Fields in Goshen County, Wyoming, are typically green this time of year, but a historic drought stretching from Wyoming to Nebraska has left the grass and water scarce. The situation is forcing beef producers to decide whether to sell off herds built over generations or wait for rain that may not come, according to a June 1 report.
At Torrington Livestock Markets, co-owners Lander Nicodemus and Chuck Petersen have increased their sales from one per week in May and June to two per week due to high demand. “May-June is probably our slowest and end of July would be our slow season,” Nicodemus said. “Last week we had 9,000 head of feeders. We’re continuing having sales two times a week, Wednesdays and Fridays.” This volume is nearly nine times what the market usually handles at this time of year. The latest United States Department of Agriculture Crop Progress Report shows that 60% of the nation’s cattle inventory is currently affected by drought, with only 29% of pastures rated good or excellent—one of the lowest ratings for this period in a decade.
Petersen said he has never seen conditions like these before: “This last fall and winter of 2025-2026, I’ve never seen a more milder, drier winter in my whole life.” He noted that beyond lack of feed, many ranches face shortages in drinking water as streams and springs dry up. “The problem is drinking water for a lot of these ranches,” Petersen said. For many producers forced into selling long-tended herds, he acknowledged the emotional toll: “Their cow herds are their livelihood… A lot of operations have spent generations improving their genetics and building a herd that is profitable for them… it’s really hard for them to try to pick and choose which animals can stay and which can go.” Nicodemus added that while some are holding on to core herds now, significant dispersals could occur if there is no rain by mid-June.
In Nebraska’s Garden County, ranchers are also dealing with wildfire damage on top of drought conditions. Joe McGinley—a rancher and volunteer fire chief—said fires burned most summer grazing pastures earlier this year: “There’s a lot of short-term decisions being made for long-term problems… Most people are married to their cows and sure don’t want to get rid of them.” McGinley expects more core herd dispersals if weather does not improve.
Despite challenges from droughts compounded by an aging workforce and shrinking cattle supply nationally—the lowest on record—there remains some optimism due to strong cattle markets at present. Petersen called it “the one kind of silver lining.” However, both owners warn recovery will be delayed further without relief: “You can’t rebuild in a drought,” Nicodemus said.
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