Much of state still suffering from drought

By EDDIE GLENN

One year ago, the entire state of Oklahoma was suffering from a drought.

A few months later, water levels in Cherokee County’s lakes and rivers had come back up to normal, and the 2006/2007 winter brought plenty of moisture (albeit frozen) to the area.

But was it enough?

Currently, about 50 percent of the state is under drought conditions. Tahlequah, fortunately, is in the other half, but it’s still pretty dry.

According to OSU Extension Educator Roger Williams, the county received 1.69 inches of rain last month.

“That’s about average for what we get in February, but if you look at the past two years and average it out, or the last year and average that out, or even the last six months and average it out, we’re below normal,” said Williams. “Once you get so low, it’s hard to get caught up.”

But, ever the optimist, Williams pointed out that, as bad as it may be, it could be worse.

Other parts of the state haven’t had even the moisture that we have.

Derek Smithee of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board said water levels are dangerously low in lakes and streams across the state.

“The crystal ball is pretty hard to read, but if we don’t get some rain and some water flows into our reservoirs, this year will be tough,” Smithee told the Associated Press. “If we continue to see reductions ... we’ll start to see some real problems.”

Don Dixon, lead ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Lake Tenkiller, said water levels in that reservoir are fine right now, but the dry ground around the lake could indeed, as Smithee put it, cause some real problems.

“As far as eastern Oklahoma goes, we’re dry from the standpoint that the grass is dry, but as far as the lake is concerned, we’re at normal levels,” said Dixon. “Right now, we’re at 632.25 feet [above sea level], which is a quarter of a foot above normal, and we’re just starting to enter our rainy season, so it could get way above normal. The only thing we’re lacking is a good surface rain to put a damper on everything – to keep the countryside from burning up.”

The drought has made it hard for ranchers, because of the lack of not only water, but also hay.

According to a 2006 study by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, the state was 60 percent below the previous year in hay stocks, which lead to shortages and high prices.

“That leaves ranchers with three choices: You can sell the cattle, move the cattle to where the water is located or you can haul water to the cattle,” said ag department spokesman Jack Carson.

Carson’s family raises cattle, and they decided to liquidate their herd.

“We figured the ponds are going dry and the hay is going to be too expensive,” he told the AP. “So we just made the decision to go ahead and sell them.”

Hulbert rancher Bob Patterson said that even though Cherokee County may not be as dry as other parts of the state, the hay prices are likely to force small cattle producers into selling their herds, too.

“The hay situation was pretty bad last year,” he said. “I think it’s going to be somewhat bad this year. The prices probably aren’t going to go down much.”

Patterson has gone to a couple of farm auctions recently, and has seen 4-foot by 5-foot round bales sell for $65 to $70 each. He saw a barn full of smaller square bales from two years old (at the top of the stack) to five years old (on the bottom). All sell for $7.50 a bale.

The problem, Patterson said, is two-fold. Not only has the drought decreased the amount of hay available in the state, but the price of diesel fuel has made it even more expensive to produce what hay is baled.

“Diesel is $2.50, $2.60 a gallon, and when you start pulling one of those big heavy balers, running it sometimes eight hours a day, you’re talking about a lot of money,” said Patterson. “I think you’re going to start seeing more big corporate operations, because the average Joe just can’t afford to pay for the hay, feed, fertilizer, and everything else that it takes to raise cattle. I’m sure there are going to be some small farmers who just sell out and do something else.”