Drought and pasture mealybug damage reduced hay production in parts of Texas in 2026, while areas that received enough rain built stronger supplies, according to an Oct. 27, 2026, AgriLife Today report. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists said winter feeding needs would depend on local conditions and the forage each operation relies on.
Vanessa Corriher, Ph.D., an AgriLife Extension forage specialist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in Overton, said rainfall supported good hay production in some locations. Producers affected by pasture mealybug, however, would be relying on hay left from the previous year, she said.
Winter hay needs depend on grazing supplies
Pasture mealybug does not necessarily mean every cattle operation needs to buy extra hay, said Jason Banta, Ph.D., an AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and professor in the Department of Animal Science in Overton. For operations that normally use hay as their main winter forage, he said the feeding approach was generally unchanged from years before the pest’s introduction.
Banta also said the pest was not expected to affect winter forage supplies on operations in lower-rainfall areas that rely on stockpiled native range, or grass retained for winter grazing.
The concern was different for producers who reduce hay feeding by grazing stockpiled introduced grasses, including Bermuda grass, Bahia grass and Old World bluestem. For those operations, Banta said, the amount of grass produced during the eight to 10 weeks before frost was important to winter feed planning.
Drought was already expected to reduce that grass growth in many areas, creating a need for additional hay, he said. Where pasture mealybug was also expected to reduce the available forage, Banta advised purchasing enough extra hay to replace that loss.
Rainfall created regional differences
In Brazos County, AgriLife Extension agent Chadd Caperton said producers had a reasonably good hay season despite pasture mealybug damage. Spring and summer production helped build stored supplies. Some producers fed hay during the dry period but used syrup tubs and tanks as supplements to reduce the amount needed.
Caperton said producers across the region appeared to be in relatively good shape heading into colder weather. A couple of producers expected to begin feeding hay in late October or early November 2026 as warm-season grass growth slowed and the plants became dormant. Fall armyworms were also affecting pastures after rain and cooler temperatures, and producers were working to control them, he said.
Elsewhere, a good start to the hay season gave way to dry conditions. AgriLife reported that many South Central Texas operations would not get a third hay cutting.
Shane McLellan, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for McLennan County, described Central Texas hay production as average. Rain from March through mid-July 2026 provided moisture, but more than 70 days without rain and above-average temperatures subsequently reduced production, he said.
Hay carried over from the 2025 season helped supplies. McLellan said available hay and carryover bales kept prices lower than he expected, even as livestock producers bought hay because grazing had run out. Hay feeding continued in his area despite some pastures without livestock beginning to green up.
District reports show continued forage pressure
AgriLife Extension district reports described short hay supplies in the Panhandle and East Texas and very tight supplies in the Rolling Plains. In East Texas, dry conditions and fall armyworm outbreaks affected pastures and hay meadows, while a growing number of producers were feeding hay.
In the Southeast district, dry, windy weather persisted, cooler temperatures slowed forage growth and pasture mealybugs were reported in more areas. Producers continued planting cool-season forage, including ryegrass.
Coastal Bend producers needed fall moisture, and declining soil moisture was worsening pasture conditions. Some hay growers obtained a final cutting, while winter pasture planting continued where earlier rain had provided enough moisture. Other producers were waiting for wetter soil, and some delayed planting because of concerns about fall armyworms.
