It’s Official: Texas is Suffering Worst One-Year Drought on Record

Farmers and ranchers had HARSH REALITIES confirmed today when State Climatologist Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon declared this the “most severe one-year drought on record” and the hottest July in the history of the Texas.

The extreme heat and unprecedented dry weather have crippled agricultural operations in Texas, upon which all Americans rely for food, fuel, clothing and other daily necessities. Our state’s farmers, ranchers and economy have already lost billions of dollars. Sadly, those losses are far from final as we continue to survey the damage and face a punishing forecast, promising little or no rain.

As our farmers and ranchers struggle to feed their livestock, I cannot stress enough the dire need for forage to sustain the No.1 cattle herd in the nation. Unfortunately, there are many miles between drought-parched Texas and available hay supplies. Thankfully, other states are joining with us in this effort. States like Kansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma have already relaxed oversized load restrictions for hay to expedite the delivery of hay to the Lone Star State. While we are grateful those wheels are turning, the Texas Department of Agriculture continues to seek other statewide partnerships and opportunities to help rescue this year’s herd.

The brutal heat and lagging economy are a devastating one-two punch. We may be down, but we’re not out, because after all, we are Texans. Let’s continue to seek relief for our farmers and ranchers who are the backbone of our economy and daily sustenance. Their losses are everyone’s losses.

Let’s pray for rain and remain optimistic during these tough times. As I keep telling myself, another day without rain brings us closer to one with rain.

To read Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon’s report, click here.

Texas Drought Far from Fixed

The recent rains have been plenty welcome, but the damage from this year’s record-setting drought is far from fixed.

Not surprisingly, many Texans and neighboring partners have rolled up their sleeves to tackle the task of getting much-needed hay to fellow ranchers and producers.

In Refugio County, a coordinated effort between De-Go-La RC&D, Agri-Life Extension Service and Copano Bay Soil and Water Conservation District is bringing hay in from Oklahoma at the discounted rate of $49 per bale to bolster relief efforts. A similar initiative in Gonzales, Lavaca and Goliad counties finds hay being trucked in from Arkansas for $49 per bale. Another round of applause goes to those who have secured $33 bale shipments from Arkansas to Victoria County on the rails of Southern Pacific.

Like the recent rains, these partnerships are greatly appreciated and need to be sustained.

Here at TDA, we held a conference call last week with the Independent Cattlemen’s Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the Texas Farm Bureau and Agri-Life Extension Service to determine if a statewide hay coordination effort was needed at this time. The consensus was to support the local county efforts already underway as the most efficient and effective way to meet the needs of local ranchers. Their early successes are great examples of how local groups can move faster and more efficiently to help those in need.

Meanwhile, our TDA Hay Hotline stands ready to find sources of discounted transportation options to connect suppliers with Texas ranchers. To offer hay for sale, donate hay or help secure discounted transportation services, call the Hay Hotline at 1-877-429-1998 and help us help our Texas ranchers recover.

Do your neighbor a favor and email the Hay Hotline link or call in number to someone today.

Texas drought getting national attention

National media have finally joined state and local newscasts in covering the continuing drought that’s suffocating much of the Lone Star State. FOX, CNN and the Wall Street Journal have all contacted us at the Texas Department of Agriculture to comment on these extreme conditions.

The questions have generally been the same – how bad is it? And our response is simple – the Texas drought is having a devastating impact on agriculture, and could soon impact all Americans. With Texas leading the nation in the production of cattle, cotton, sheep, goats, hay and many other of life’s necessities, our state problem has now become a national concern. And that’s why I believe it’s important to remind the rest of the nation of the exceptionally difficult circumstances our farmers and ranchers are facing, and that what happens to them will affect the entire nation.

Texas water consumers are also suffering. To date, 230 public water systems have imposed mandatory water restrictions, including those located in major cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. The dry conditions have become so severe in Liberty Hill (a Central Texas town) that residents there have been told not to water at all, for fear that they may not have enough water to drink.

The drought monitor indicates that 16.5 percent of Texas is considered “exceptional” – the worst category for drought. Just think, we have about 170 million acres in Texas, and this means the land area in this most critical stage is roughly 28 million acres. Folks, that is larger than the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia combined!

Again, the situation here in Texas is dire, and that’s why I’ve called on our federal partners to provide our producers with some very much-needed permanent disaster programs, which were passed in the 2008 Farm Bill and have not yet been fully implemented. I’ve also requested the use of Conservation Reserve Program lands for emergency grazing and haying.

Indeed, times are tough, but thank goodness, so are Texans.