Many rural areas in southern states are struggling with significant drought. Michael Kelsey, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, said things are tough in Oklahoma right now.
“It’s really bad. I mean, it just really is. I talk to a lot of our members who are, we used to say, cautiously optimistic. We’re not there. This is very negative. We should be trying to rebuild the herd, and every cattleman that I know wants to rebuild the herd, but we just can’t. And so, we don’t have the forages. We don’t have the water. I mean, more and more of our members out in the western part of the state, especially, are hauling water. You just have to do that. There’s no question, but boy, howdy, it just seems like such a defeated purpose, if you will.”
Rural water districts in the South are having to ration water because the demand is so great due to the drought.
“I could be doing 1,000 other things, and I’ve got to haul water. And now we’re hearing rural water districts are starting to have to ration water, especially to cattle, when they prioritize humans ahead of livestock, which is probably appropriate. But that leaves us in a lurch to get the cattle watered. We’re just praying to the Good Lord for some good rain, and He’s going to send it, and we’re going to figure out how to move forward from here.”
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows states are getting hit by a “flash drought.” States being hit hardest include Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, among others.