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Thread: Texas Gulf coast area drought, pasture dead, when it rains....

  1. #1
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    Texas Gulf coast area drought, pasture dead, when it rains....

    Got 25 acres of mostly dirt now. Drought has been brutal.... Anyway, thinking positively, what should I do after the rains come? July seems late to seed Bermuda. Should I wait and plant winter rye in November?

    thanks

  2. #2
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    Hey, Robert. It's good to see that you are thinking ahead. Must of the folks around here are just dragging themselves from day to day. I think the weather forecasters insert those 20% chances of rain about a week out to keep us hoping, and not just blowing our brains out instead.

    I heard a radio commercial for one of the local tractor dealers. You could tell that it wasn't made around here. It went something like, 'It's harvest time, and it's been a good year. You need a new tractor to bring in your crops'. What are you talkin' about? It's been a bumper crop of dust. And at 2 cents a bushel, well, I'm gonna go out and buy a new tractor- that's for sure!

    But this griping doesn't answer your question. The bermuda needs temperatures over 80 degrees F to sprout. It needs water, too. So, if we had rain, I don't think its too late. Without the moisture, you're only scattering birdseed. Best advice is going to come from your local feed store. They'll carry what grows in your area (have you got that black gumbo?), and they'll let you know if it's a good time to plant. The folks at my store were very cautious with their advice this spring, but they've been in business for years and years and have seen times similar to this before.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the reply. I am just going to wait. If it rains in september or early oct, I am going to spread winter rye. hay is killing me. hard to find, and expensive. I *used* to pay $45 a round bale for johnson/bermuda. I just paid $61 for bales of rice stubble. Rice stubble!!! Smart people are getting rid of their herd. Me, I am going to wait till the market is flooded with "herd reduction sales" so the price of cattle are down more, and sell then. That's the way I roll
    I am looking at the bright side, tho. One of my ponds is completely dry. I am seriously thinking that I am going to stock that pond with freshwater prawns in the spring. It *will* rain by then!! I like shrimp even more than beef!
    I am doing everything I can to make it rain. Washing my truck, and going scout camping this weekend. If that doesnt work, nothing will!!!

  4. #4
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    I tried the car washing, picnic, etc. Thinking of getting a Kachina out and shaking it at the sky. (But then, they come from the southwest, where 10 inches of rain is the norm. So I doubt that will work.)

    If I put shrimp in my pond it would require some major fencing, as the raccoons would be down there partying every night, with cocktail sauce in tow.

    Yes, the hay is bad. People are having to buy 3+ year old stuff. I've seen the tiny, wilted corn stalks rolled up into the sorriest looking bales you've ever seen.

    We converted our ag valuation to wildlife, so the cows are a distant memory. (I fondly remember that day when the last of them left in the trailer. But I digress...) Now we spend just as much keeping the critters fed. No acorn crop this year.

  5. #5
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    Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope for an abundant harvest for you after the rains!

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