What’s the number one topic of conversation this spring? Maybe it’s the high prices we are still getting for our calves. No, that’s an old topic now days. Maybe it’s the increased prices being paid for replacement females. That probably is getting to be old news as well, since that began all the way back in January. I would have to say that the biggest concern for producers right now is when this drought will end. This is a great question. Mankind has tried to outsmart mother nature for a long time and has yet to be successful.

A lot of folks think that our seasonal rain patterns have changed dramatically due to the change in our climate. So, I did some research and found numerous papers written on Texas drought and following is some of the information I found. From the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), droughts have been recorded as a problem in Texas ever since the Spaniards explored the area. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca found a population of soil tillers (Native Indians) near the site of present day Presidio where it had not rained for two years. Regarding the white man as a god, they begged him to tell the sky to rain. In 1720, a summer dry spell in Coahuila, Mexico killed 3,500 head of the 4,000 horses that the Marques de Aguayo, governor of Texas was prepared to bring to Texas. A drought in Central Texas dried up the San Gabriel River in 1756, forcing the abandonment of a settlement of missionaries and Indians.

Another report I found was comparing the infamous 1950s drought to recent 2010-2014 drought. This has been a great debate forever, and this article actually lets both sides win part of the argument. The report said that meteorological records show that the 1950s drought lasted significantly longer than the 2010-2014 drought, while the 2011 was the most intense single year of drought on record in Texas.  

Growing up in Central Texas, my dad would tell me things about the 50s drought, especially when it started to get dry. One day I asked him if it ever rained during that 10-year period and he told me yes…. just enough to let you hang on. That’s kind of what we are presently doing right now. I’ve been traveling around recently and yes, I know it is extremely dry right now, but I honestly believe we are about three weeks away from the welcoming effects of El Niño and the much-needed moisture we desperately need to receive. If you go back and read the columns that our favorite weatherman, Brian Bledsoe, wrote last fall, he explained that this extreme drought could happen and it has. But he also thought that by late April, into May and June, we would have above normal rainfall.There you have it. Count your many blessings and get ready for some much-needed rain that will produce that green spring grass. I hope you won’t forget to ask the Lord for some rain when you attend church on Easter Sunday and may all of your tanks and ponds be filled with water