Drought in Bee, Texas

A long stretch of little to no rainfall led to continued drought over much of Bee County during the month of February.

Texas A&M AgriLife: Recent weather conditions have significantly impacted agricultural activities, particularly fieldwork and forage growth. Persistent light rain showers, cloudy days, and wet fields have delayed pre-planting work, including fertilizer applications and corn planting in some regions. Although some farmers were able to begin planting corn and preparing for sorghum, wet soils and intermittent freezing temperatures disrupted progress. Despite scattered showers and light rainfall (generally under 0.5), soil moisture levels remained inadequate. The mix of recent moisture and fair temperatures did support the growth of winter grasses and volunteer clover, offering some improvement in cool-season forages. However, overall pasture conditions stayed poor due to limited forage growth. As a result, supplemental feeding of livestock with hay and protein remained widespread. While hay supplies were sufficient, they were not easily accessible for purchase. Livestock conditions declined slightly but were expected to rebound with warmer, drier weather and improving grazing. The outlook suggests that more significant rainfall will be crucial to support continued recovery in both crop readiness and pasture health.

A long stretch of little to no rainfall led to continued and introduced severe drought over portions of South Texas through the month of February. This mainly impacted San Patricio, Live Oak, Bee, southern Refugio, northern McMullen, northern La Salle counties, northern Nueces, northeastern Victoria, southern Aransas, and the Aransas and Nueces Islands.