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ROB MCCLENDON: AND NOWHERE IS THE SHORTAGE OF WATER MORE ACUTE, THAN IN
ALTUS, OKLAHOMA.
THE DROUGHT BUSTING RAINS THAT DRENCHED CENTRAL OKLAHOMA THIS PAST SPRING
AND SUMMER, COMPLETELY MISSED THE SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE STATE, AN
AREA WHOSE ECONOMY CENTERS AROUND AGRICULTURE.
AND NO RAIN MEANS NO CROPS.
ROB: FOR COTTON GROWERS NEAR ALTUS, OKLAHOMA, THIS YEAR'S CROP IS
PRETTY MUCH A DISASTER.
MATT MULLER: IRRIGATION IS CRITICAL IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY.
ROB: AND FOR LOCAL COTTON FARMERS LIKE MATT MULLER,
THERE IS NOT A DROP TO BE HAD.
MULLER: I HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF MAKING A PROFITABLE DRYLAND COTTON
CROP ABOUT THREE OUT OF TEN YEARS.
ROB: ODDS THAT ARE QUICKLY GETTING WORSE.
RAINS THAT HAVE FALLEN ELSWHERE IN THE STATE, HAVE PASSED THIS AREA BY,
DRYING UP A LOCAL LAKE THAT PROVIDES IRRIGATION.
TOM BUCHANAN: THIS IS THE SIXTY-SEVENTH YEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN IN EXISTENCE.
HOWEVER THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW THAT WE'VE DELIVERED ZERO WATER FOR
IRRIGATION PURPOSES.
AND LITERALLY THAT'S THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY.
PRIOR TO THAT POINT WE HAD DELIVERED WATER EVERY YEAR.
SO THIS IS CERTAINLY SETTING HISTORIC STANDARDS THAT AN IRRIGATED FARMER
DOESN'T WANT TO BE A PART OF.
ROB: TOM BUCHANAN MANAGES THE LUGERT-ALTUS IRRIGATION DISTRICT AND
SAYS LAKE LEVELS ARE DOWN BY ALMOST 90 PERCENT.
SAND BARS NOW STRETCH INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE, WITH WATER LEVELS ALMOST
30 FOOT BELOW THE HIGH WATER MARK ON THE DAM.
ROB: AND IT'S A PROBLEM THAT'S BEEN *** WILDLIFE HERE AS WELL.
WHEN A GOLDEN ALGAE BLOOM OCCURRED EARLIER THIS SUMMER, IT ALMOST
DESTROYED THE SPORT FISHERIES HERE ON THE LAKE.
IN FACT WHEN THE WILDLIFE COMISSION DID A SURVEY OF FISH HERE, THEY DID NOT
FIND A VIABLE ONE IN ALTUS-LUGERT.
ROB: BUT IT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A GREATLY REDUCED COTTON
CROP THAT IS HITTING THE TOWN OF ALTUS THE HARDEST.
BUCHANAN: IN ADDITION TO PRODUCERS FEELING THE PAIN, THERE ARE CERTAINLY
THE SUPPLIERS OF CROP INPUTS THAT ARE CERTAINLY FEELING THE BIGGEST IMPACT
TO THIS IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IS HIGH INPUTS.
IT TAKES A LOT OF FERTILIZER.
IT TAKES THE BEST QUALITY OF SEED.
IT TAKES TECHNOLOGY, NEW EQUIPMENT, AND LABOR.
AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS HAVE SUFFERED GREATLY AS THE PRODUCT, OR THE
PRODUCE OF THIS 46,000 ACRES HAS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY.
ROB: AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY LAWMAKERS GATHERED AT THE STATE
CAPITOL TO STUDY A PROBLEM WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.
DON ARMES: I THINK WE'VE ALWAYS REACTED TO DROUGHT RATHER THAN PREPARE FOR
DROUGHT.
I THINK AS WE, HOPEFULLY LEARN WHAT WE LEARNED WITH THIS DROUGHT, MAYBE GOING
FORWARD, TO HOPEFULLY MAYBE PREPARE FOR THE NEXT ONE.
