Another California exodus: Dairy cows leave for greener pastures in Texas, Arizona as farms squeezed by drought and low prices go up in flames
A farmer walks through a field of soybeans near the Migrant Field Office in Harlan, Texas, Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. The National Farmers’ Union says it hopes farmers will stay in the state in the face of the drought, low prices and other challenges facing US agrifood producers. The NFU says in May-July the state’s farm output will be 15% less than it was one year ago under the worst drought on record. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
FILE – In this Oct. 1, 2017, file photo, hay bales are piled on the ground as hay harvesting continues in Stuttgart, Kan. The Kansas Department of Agriculture reports that production is down 20% in most parts of the state in the last 10 years. (AP Photo/Kylie Ailor)
FILE – In this Oct. 1, 2017, file photo, hay bales are piled on the ground as hay harvesting continues in Stuttgart, Kan. The Kansas Department of Agriculture reports that production is down 20% in most parts of the state in the last 10 years. (AP Photo/Kylie Ailor)
HARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A farm in the heart of the U.S. West that has been in the family for generations is closing, its owners saying they can’t afford to keep it going.
The National Farmers Union says it hopes farmers will stay in the state in the face of the drought, low prices and other challenges facing the U.S. agrifood producers.
“There’s a real concern that the future looks pretty bleak, especially here in the middle of the state,” said Pauline Thompson, a former union official and rancher who lives along the eastern flank of the Bison Canyon ranch.
In the state that’s home to the iconic Bison cattle, the farm and the ranch were a major reason behind the state’s population growth as big-time cattle ranchers sold cattle to feed cattle buyers in the high-price feed markets of other states.
“The ranch has been in existence for generations,” said Thompson. “The cattle ranch was a major economic driver in our state.
