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Bailey County Ranch News: Cotton Comes Off Slowly Around Muleshoe as Drought Stays Off the Map

November 13, 2026  |  By Lee, Lee & Puckitt

Bailey County Ranch News: Cotton Comes Off Slowly Around Muleshoe as Drought Stays Off the Map

Muleshoe’s cotton harvest is finally moving again, but it is not a banner year in the field. After more than an inch of rain delayed picking across the South Plains, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension reporters said the crop was about 42 percent harvested and irrigated yields were very low, even as Bailey County has now gone four weeks with no drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) works this farm and ranch country out of San Angelo and takes a look at the harvest, the wheat, and what the cleared map means for landowners.

A Slow, Light Cotton Crop

In its Nov. 13 crop and weather report, AgriLife said more than an inch of rain early in the week delayed cotton harvest across much of the South Plains district, and that cooler, breezy weather dried fields enough for a few producers to get back in by week’s end. Bolls were 87 percent open. Yields from irrigated cotton were very low, and one producer reported harvesting three-fourths of a bale per acre on an irrigated field. Some defoliated cotton may have to be resprayed, and much of the crop in parts of the district will not be stripped because of poor quality and quantity, though rain over the past month helped dryland cotton in some areas.

Wheat, Grass and Cattle

The same moisture that stalled the picker has been a gift to wheat. AgriLife said the South Plains wheat crop continued to thrive, with 85 percent of the acreage planted and 79 percent emerged, and condition ranging from poor to excellent. Cattle were already grazing wheat that went in early. Elsewhere, livestock were fed a mix of wheat, native grasses and hay. Pastures improved slightly, and livestock conditions were very poor to good.

Drought-Free, With a Burn Ban Still Listed

The U.S. Drought Monitor valid Nov. 10, released Nov. 12, shows none of Bailey County in drought or abnormal dryness. Drought.gov reports the same, a change that has held for four weeks. October ranked as the 45th wettest in 132 years, just 0.24 inch above normal.

Texas A&M Forest Service data, as compiled by Burn Ban Texas on Nov. 13, still listed a Bailey County burn ban. The listed effective date is several years old, so call the county before lighting a pile.

Sandhill Cranes, Deer and a Ranch-Town Name

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles south of town, was founded in 1935 and is the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas. The town itself took its name from the nearby Muleshoe Ranch when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway laid tracks across the county in 1913, and it became the county seat when Bailey County was organized in 1917. Crane season is already open. The county is in Zone A, Oct. 31, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027, with a daily bag of 3. Hunters need a hunting license, a migratory game bird endorsement, HIP certification and a federal sandhill crane permit issued through TPWD.

Mule deer general season runs Nov. 21 through Dec. 6, one buck for all seasons combined, and Bailey County has a 20-inch antler restriction. White-tailed deer limits are 3 deer, no more than 1 buck and no more than 2 antlerless, with the general season Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. Quail may be hunted through Feb. 28.

South Plains Land Market Snapshot

The Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M places Bailey County in its Panhandle-South Plains region. The second quarter 2026 report, still the most recent, showed a regional median of $1,719 an acre, down 7.53 percent from a year earlier, on 313 sales with a typical tract of 403 acres. The Center said high prices in this agricultural region have met buyer resistance. Irrigation and well capacity will move a Muleshoe-area farm off that average, so a price opinion should rest on comparable sales.

Call Our Brokers and Agents

For a sale, a purchase or a wheat-pasture lease around Muleshoe, call Lee, Lee & Puckitt at 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is a ranch Broker for Bailey County property? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, a San Angelo firm, handles farm and ranch sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions on the South Plains, including land around Muleshoe.

How can I find land for sale in Bailey County? Check listings at llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 with the acreage, water, irrigation and use you have in mind so we can watch for a fit.

What should the best ranch Broker for Bailey County offer? Closed rural sales in similar country, a clear read on irrigation and grazing, and pricing based on comparable sales rather than a regional average.

Is Bailey County still in a drought? No. The U.S. Drought Monitor valid Nov. 10 shows none of the county in drought or abnormal dryness, a stretch that has now lasted four weeks.

About Lee, Lee & Puckitt

From a 1962 start in Bronte, Lee, Lee & Puckitt now keeps its headquarters in San Angelo. The partners ranch, and our Brokers and Agents handle farm and ranch sales, appraisals, Broker’s Price Opinions and landowner advocacy.

Sources

Photo: Leaflet, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandhill_Crane_Bailey_County_Texas_2009.jpg). Cropped.

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