GROESBECK, Texas — For Central Texas cattle ranchers, October usually brings a welcome change from the heat. Typically, it's the second wettest month of the year, ensuring that livestock have plenty to graze on throughout the winter. This year, however, is a different story.
A persistent drought has left them scrambling to adapt with only one day of rain so far this month. As a result, ranchers like Larry Watkins of FJL Ranch are taking action early.
Located in Groesbeck's Texas Blackland Prairie, Watkins witnesses firsthand what a lack of rain means for the area.
“These kinds of droughts come around pretty regularly in this part of the country,” he shared. “It’s just kind of part of what might happen every year, so you try to be ready for it.”
With native grasses on his land, Watkins started putting up hay a lot sooner than he expected.
“It may look good right now from the picture, but if you walk out there or get close to it, it’s very sparse,” he said. “There’s nothing there… it wouldn’t make 10 bales of hay in this 30 acres.”
Though he is taking steps to prepare, he shared how he worries about other local ranchers.
“It makes me nervous for the industry,” he shared. “There’s just a lot of people out there that don’t have what we have and can’t get ready for it. Most ranchers don’t do their own hay anymore.”
Without enough hay on hand, ranchers will be forced to buy some during the colder months – and that’s when prices are at its peak, Watkins shared.
He also said ranchers usually feeds their cattle hay in January or February, but he expects it’ll be earlier because of the drought.
“Looks like this year, we’re gonna add a couple of months to that,” he said.
Along with hay, he said Texas ranchers have a few other ways to weather a drought.
“There’s all kinds of supplements you can give to your cattle. If you don’t have grass or forage of any kind, you’ve got to buy something to feed your cattle to take care of them,” he explained.
Watkins said he keeps his calves on a specialized feeding program, which allows him to eventually sell the beef directly online.
He also posts daily TikTok videos to help give people a behind-the-scenes look of being a cattle rancher and the industry.