Drought forces painful choices for New Mexico ranchers

Drought forces painful choices for New Mexico ranchers Associated Press Susan Montoya Bryan …On the high desert plains west of Cuba, fifth generation rancher Casey Spradley and her husband have been ranching on their own for about 20 years. They are the caretakers of the land first homesteaded by Spradley’s great-grandparents nearly a century ago. The Spradleys have a contingency plan for drought. Just a trace of rain fell last summer, forcing them to sell their calves early along with heifers that would have been ready to have calves this year. Now with the dry winter and unfavorable forecast, they made the decision — a tough one that Spradley said came with two and a half weeks of tears — to sell more. It will take years to rebuild the herd. “I’ve looked for other pastures and there’s just not any out there right now because I think everybody is a little bit worried that we are going to have a dry summer,” she said. “People are trying to hold on to what little grass they have for this coming year.” More https://apnews.com/e08645246d2b445d8e16ffbd0d68059d/Drought-forces-painful-choices-for-New-Mexico-ranchers