Texas Drought

[Geri]

Man is it dry around here! No rain for months! The pastures are down to dirt. A week ago I saw a neighbors horse as a walking skeleton. I couldn't believe my eyes! It used to be such a pretty horse. I would approach the people to adopt it except I already have three and am struggling to maintain them. Hay is the most per bale I have ever seen. Coastal at $8.25 per square bale. Round bales are $75 - $ 90. Alfalfa is $10 a square bale from New Mexico. If we don't get some rain soon, there won't be any spring pastures either. First cutting oof irrigated coastal around here isn't until May. Things could get downright exspensive and animals will start dying!

 

[tat2z1969]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Man is it dry around here! No rain for months! The pastures are down to dirt. A week ago I saw a neighbors horse as a walking skeleton. I couldn't believe my eyes! It used to be such a pretty horse. I would approach the people to adopt it except I already have three and am struggling to maintain them. Hay is the most per bale I have ever seen. Coastal at $8.25 per square bale. Round bales are $75 - $ 90. Alfalfa is $10 a square bale from New Mexico. If we don't get some rain soon, there won't be any spring pastures either. First cutting oof irrigated coastal around here isn't until May. Things could get downright exspensive and animals will start dying! )</font>

Man I feel for you, hate to hear about a animal getting like that, I like animals more than most people.
To bad you are so far from me, I sell hay for 2 bucks a bale
alfalfa for $2.50 a bale, I don't do round bales myself, but the big ones here go for about 50 to 55 a bale and they complain about the prices here, maybe they should check prices by you.
Hope your neighbors horse makes it ok, that is sad.
Hope you get the rain you need.

 

[PineRidge]

It always amazes me when I see the changes in weather from state to state across the nation. Here in Ohio it has been an unusually wet winter with above normal temperatures. Today its blowing snow with an accumulation of 2 inches or more.

I'll certainly pray for rain for you Texas folks. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Farmwithjunk]

And just down the road, in Kentucky, we've had some rain, but it's been dry since May of last year. Year before, we had the wettest year on record, with the two (normally) wettest months of the year being the DRIEST on record. Last year started off average, then dried out. We can use some spring rain. We USUALLY get it in buckets.

It's been warm until a week ago, now it's FEB.

Spring is right around the bend!

 

[TCowner]

I understand the frustration. In 1988 we had very little snow and about an inch of rain from April until the end of August. It was also much hotter than normal with temps in the 90s to near 100 much of the summer. For Minnesota, that was a hot summer.

By late June the corn and soybean crop was in serious trouble and by mid July was pretty much considered a total loss. Shallow wells dried up and like in Texas, since their was no hay crop, hay prices went out of site.

Yet all of the time during this miserable drought the TV weather forcasters would show some enthusiasm if a chance of rain during the week but would smile when they could report a weekend free of rain for all of the outdoor activities that people could enjoy. I'm actually surprised the local TV station weather idiots survived.

I came as close as anyone to a direct attack on the local TV morons when during the weather report on the early morning show called "AG Day", which was a show for farmers and agriculture industry, this clown tells us that the chance of "pesky" showers was small and that "risk" would be gone be late Friday afternoon. Again, we would be free to enjoy our camping, barbecueing, walking, deck sitting, and whatever else people with no ties to the farm enjoy.

It just proves my point that in the last 50 years with fewer and fewer people having any direct link with a farm then most poeple don't have a clue where their food comes from.

I actually worked with some city dwellers that complaned about the cost of water to keep their lawns nice and green but were so happy when the hot and dry forecast included the upcoming weekend.

 

[Tdog]

Geri,

I'm not sure where you are located, but a lot of Central Texas is in an extreme drought. And the northeast portion is even more severly affected. I feel for you - - this from someone where we average 60" year.

Check out the U. Nebraska drought monitor:
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

good luck - - may the rains come soon.

Jack

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It's been warm until a week ago, now it's FEB )</font>

Yep, we're in a serious drought, and it's been warmer than usual, but this morning was a big chilly with a low of 22F.

 

[EddieWalker]

In the Tyler area we had normal rains last month and things look good this month too.

According the the local news, cattle are being sold at huge discounts due to the cost to feed them. Price for hay is exactly what you said, plus its of low quality and hard to get.

The ranchers interviews said they can't afford to feed them, so they are selling off their entire herds and will start over again when the pastures come back.

Eddie

 

[Geri]

I know what you mean about the cattlemen selling off their cows. I've been noticing that the big fields are very empty.
My darn horse is trying to colic today. I suppose he's ingesting too much sand with his hay/ alfalfa ration. I don't have a feeder box to put his hay off the ground. Guess I'll have to see what is available. I just PAID $500 dollars two weeks ago to take him to the vet. He suggested putting him on daily psyillium granules to add fiber to his gut. I've been doing that. Just hope he gets over it. I gave him some Bantanmine to relax his gut and walked him. He seems a little better.

 

[JimR]

I was just reading in Boat US that they even closed down a lot of the boat ramps in Texas because the lakes are so low. We could give you tons of water right now. We have all our lakes full to capacity. Hay is only 2.00-2.50 a bale up here too. You could probably get a trailer truck load from up in the PA./ N.E. area delivered cheaper than buying it there.