09/10/2026
🇺🇸🐄🔥46 days over 100°. More than 130 days without measurable rain. This is what drought looks like on an Oklahoma cattle ranch.🇺🇸🐄🔥
In my memories from youth and early adulthood, I can recall the evening news reporting on the effects of extreme weather on those in agricultural areas—America’s food producers.
I’m not an expert sitting somewhere talking about drought. We are one of America’s cattle producers showing you what we’re seeing on our own Oklahoma ranch.
I just Googled “2026 Drought” and did not find a single headline from a major news network. Does America know what’s happening beyond beef price coverage?
The pictures below show how brutal this year’s drought has been for us.
Southwestern Oklahoma has experienced at least 46 days at or above 100 degrees. We’ve gone more than 130 days without measurable rainfall.
There are a few ranchers who have thousands of acres and hundreds of cattle. The majority of ranchers have much smaller herds.
Throughout our communities, ponds have completely dried up or are extremely low. For the first time since living here, we are seeing trucks hauling large tanks of water to ranchers who have no water wells in their pastures to fill their stock tanks. We are blessed to have well water.
There are many ranchers with wide-open pastures with little or no trees. There has been little relief for their cattle in this ruthless heat. We are blessed to have lots of trees for shade in our pastures.
Although the daytime heat has been unforgiving, as soon as the sun sets below the horizon, our low-humidity nights and southern winds are bringing some relief.
Unlike some ranchers, we are also blessed with very healthy native prairie grasses that have been here a long time—maybe forever. As you can see in one of the photos below, the roots are incredibly deep. This is why we still have green at the base of the clumps of grass that weren’t hayed in July.
Our cattle and donkeys are still foraging on this grass. However, because of the drought, the grasses are going dormant earlier and producing minimal nutrients.
To offset the nutritional loss, we have begun providing extra protein and mineral licks, as well as feed supplements. Although this will be an added expense this early in the season, we are blessed to still have foraging grass.
Many ranchers do not have high-quality grasses. They are already using their winter hay bales.
We, too, will soon have to begin using our winter hay. As most of you know, the southern regions are forecast to have much colder winter weather later this year and into 2027 because of El Niño.
Thankfully, we hayed twice as many bales of grass this past July to set aside for winter. Now, we will be using that hay to get through the fall.
We are concerned: Will we have enough?
Two things are for sure:
1) God is sovereign in our lives.
💙 Psalm 95:4
“His hands hold the depths of the earth, and the mightiest mountains.”
💙 Psalm 50:10–11 reminds us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, every animal in the forest, every bird on the mountains, and every creature in the field.
2) Our ranching community is very close-knit and protective of each other.
Most neighbors—a neighbor can be separated by miles around here—are generational ranchers, real cowboys and cowgirls. We look out for each other and are quick to provide support for those in need.
As a member of this community, you will never suffer alone. You will find this to be true of most ranching communities.
If you have a daily prayer list, please add America’s ranchers and farmers in the drought areas to that list.
It’s going to take time—and many inches of rain—to recover our grasses and fill our ponds.
Please pray for rain. Pray for our livestock. Pray for our farmers and ranchers. And pray for the people who work every day to feed America. 🙏🏻🇺🇸
***Please read captions under photos for additional info***
❓❓❓Have you ever seen drought this severe where you live? Tell me what you’re experiencing.
