Bigger, deep-pocketed producers may be able to weather the drought by drilling for water or bringing in supplemental feed for their cattle, but smaller operations may have little choice but to sell their livestock. Several lakes on the Rio Grande River are extremely low. These lakes never recovered from the 1996 drought. Compounding the situation are wildfires and grasshopper infestations that are destroying what little does manage to grow. A mild winter allowed most of the grasshopper population to mature, meaning state officials are expecting one of the largest infestations in history.
Fires are a smaller problem.
Many counties banned fireworks on the Fourth of July and still have a ban on burning in effect. What is particularly strange to Owens is the erratic nature of the weather. After a severe drought in 1996, the state saw heavier than normal precipitation in 1997, followed by another drought this year.