Governor Perry: Long term Texas drought threat to livestock

Governor Rick Perry
AP Photo

Governor Rick Perry has declared a state of disaster in Texas saying a long-term statewide drought has caused extreme shortage of both forage and hay and created an imminent threat of a loss of livestock for the entire state.

Although Texas has recently received rainfall, the state is suffering one of the worst droughts on record, to date estimated to have cost the state’s agricultural industry approximately $3.6 billion in losses.

“The drought has done more than dry up our land and evaporate our reservoirs; it also has destroyed thousands of acre of hay resources for producers who raise cattle, goats and horses”, Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples said.”The cost to transport hay from out of state, or even within the state, is a costly expense that many ranchers cannot afford”.