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Texas drought causing hay shortage, creating problems for ranchers

The folks at Solaro Ranch usually make their hay. But because of the drought, they've had to buy it from other ranches, driving up the cost of production.

AUSTIN, Texas — With the days only getting hotter and drier, many industries are feeling the effects of the ongoing drought. 

The folks at Solaro Ranch in Dripping Springs are hoping for rain. But for the last couple of weeks, precipitation has been almost nonexistent. 

Erika Fritz with Solaro Ranch said taking care of their cows now comes at an added cost. 

"We have about 40 acres where we usually grow our hay," Fritz said. "And so, because of the lack of rain this year, we've been having to buy our hay bales from either different parts of the state or even out of state."

With 47 cows to feed, Fritz said they go through about one to two hay bales a week. 

"Because it's not local, you're having to pay the shipping freight on it," she said. "And so it gets really expensive."

Each bale cost about $150. That added cost is driving the overall cost of production up. 

"We're not wanting to sell our beef for what people are willing to pay for it," Fritz said.

According to the University of Georgia, one common way for reducing costs during a drought is selling a portion of the herd.

"A lot of our cows go to different herds in the Hill Country area to try to build them and put new bloodlines into everybody's herd," Fritz said. 

Fritz said at Solaro Ranch, they haven't had any problem selling cows. However, selling beef is difficult.

Ranchers can only hope drought conditions improve soon because it will help drive prices down and decrease the chances that their cows' health will begin to deteriorate.

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