It was March before we had much rain this year. If we're lucky, we'll get 15,000. We've had a lot of loss because these melons haven't been kept up with. Once established, trees are fairly maintenance free. In addition to drought, other enemies are gophers, fire ants, and leaf cutter ants, which defoliate trees in the winter to build their nests.
Water is a worry, as well as the pulpwood market.
It's too much of a risk for the reward. Dryland is a gamble. You don't get enough rain at times and sometimes too much rain in the spring. The high humidity here in East Texas causes downy mildew. When you have to spray, it costs more.