A nearly dried out Central Texas cattle pond, June 2011. As the drought continued in most of Texas, livestock producers were concerned about loss of water sources. Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns

By BETSY BLANEY, Associated Press
28 June 2011 LUBBOCK, Texas — West Texas farmer Billy Brown remembers the devastating drought that spanned the state in the 1950s — and believes this one is worse. […] “The grass just crackles underneath the feet,” Brown, 72, said of walking across his acreage in the town of Panhandle where he grows corn, cotton, wheat and grain sorghum. “It will be that way until we get sufficient rain to turn everything around.” The Agriculture Department designated 213 of Texas’ counties directly affected by drought as disaster areas, and the remaining 41 also qualified for assistance because they are contiguous. Thirty-two counties in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico also garnered the designation because they are adjacent to Texas counties. Many producers have lost their entire crop because of drought and wildfires, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the news release. […] The state just endured its driest-ever eight-month span — ending May 31 — and some parts have not seen significant precipitation since August, prompting drastic drops in lake and underground water levels. Burn bans are in place in 235 of the state’s 254 counties and nearly 260 water suppliers, most around the San Antonio area, have either voluntary or mandatory restrictions on water use. May, typically the state’s wettest month, did little to alleviate the problem, yielding less than half its average rainfall at an estimated 1.65 inches. The state is also enduring its worst wildfire season ever. More than 3 million acres have been scorched by the wildfires that have not even spared the more humid East Texas region. It all means Texas agriculture could sustain its worst single-year loss, potentially topping the 2006 record of $4.1 billion. There will be no dryland crops in the Panhandle and South Plains regions. Even irrigated cotton acres are fighting for survival as incessantly windy conditions dry out moisture that farmers put onto fields. […]

Feds: All of drought-stricken Texas now a disaster