ROB: REPRESENTATIVE DON ARMES LIVES IN SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA AND
HAS SEEN FIRST-HAND THE DAMAGE DONE BY THE DROUGHT.
ARMES: WE CAN'T FIX THIS DROUGHT.
WHAT WE CAN DO IS MANAGE.
I MEAN WE IN GOVERNMENT THINK WE CAN FIX ANYTHING, WE CAN'T.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN, THIS IS A GOD THING.
I MEAN, THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF THING WE HAVE ANY INPUT ON FIXING.
AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK WE NEED TO LEARN TO DO IS, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THIS
DROUGHT?
HOW DO YOU GET PRODUCERS THROUGH IT?
HOW DO YOU GET MUNICIPALITIES THROUGH IT; SMALL TOWNS?
I THINK IT'S A MANAGEMENT ISSUE MORE THAN ANYTHING.
ROB: AND FEW HAVE HAD A HARDER TIME MANAGING THIS CURRENT DROUGHT THAN
OKLAHOMA CATTLEMEN.
MICHAEL KELSEY: IT'S COST AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, INDIVIDUALLY AS
WELL AS OUR WHOLE INDUSTRY.
IF YOU CONSIDER JUST THE NUMBER OF COWS THAT WE'VE SOLD AND REDUCED OUR COW
HERD, OKLAHOMA'S COW HERD.
ROB: MICHAEL KELSEY HEADS THE OKLAHOMA CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION AND SAYS FOR
PRODUCERS THAT HAVE KEPT THEIR CATTLE, FEED COSTS HAVE SKYROCKETED.
KELSEY: FOR INSTANCE, ONE PRODUCER SHARED WITH US THAT HIS COST BEFORE THE
DROUGHT WAS ABOUT 660 DOLLARS PER COW.
NOW HIS COST, OR DURING THE DROUGHT, WAS 850 DOLLARS PER COW.
THAT'S AN EXTREME INCREASE IN THE COST PER COW.
ROB: A RISING COST THAT CONSUMERS MAY SOON FEEL AS A BUMP IN PRICES AT THE
MEAT COUNTER.
KELSEY: THE DROUGHT IS A GRADUAL PROCESS IN AND
IT'S A GRADUAL PROCESS OUT.
AND THOSE INCREASED COSTS, THOSE INCREASED FOOD COSTS ARE GOING TO BE LONG TERM,
THOSE WON'T BE SHORT TERM.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE WON'T TURN THOSE OFF IMMEDIATELY OR DECREASE THOSE
IMMEDIATELY.
THAT WILL TAKE A WHILE FOR US TO REBUILD OUR SUPPLY, REBUILD THOSE SUPPLIES OF
FOOD, THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING FOOD FOR THE CONSUMER AND THAT'S GOING
TO TAKE A WHILE.
ROB: AND MONEY; GOVERNOR FALLIN DECLARED OKLAHOMA'S FIVE MOST SOUTHWESTERN
COUNTIES A DISASTER AREA, A DESIGNATION THAT WILL HELP BUT WON'T SOLVE THE
LACK OF RAIN.
ARMES: DROUGHT IS NOT AS DRAMATIC.
TORNADOES ARE DRAMATIC.
BUT IT'S EASY TO PUMP MONEY INTO TORNADO RELIEF.
IT'S A LITTLE HARDER FOR PEOPLE TO PUMP MONEY AS FAR AS FROM A STATE
CAPITOL OR ANYWHERE ELSE, IT'S A LITTLE HARDER TO PUMP MONEY INTO A DROUGHT
BEAUSE IT'S JUST NOT AS DRAMATIC.
THERE'S NOT MUCH FLASH TO IT.
ROB: BUT IT IS AS IMPACTFUL AS ANYTHING OKLAHOMANS MAY FACE.
ROB MCCLENDON: AND TOM BUCHANAN TELLS ME, WITH NO RELEIF IN SIGHT SOME AREA
FARMERS ARE RE-EXAMINING THEIR BUSINESS MODEL.
COTTON HAS BEEN KING IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA.
BUT COTTON IS A THIRSTY CROP, AND NEEDS IRRIGATION TO HIT THE YIELDS FARMERS
DEPEND UPON.