CONAGUA

Mexican drought map, current through Sept. 30

A widespread drought is hitting Sonora’s important cattle industry hard.

In response, the state government is offering ranchers in impacted areas credit so that they can have liquidity as they face the crisis, according to a release. Qualifying ranchers could get up to roughly $100 per head of cattle, with limitations on the total number.

“In all my life as a rancher, it’s the most critical year,” said Cuauhtemoc Mendez, a rancher for decades in the municipio of Pitiquito in northwestern Sonora.

He also said that the support from the government pales in comparison to the level of need during the drought. As it stands, many ranchers will need to give feed to their cattle through at least the winter.

And if the rains don’t come in the winter, “it’s all over,” he added.

The most recent federal drought data show that more than 90 percent of Sonora’s municipios have at least some level of drought. Nearly 50 percent are reporting at least severe drought.

Sonora is a major exporter of cattle to the United States, with exports totaling roughly 240,000 head through August of this year and accounting for a quarter of national cattle exports, according to federal data.