Valley hay production high, but for how long

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The recent heavy rainfall has some Valley farmers and ranchers feeling a sense of relief. However, as the rain slows down, they are wondering if they are harvesting enough to keep them stocked until winter.

“Everybody's worried now," said Rene Cuevas a local farmer. "I mean, you know how South Texas is, and I mean, all of a sudden, the rain shuts off. You go a month, two months in the South Texas heat and everyone's hollering again. So, if there's no water in the dams, then nobody's going to be irrigating. And that's going to affect everything, not just hay, but everything.”

Cuevas says he is harvesting what he can for now. Last month’s rainfall led to nutritious and green crops, but Cuevas says this is not always the case.

Some farmers have to depend on outside water sources during the summer months as an expense that could drive up the price of hay. But, he worries the rain may have just been a short-term solution.

Farm Manager Fabian Ortega, who harvests hay and takes care of cattle, says his farm would be in trouble if they had to buy hay for their livestock.

“We would be struggling big time because to get good quality hay you are looking at about $85 a bail and cows that eat that pasture you are looking at a bail and a half a day," Ortega said.

Ortega says the price of hay has also gone up thanks to the rising cost of water, fertilizer and diesel. He says some ranchers are not even selling their own cattle at auctions because of how expensive it was to maintain them, and how little they were getting in return.

Cuevas says for now he will continue to harvest his hay and store it. He says that every fall in north Texas, the hay sells in high demand.

“We're basically continuing to make hay and just store it," Cuevas said. "I figure I'll be selling most of this hay later in the fall or early winter time.”