If you’ve been seen any bit of news this week, you are most likely aware that parts of Southeastern Texas are being hit by Hurricane Harvey. Over the past few days, Houston has received more rainfall that Seatle has all year. And Seattle, the rain capital of the United States, has set a record this year with the most rain on record. With the flood, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced due to evacuations and flood damage to their homes. As the storm slowly passes, aid from across the country has started to come in like that of the Cajun Navy, Lousiana Fish and Wildlife and what seems like everyone in the South that owns a boat. But one aspect of Texas that some people have forgotten about that is being greatly affected by the hurricane is the agriculture industry.
Texas is the agricultural backbone of the United States leading the country in farmland, beef cattle and just the all around “Ag vibe”. You might have seen on Facebook or other news sites, but farmers and ranchers have been evacuating their livestock since before the storm made landfall. One video even displayed a cattle drive taking place on city streets complete with police escorts. Thousands of animals have been displaced from their homes and been relocated to farms or ranches out of the dangerous storm zones. These animals are the livelihood of the farmers and ranchers in Texas who not only have to worry about their livestock but also the safety of their families. We can’t even begin to imagine the pressure they are facing.
But like the great state of Texas, these people are strong and resilient. They will recover from this storm albeit a few scratches and some broken fences. Below we have listed some links in case you would like to donate. The links are for the American Red Cross and the Texas Star Fund, which was created to assist farmers in natural disasters such as this.
Also, check out Agriculture.com’s coverage of some social media images and videos of farmers and ranchers doing their best to keep their livestock and farms safe during the storm.
Agricultre.com Covers Hurricane Harvey’s effect on livestock
thefarmtraveler.com 