be working it and the last of 3 families will be gone from this hill. Sort of sad if that happens, but the carrot I'm looking at could be so much more rewarding.

The problem I have found going the hay route.........you can spend a bundle on fertilizer and if it doesn't rain at the proper times you still won't have anything worth baling. However it doesn't mean you can't scrap some stuff off and call it hay... Suppose you can always find a backhaul trucker that doesn't know the difference in hay quality to sell it to.

I feel for you guys in repeated drought conditions. Is there any possibility of gradually, over a period of years perhaps, adding irrigation in some fields so you are not quite so at the mercy of the weather? you could at least raise good hay on some irrigated acres. Maybe rotationally graze a big pivot in sections??? Rotational grazing plus irrigation in Texas seems like it would give you some incredible stocking rate possibilities for a much longer part of the year than my approx 7 mo grazing season in WI.

Think "out of the box" as my son would say??? After a couple days where the temp has been below zero and high winds and snow blowing, Texas sounds like it might have some interesting possibilities! Hang in there.

Jim

Quite a few systems going in on farm land in the Brazos River Bottom. Doubt it would be cost effective for a beef cattle operation. I know of a ranch that has at least one and it has to get really bad for them to use it. Lots of people talking that is what it might take in the future, but no one is taking the money out of their back pocket to do it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I would be plum scared to invest in an irrigation system, if it is anything like my stock buying and selling.
I have finally figured out I have been doing it wrong a long time, I have always thought you were to buy high and sell low.
If I invested in putting a pump system on the creek it would start raining and rain for 40 days and nights and drizzle till it dries up.
I have 50 ton's of chicken litter ordered, supposed to rain this week. Probably wont rain a drop.

 

[SRBeef]

How about starting with something simpler, maybe lower investment and moveable like a travelling gun water system? Maybe you could try leasing one as long as you have a good well or water source. Just trying to come up with some ideas short of selling the family ranch.

Jim

 

[1982vett]

How about starting with something simpler, maybe lower investment and moveable like a travelling gun water system? Maybe you could try leasing one as long as you have a good well or water source. Just trying to come up with some ideas short of selling the family ranch.

Jim

Not many ranches around that actually subsist on ranch income. Ranching is just a means to afford property taxes. Most are happy if it breaks even. Capital gain is the goal, not income. Same here, I'm not large enough, cash flow wouldn't pay living expenses. I can quit and do nothing. Cut a couple bales of hay a year, set em by the highway with a for sale sign on it. Done deal.

 

[TexasBred]

Really?? In my county we get a form from CAD every year asking how many head of cattle we run, how much in crops we grow and sale and what our annual sales are for all farm products. Don't know how low it would have to be to lose the exemption but they do request the information.

 

[Lammie]

I see today that Tarrant County has decided to go with a burn ban. Looking at the map, I didn't see Johnson County on the counties with burn bans. I sure do hope they start one soon. Or at least before all these buffoons around here start shooting fireworks for New Years. It looks sand blasted in some places around here.

 

[1982vett]

I hauled a load of that crap off.....spread it all up I-10 east.

 

[TexasBred]

According to last night's weather Central Texas is still only about 4.5 inches below normal. It's dry but it has been much worse n other eyars.

 

[1982vett]

According to last night's weather Central Texas is still only about 4.5 inches below normal. It's dry but it has been much worse n other eyars.

Depends on where you are standing I guess. I believe I've had about 23 inches out of a normal 38-40. A little better than the 19 inches in 2008. I believe we ended up last year with 39. Looks bad all the way to Florida...and Florida doesn't look all that great either from what I can tell.

 

[cowboy43]

the trouble with rain averages you can get all the yearly average in one flood then end up in a drought. in central Tx we have not had a good rain since the middle of july. we got all the rain the first six months , now in a drought.

 

[Angus Cowman]

the trouble with rain averages you can get all the yearly average in one flood then end up in a drought. in central Tx we have not had a good rain since the middle of july. we got all the rain the first six months , now in a drought.

same here the faucet worked really good the first half of the yr but since July we have had 3 1/2 inches and that came in 2 days in september