Another cowgirl rancher friend is throwing in the towel. She is having to sell the ranch that has been in her family for 150 years. She is not a “quitter”. She is a tough, strong Texas woman that has survived through so much already. She already sold half her cattle but even that wasn’t enough. This drought has kicked everyone’s butt! She only has one stock tank (pond) that hasn’t gone dry but it’s about to be. The price of hay, feed, fertilizer, weed kill, fuel for tractors and farm trucks is absolutely putting everyone in the red. People have tried to hang on. Our way of life is being taxed and priced out of existence. We cannot even sell cattle for even close to what the middle-man makes and the grocery stores and we are the ones that put our blood, sweat and tears into those cattle. we also risk injury and death working them. For what? To go deeper into debt? To shorten our lives from the stress of trying to make any semblance of a small profit? No medical insurance either. 😢🕊🙏

HEARD THE OTHER DAY THAT THE AUCTIONS ARNT TAKE VERY MANY CATTLE IN FEEDLOTS ARNT BUYING BECAUSE THE DONT WANT TO HAVE A FULL HOUSE AND FEED FOR THE WINTER THEY ANINT PAYING US MUCH BUT IT SURE COST TO GET A STEAK AT THE STORE ... WE STARTED FEED COWS IN AUGUST 2 MONTH AHEAD OF SCHEDULE BEEN DRY AS A BONE DIDNT GET OUR 3RD CUTTING HAY 1 AND 2 CUTTING WAS HALF AS MUCH OF OUR NORM GOT PEOPLE CALLING US FOR HAY AND WE JUST DONT GOT IT TO SELL GOING TO TAKE WHAT WE GOT JUST TO FEED BUT IT DID RAIN THE OTHER DAY WE ACTUALLY GOT MUD ON THE GROUND STILL WELL IT WAS A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT ALL I CAN SAY WENT FROM A/C 1 DAY TO FIRING UP THE WOOD STOVE THE NEXT DAY I HATE TO HEAR YOUR FRIEND WANTS TO THROW IN THE TOWEL THE WEF IS DOING THEIR BEST TO KILL THE FOOD CHAIN AND OF COURSE US FARMERS AND RANCHER WILL PAY A PRICE FOR IT PLS LET HER KNOW WE WILL BE PRAYING FOR THEM GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING

We moved our mama cows to another place 5 hours away that still has some grass. We thought we would get at least one cutting of hay and almost the day before we cut, the grasshoppers destroyed it. So we had to drive 2.5 hours to get a small load of round bales for the calves and horses that we left here. It’s a struggle for sure. Winter is going to be hard with no hay put up. Not sure what we are going to do. Round bale prices and fuel prices are making the thought of winter is almost unbearable.
They are calling for rain tomorrow. We had a storm a few nights ago but it moved so fast that we only got .75 of an inch. Of course we are grateful for anything we receive but could sure use at least a week of good rain. It’s nothing but dirt here.

Is there a site to connect those who have extra hay/water with those who need it? (Like a NextDoor app for farmers/ranchers)?

I haven’t seen one. The fuel is so high that trucking costs and then fertilizer costs have curbed donations to the states in need. 😢