This week has seen some welcome rainfall in Socorro County, but it may not be enough to rescue the losses ranchers may be facing because of drought-like conditions earlier this year.
Gov. Bill Richardson announced Wednesday, Aug. 19, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved his request to declare seven New Mexico counties as disasters due to losses suffered because of severe drought and high winds. The designations make farmers and ranchers in those counties eligible for federal financial assistance, including Socorro County.
Socorro County Extension Agent Tom Dean said the lack of precipitation in the entire southern part of the state has created drastic circumstances for many ag producers.
“A lack of rain and snowmelt, and the wind, has kept it dry,” Dean said. “There is still water for irrigation for the farmers, though, but that doesn’t apply to the ranchers, because the non-irrigated crops haven’t raised any feed.”
Robbie Jones of the Farm Service Agency said ranchers in both Socorro and Catron counties have had a rough year.
“We certainly are suffering, and makes it possible to apply for emergency loans,” she said. “The loans will be coming out of Dona Ana County, and we will direct them the Farm Service Agency office there.”
Randell Major is a Magdalena area rancher and a member of the New Mexico Cattlegrowers’ Association. He said, “This is the time of year we should be making our grass. Right now it looks like April out there.”
“It’s been horribly disappointing. Last year was a great year. We had grass that carried us over,” Major said. “Just about everybody this year is hurting, even out toward Apache Creek, Datil and over to Springerville.”
“Another big thing is stock pond water,” he said. “We may have to cut our cattle down unless we can get a good amount rain by September 15. This does affect our income.”
The USDA natural disaster declaration also covers Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, Roosevelt, De Baca, Lea and Otero counties. In addition, the department named Dona Ana, Curry, Guadalupe, Sierra, Torrance, and Quay as contiguous disaster counties, as well as Socorro.
“I applaud the USDA for its prompt attention to this serious matter,” Richardson said in a press release. “These designations will allow for some much needed relief for New Mexico’s hard-working farming and ranching families who continue to suffer production and income losses from prolonged lack of precipitation and high winds.”
Jones said applicants could contact the Dona Ana FSA office directly at (575) 522-8775.
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