Recovery creeps along after drought

With rain finally here, ranchers and farmers in Hernando County note some improvements in their crops and livestock.

By JOY DAVIS-PLATT

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 24, 2000

[Times photo: Maurice Rivenbark] Rancher and hay farmer James Adkins says recent rains have spurred growth across the 200-acre farm his family owns outside of Brooksville.

After months of relentlessly dry conditions, Hernando County rancher James Adkins' herd of 40 cattle was on the verge of starvation. Severely underweight, the animals grazed brown fields until, in May, he sold half the animals to afford hay to feed the rest.

But the marked increase in rainfall recently has left Adkins, along with many other farmers, ranchers and business owners, feeling relieved. Although the water situation is not yet ideal, things are on the right track.

"Everything is growing up, and it's looking real good," said Adkins, who raises cattle and sells hay on his family's 200-acre farm outside Brooksville. "The cows are fat, and the calves are fat."

The Hernando County Airport south of Brooksville received more than a foot of rain in June, according to the National Weather Service.

A few good rains will not be enough to overcome a 20-month rain deficit, said Walt Zaleski, a meteorologist with the service, but Zaleski said he is hopeful water levels can catch up during the state's rainy season, which generally runs through September.

Since rains began two months ago, Adkins said, some of his hay fields have grown knee high.

"It's part of farming," he said. "There are good days and bad days."

Two months ago, J.B. Starkey Jr.'s cows were starving.

Up to 200 pounds underweight, the cattle grazed on brown stubble in fields bare from months of record-breaking drought.

"We've had enough rain to make everything grow," said Starkey last week. "The cattle are looking better."

In the past month, Starkey said, his 3,400 acres at Anclote River Ranch in Odessa, in Pasco County, have received 10 inches of rain. He estimates that when his 1,000 head of cattle go to market in September, they will average 50 to 75 pounds below their normal weight.

"They're looking better, but they have a way to go," Starkey said Tuesday morning as he watched the rain through the window of his home.

Gov. Jeb Bush has granted a request for agricultural disaster relief for farmers and ranchers who have suffered an estimated $300-million of crop losses statewide this year.

Hernando County emergency management coordinator Bill Appleby said eligible small businesses hurt by the drought can benefit from low-interest economic injury disaster loans through the Small Business Administration. Anyone wanting information or an application can call (800) 359-2227.

In February, Jimmy Batten planted 70 acres of watermelons on his ranch east of Brooksville. After 120 days without rain, the crop yielded only 15 acres worth of fruit.

"That was basically a disaster," said Batten, who also has 350 head of cattle on his Spring Lake ranch. "It's just like putting money into the ground that you don't get back."

Batten has submitted a crop report and application for financial aid to the Department ofAgriculture to help cover his losses. It will be up to the department to determine whether he qualifies for aid, he said.

With rain back in the forecast, Batten said he is preparing to plant a grass field for hay.

"Things are a lot better now, and we're going to hope they stay that way for a while," he said.

Despite the recent precipitation, there are no plans to lift water restrictions in Hernando County, said Robyn Hanke, a communication specialist with Southwest Florida Water Management District. In June, members of the district's governing board extended emergency watering restrictions until water levels return to their normal ranges.

"The intent is to lift restrictions when the aquifer reaches a normal level," said Hanke. "But recovery from a long drought period is slow."

In Hernando County, the water level would have to rise more than 2 feet to reach the lowest range of normal levels, Hanke said.

Since summer rains began, the number of brushfires in Hernando County has been drastically reduced, said Spring Hill Fire and Rescue Chief Mike Morgan.

"The fires have virtually stopped," said Morgan. "Moisture in the vegetation has made our job much easier."

Over the Fourth of July holiday, Morgan said, a few fires broke out, but they were extinguished quickly.

Dry conditions nearly cost World Woods Golf Club north of Brooksville about $1-million, said Stan Cooke, vice president and director of golf.

"We were only about two weeks away from losing 80 percent of our Bermuda grass," he said. "Within a day (of the rains), the grass started to look better. Within a week, it was green."

Cooke said it will take two or three more weeks of regular rain for the healthy grass to fill in fairways, roughs and tees. The club will soon replace young trees and landscaping along the entrance road that was lost to the drought, he said.

At the Barthle Brothers' Ranch northwest of Dade City, small watering holes have filled, but larger bodies will take more rain.

"It will probably take a hurricane to fill those up," said Randy Barthle. "We've been dry for an awfully long time."

The ranch already has sold five loads of calves, at 85 to 100 calves per load, due for delivery in October. By then, Barthle hopes, they will be up to their ideal weights. The loss of money on one underweight calf could run from $50 to $75 a head, he said. If all of those calves were underweight, the loss could range from $21,250 to $37,500.

Until then, Barthle said he hopes to enjoy the afternoon rains.

"We live on rain here," said Barthle, who grew up on the ranch. "I can't remember a time in my life I wasn't looking for rain."

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