But this year, the focus was on coping with the Texas drought. But Texas will probably rank close to last in hay production this year because of the severe drought. Dorsett said Texas has made only 10 percent to 15 percent of its usual crop of dryland hay. In average years, Texas producers cut 3.5 million to 4 million acres of hay, producing 7.5 million to 8 million tons. Far less hay is available for ranchers, and the hay that can be located is more expensive.
Some ranchers already face the extra expense of hauling water to keep cattle alive.
A long road to recovery Boleman expects it will take at least two to three years for ranchers to recover from the drought. Ranchers have lost potential income from the cows they have culled because they lost the future reproductive capacity of the cows - decreasing next year's cash flow. They will be in poorer condition because of the drought and probably will not reproduce as well in the future. That's exclusive of their losses and expenses in getting back to that point. For other producers, it may take 30 to 36 months.