As drought conditions continue to trend downward, this could put ranchers across Texas in a tough spot heading into winter. Closer to home in Wharton County, a severe enough drought can have a big impact on big business.
Coleman Locke is the president of J.D. Hudgins Inc. and a fifth-generation rancher. He said he’s looked over his family’s fields and the herds that roam them for decades. He told ABC13 that it’s not normal for their fields of grass to be this dry this early in the typically cooler months.
“The current drought is the worst drought because it’s the freshest on your mind,” Coleman said.
The current drought is also a flash drought, which is when drought conditions settle in quickly because of the hot and dry pattern.
Ranchers told ABC13 that if this grass gets any drier, it’ll lack the nutrients their cows need. Then, they’d have to turn to hay to feed their cattle, which Coleman says can get expensive and hurt their business.
SEE ALSO: ‘Hot-tober’ in Houston could extend drought conditions into November
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this October is on it’s way to becoming one of the warmest on record for the month in Houston.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a tool used to forecast drought conditions, shows that this area in Wharton County needs at least eight inches of rain to balance out the water table.
Wharton County is also under a burn ban. And by Coleman’s estimates, he says, if they go another 30 days without rain, this drought will become more of a serious situation.
“I promise you, I pray for rain every day, as dry as it is right now,” he said.
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