KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen | Drought creating hay shortage for desperate ranchers

Drought creating hay shortage for desperate ranchers

by Natasha Chen

KILLEEN - Drought conditions in Central Texas are making hay difficult to grow, which is causing a domino effect for ranchers of skyrocketing prices and desperate attempts to put livestock up for sale.

"I have the same amount of animals I had last year," said Susan Franz, a rancher in Belton. "I'm paying the twice the price, and it's early in the year. Later on in the year, the price is going to go up even more. Thirty-five dollar round bales are minimum $65 right now, and I just - I can't get it. Even at any price."

Franz said that she's seen high prices for hay a few years ago. The problem now, however, is not just the price, but that it's unavailable. She's resorting to shipping supplies in from out-of-state.

"I plan on having some alfalfa shipped in from Iowa, and I think I'm getting some round bales of Bermuda grass from Arkansas," Franz said.

Wayne Duncan, a rancher in Killeen, said he's only had one small cut earlier this year. "In '07 we had a cut of 208 bale on this 50 acres," Duncan said. "And this first cut this year was 80. So there's a significant difference."

Ranchers who have not been able to afford the limited supply of feed have had to sell their livestock. Franz said that in the last five weeks, she's seen way more animals at the Waco and Hamilton auctions.

"Waco auction is bringing in twice as many animals every week as they have been," she said. "Everybody's selling their livestock because they can't afford to keep them. They can't find hay to feed them."

Franz said that some ranchers are even selling their horses online at craigslist for much lower prices than they would normally go for.

The dry weather is only adding more problems on top of already rising prices.

Duncan said, "Nearly everything involved in the production of agriculture these days has gone up considerably, yet the commodity prices have remained pretty flat. There's a growing margin between what you bring in and what you have to spend."

Besides shipping hay in from elsewhere and hoping for rain, Franz said, "I don't know what we can do. I really don't. I don't see a whole lot of relief to the heat; I don't see a whole lot of stuff growing. It just isn't here."