Drought and fire jeopardize ranching lifestyle in Texas

A miserable sea of dry brown West Texas grass and charred scrub could cripple ranching operations in the country's top beef-producing state. "Right now, it's literally day-to-day, and Mother Nature's holding all the cards," said Dennis Braden, general manager of the 130,000-acre Swenson Land and Cattle Co. In the state where cowboys riding the open range on horseback herding cattle spawned a whole western culture, modern-day ranchers are hurting. Severe drought and millions of acres of wildfires have delivered a potent one-two punch this year, forcing tough decisions on ranchland across Texas. The state's livestock industry has lost $1.2 billion under withering conditions, according to the Texas Agrilife Extension Service, part of Texas A&M University. It's a bitter pill for Braden and the more than 120-year-old ranch located 170 miles west of Fort Worth...more