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Rain Enough to End Drought?

TEXOMA -- Chuck Jones spent the last year watching farm conditions go from bad to worse.

"Everyone was scrambling around trying to find some hay, then hay went two and three times the normal price, and who can afford that?" said Jones.

That's why he welcomes the heavy rain that soaked Texoma Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I'm really excited about the rain because I feel like most of our small ponds and lakes are going to be full because it's rained so much," Jones said.

The two-day downpour will certainly help farmers and ranchers in Texoma, but Hugh Aljoe with the Noble Foundation warns this isn't a fix-all.

"The benefits are probably going to be more short term then they are long term. The effects of the drought from last summer are still going to linger through this season, but at least in the short term, it's been extremely beneficial," Aljoe explained.

Still, as rainwater runs off and collects in ponds and lakes, livestock owners will benefit into the middle months of the year.

"If we can get ponds full going into the summer, that will make a lot of difference financially for people who have livestock," said Jones.

Crop farmers have more waiting to do- especially those who depend on good weather throughout the year.

"People who have a winter pasture are the ones who'll see the most benefit as we go into the spring, but even with our summer pastures, we're going to see more improvement. The effects will still be lingering from the heat."

So Texoma will keep a collective eye on the sky, waiting to see if rain- and food prices- will come down.