COLLEGE STATION – Early summer and subsequent rains helped Texas’ native rangelands bounce back from drought, but Texas A&M AgriLife experts warn ranchers that the more than 100 million acres of statewide grazing land they rely on may still be recovering.
Native rangelands make up more than 100 million acres of the state’s 117 million acres of grazing lands that include improved summer pastures like Coastal Bermuda and Sudan grasses and cool season grazing like wheat and ryegrass. They provide critical forages for livestock as well as wildlife like white-tailed deer, turkey, and quail.
Despite the widespread rains and overall improvement on the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the state remains in some level of drought.
If producers are restocking, they should start slowly and with conservative numbers of livestock, said Texas A&M AgriLife’s Dr. Bill Fox.
“Even this week, there is 70 percent of the state in some level of drought,” he said. “So, we’re not out of this deal. Conditions are better, but droughts don’t typically break during the growing season. Droughts break with good moisture in the cool season.”