Drought should be part of Texas beef cattle producers’ short-and long-range production strategies and they should be aware that drought patterns exhibited in the 1950s continue to prevail in current models, according to an expert.

“We are still reliving the 1950s drought-producing pattern with periodic breaks,” weather forecaster Brian Bledsoe recently told 1,400 attendees at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in College Station.

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Bledsoe said when he speaks to young farmers and ranchers who are thinking about taking over operations from their fathers, he says, “have a drought plan…because we are going to have more dry years than wet years.”

Read more about the current effect of drought currently on the beef industry and practices producers should incorporate into their operations here.