Texas Panhandle Ranchers Face Years Of Rebuilding Herds, Grazing Lands

Cattle producers in the Texas Panhandle have endured significant losses as a result of wildfires the past month.  Andy Hollaway with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service says several ranchers’ calf crop for the year perished in the fires, along with their cows and heifers.

Hollaway adds that with cattle populations at a seven-decade low following years of drought in the High Plains, replacement cattle costs are even higher, which could prolong the recovery.

Andy Hollaway of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is based in Hemphill County, where one of two fatalities as a result of the wildfires have been reported.  Hollaway notes that it may take weeks to determine the exact number of cattle killed.