The Agonist, from Don in West Texas, on the current devastating Texas drought, which may continue for another year and even intensify.
We raise more cattle than anywhere in these United States. Or we once did, anyway…
As I speak, broilers are dying by the droves while farm managers and workers watch helplessly. Cattle, horses, sheep, goats and pigs hide in what little shade they can find, panting. Some will die. Whole herds of cattle appear at overstrained livestock auctions around the state. Most ranchers have no hay to feed their animals; some no longer can provide water for them to drink.
The small town of Robert Lee, Texas is desperately short on water. A nearby lake, which is usually 22 sq. miles, is now almost dry. One big problem that is aging pipes sometimes burst in the relentless heat due to shifting soil. Other municipalities, including good-sized Midland, face similar problems.
Our fellow podcaster Steve Hynd lives in Big Spring TX, where lawn watering and car washing is banned and they are recycling waste water to be drinkable.