Texas drought hits farmers

Zachary Hoffman in Disaster News Network: The summer of 2009 has been one for the record books in South Central Texas, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). More than 200 counties of Texas are feeling effects from a persistent drought that began in 2007, drastically hurting farmers and cattle ranchers.

In the coastal bend of Texas of 400,000 acres of cotton planted at the beginning of the season, just 50,000 acres were harvested. But where a harvest did occur, the fields only produced about half of its average yield, said Jeff Nunley, executive director of South Texas Cotton and Grain Association.

“The majority of crops this year were over before they were planted because they never came up,” said Nunley. “If we get to this next February and we are as dry as we are now it’s going to be gloom, doom and disaster.”

…“That’s the thing about droughts, they compound over multiple years,” said Morris. “Just this year we have a lot (of rain) to make up.”

With most of South Central Texas in an excessive drought, the highest classification, and the rest of the area in a severe or extreme drought, forecaster for the NWS are hoping this year’s El Nino will bring increased rainfall during winter months to curb the severity of the drought….

Summit of the Llano Estacado around 1900, the US Geological Survey