Reader Perspective: 2011 Drought Ravages Cattle Country

Sent in by Rachel Cutrer of V8 Ranch, this picture shows the cracks in the ground in Boling, TX. Some are nearly 27 inches deep.

At V8 Ranch in Boling, TX, pastures are covered in cracks from the drought.

Ground around the fencelines at V8 Ranch in Boling, TX, have deep cracks because of the dry soil.

Another picture from V8 Ranch in Boling, TX, shows a crack that is nearly 10 inches wide.

Photo sent in by Rachel Cutrer of V8 Ranch in Boling, TX, located 60 miles of Houston.

Forrest Baldwin sends in these photos from his ranch in Wichita Falls, TX. With only .23 inches of rain since mid-May and extended heat, the water tanks are dry.

Despite having 88 days over 100 degrees at his ranch in Wichita Falls, TX, Forrest Baldwin says that failure is simply not an option. They continue to clean tanks and dig new wells to get water to their cattle.

At Forrest Baldwin's ranch in Wichita Falls, TX, they are installing solar panels on old wells to get water to livestock.

Nicole Willoughby reports that the pasture that they moved their cattle to in Ardmore, OK, has little grass and that the pond is much lower than normal.

Nicole Willoughby sends in this picture from her family's ranch in Ardmore, OK. Normally they graze cattle on this pasture and get two to three cuttings of hay off it. This year, they haven't had a single cutting.

At Nicole Willoughby's family ranch in Ardmore, OK, the ground is so dry that the concrete around the fence posts is cracking and pulling away.

Cheramie Viator captures this image at the Bell Ranch in New Mexico where cow-calf pairs walk brown pastures.

Cattle at New Mexico's Bell Ranch amble across desiccated pastures that more resemble a martian landscape. Photo submitted by Cheramie Viator.

"Burnt as far as the eye can see" is how Janna Stubbs describes her ranch in Alpine, TX, after an April 9th wildfire took nearly 80% of her land.

Andy and Janna Stubbs of Stubbs Ranch, located in far west Texas, lost nearly 80% of their ranch to a wildfire on April 9. This rattlesnake didn't survive the fire, either.

This dramatic shot from Texas rancher Laura Molitor showcases the extreme conditions ranchers are facing. In the 40 years they have had this pond, they have never been able to see tree stumps above the water.

A lone cow drinks at a drying water pond at Laura Molitor's ranch in Texas. Laura reports that she normally gets a least three cuttings of hay each year, and this year she has had none.

Laura Molitor, a rancher from Anderson, TX, keeps it light-hearted during stressful time with this picture of a stranded turtle. Laura jokes, "The water levels went down so fast that even the turtles hit high center."

A water pond at Laura Molitor's ranch in Anderson,TX, is nearly dry. The pond was dug in 1970 and it's the first time the stumps have been visible.

Melissa Laurent, a northeastern Texas rancher, luckily has spring-fed water ponds for her Brahman cattle. Many of her neighbors have dried up and muddy ponds.

Melissa Laurent sends in photos from northeast Texas, normally known for hay production. With one out of four days over 100* so far in 2011, even this area is hauling in hay.

The ongoing heat and drought have forced northeast Texas ranchers like Melissa Laurent to feed hay since nearly June. Some are shipping in hay from as far as Kansas and Missouri.

With temperatures regularly over 100* and limited rain, grass has dried up and many Texas ranchers like Melissa Laurent have turned to feeding hay.

Melissa Laurent, a northeast Texas rancher, says she has "never been so thankful for the heat tolerance and scavenger-type grazing ability of Brahman Cattle."

Melissa Laurent, a northeastern Texas rancher, lives next to a sale barn. She reports that days where they sell 2,500 head or more are becoming much too common.