Drought Puts Farmers “In a Bind”

This year’s intense drought has brought into focus the business realities of farming. Mason Becker, a local West Texas farmer, secretary of Western Peanut Growers, and one of the directors on the Southwest Council of Agribusiness, said, “Nobody can hide from it(the drought), and being in West Texas we’re definitely accustomed to periods without rainfall, but this… The “year” that comes to mind is 2011. I can’t remember exactly what the total “rainfall” was, but I think like four and a half inches at the weather station, but we had farms that didn’t receive half an inch that year. So we’re creepin up on that. It’s definitely put us in a bind.” Becker went on to explain, “The non-irrigated land is sitting idle. There’s not been much ground prep that we’ve been able to do just because the conditions are so dry.” In dry conditions such as this year Becker explained the process of irrigation is constant, and slow. “Anything we don’t receive from rainfall is being pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer,” said Becker