Rainfall helps farmers and ranchers

GREGG COUNTY - The lack of rain this year has left farmers worried about their land and cattle.

County Agents said, they didn't have the winter grass to feed and they had to feed a lot more hay than they normally do.

Which is good for Ross Kinney who produces hay, but at the same time, to be able to produce hay he too needs the rain.

Kinney said, "When it gets dry we can put as much as 60 cents of water into a bail of hay and when it rains we don't have to do that and obviously hay prices will be less and a bigger supply of it."

Smith County Extension Agent, Brian Triplett says, livestock also depends on ponds for watering and the more rain we have the better.

Statistics show the amount of rainfall is down by about four inches so far this year, which means dryer grounds and chances for more grass fires.

Lewis Kearney with Texas Fire Information said, "The grassy fields, in about three days, it'll be dried out again with the winds we're expecting. So we're going to get a reprieve for about three or four days, and i think we're going to be back chasing fires again."

County Agents says the rain over the next few days should seep into the ground leaving everything more moist.