Randy Carson is desperate for rain, as his livelihood
depends on it.
Running the Abilene Livestock Auction, along with a feed store, Carson has felt the parching impact of the dry weather. "We had a good early spring, made some weeds and a little bit of grass, but all that has disappeared, and people are just not restocking. Our numbers are down quite a bit", says Carson.
The required amount of hay simply isn't there to harvest, an effect that trickles down to Carson and his cattle.
"Last year at this time, we didn't make any hay around here, and I like to buy my hay from the Abilene area. Colorado and South Dakota is where we bought our hay", Carson tells us.
The domino effect then continues to hit consumers at both the grocery store and restaurants here in the Big Country.
"When it comes to restaurants, you have to sit there and deal with it, or raise the prices. So either way, someone's getting hurt in the process", says Elfido Maldonado Jr., of the Beehive Restaurant & Saloon.
Unfortunately, each piece of the agricultural puzzle points back to the origin of the issue.
"The fundamental solution is to get out of this drought and get some rain!", says Carson.
"Hopefully God gives us more water. That's basically it", Maldonado Jr. tells us.
For those wondering why the cost of beef may be on the rise in the near future, the reminder is right out the window.
Carson also told us that the cost of hay from last year has nearly doubled, due to the fact that production is so low.
Running the Abilene Livestock Auction, along with a feed store, Carson has felt the parching impact of the dry weather. "We had a good early spring, made some weeds and a little bit of grass, but all that has disappeared, and people are just not restocking. Our numbers are down quite a bit", says Carson.
The required amount of hay simply isn't there to harvest, an effect that trickles down to Carson and his cattle.
"Last year at this time, we didn't make any hay around here, and I like to buy my hay from the Abilene area. Colorado and South Dakota is where we bought our hay", Carson tells us.
The domino effect then continues to hit consumers at both the grocery store and restaurants here in the Big Country.
"When it comes to restaurants, you have to sit there and deal with it, or raise the prices. So either way, someone's getting hurt in the process", says Elfido Maldonado Jr., of the Beehive Restaurant & Saloon.
Unfortunately, each piece of the agricultural puzzle points back to the origin of the issue.
"The fundamental solution is to get out of this drought and get some rain!", says Carson.
"Hopefully God gives us more water. That's basically it", Maldonado Jr. tells us.
For those wondering why the cost of beef may be on the rise in the near future, the reminder is right out the window.
Carson also told us that the cost of hay from last year has nearly doubled, due to the fact that production is so low.
