'Something's gotta give.' Relentless heat and worsening drought conditions are devastating Texas cattle ranchers
CNN
It's a hot July day and a horse rolls around in a patch of dust on Wade Maierhofer's farm in central Texas. A year ago, that same sandy spot was buried under 8 feet of water -- a drinking pond for the rancher's cattle in normal times.
But the pond has since shriveled to a thin layer of algae and sand surrounded by acres of crunchy, dead land. Widespread drought and scorching temperatures are stripping Texas -- and other parts of the country -- of vital water and lush fields needed to sustain livestock.
"The heat has been just relentless," Maierhofer says as he gazes out across the now dry water hole on his property in Seguin. "That's what's baked our pastures and turned everything brown."
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