CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Dry conditions across South Texas have area farmers and ranchers keeping an eye out for rain, but as the drought continues, they are hoping it comes sooner rather than later.
81-year-old Stanley Woelfel has been raising cattle in Kleberg County since 1951. He's seen a number of droughts over 70 years of running cattle on his 500-acre spread, but recently he's concerned about the future.
"This year was extra dry and so we've had to feed cattle this winter, longer than normal. Normally, you would feed in December, January, and February down here, but we're here going into April and we're still feeding," said Woelfel.
If Woelfel he has to continue feeding his cattle hay, then he could run out quickly. "If you run out of hay, you're in a world of hurt, because then you've got to buy that tractor supply, which is 100 and something dollars a roll. That would put you out of the cow business just real, real quick."
Farmers in Kleberg county have planted sorghum and even some have put cotton in the ground. There's a real fear that if we don't get rain in the next week or so, crops will begin to struggle, and farmers might eventually have to turn to crop insurance if it fails.
Kleberg County Extension Agent Frank Escobedo said that many of the farms in the area are all starting to look similar, with scrub brush coming up in place of grasses.
Escobedo also said that while there is a little bit of moisture in the ground, a future rain might help temporarily, but the effects of the drought are going to be felt for a long time.
"Even though we get a rain at one point, it doesn't stop there," Escobedo said.
Some of these long term effects explained by Escobedo were an increase in weeds and brush, which can be expensive for farmers and ranchers to manage.
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