Sixth year of drought in Texas and Oklahoma leaves ranchers facing wildfires and bracing for another tough year

The Southern Plains states get a severe drought about once a decade, but long-lasting droughts lately have been leaving farms, rangeland and water sources with too little time to recover.

By: Joel Lisonbee, University of Colorado Boulder and William Baule, Texas A&M University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 9, 2026

Words: 1,231

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

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By Joel Lisonbee, University of Colorado Boulder and William Baule, Texas A&M University

Cattle auctions aren’t often all-night affairs. But in Texas Lake Country in June 2022, ranchers facing dwindling water supplies and dried out pastures amid a worsening drought sold off more than 4,000 animals in an auction that lasted nearly 24 hours – about 200 cows an hour.

It was the height of a drought that has gripped the Southern Plains for

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