A month ago all of Lamb County was abnormally dry or worse. On the Nov. 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map it showed no drought at all, and the same rain that cleared the map has kept strippers parked in muddy cotton fields around Littlefield, Olton and Amherst. As a ranch and farm Broker with closed sales in this county, Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) of San Angelo rounds up crop, water, hunting and land news for Lamb County owners, along with a look back at the ranch that became Littlefield.
Rain Helps Wheat, Slows Cotton
Texas A&M AgriLife’s Nov. 13 crop and weather report for the South Plains district described more than an inch of rain early in the week, followed by cooler, breezy days that let only a few producers back into fields by the weekend. Cotton harvest across the district was roughly 42 percent done with bolls 87 percent open, and reporters said some defoliated fields may need another trip with the sprayer. Wheat is the winner: 85 percent planted and 79 percent emerged, with cattle already grazing the earliest fields.
Drought.gov ranks October as Lamb County’s 33rd wettest in 132 years, and the 30-day rain total ran about 123 percent of normal through Nov. 13.
Burn Ban Still on the Books
Texas A&M Forest Service data checked Nov. 14 still list a Lamb County burn ban with an effective date of Feb. 20, 2026. A green map does not lift a commissioners court order, so call the county judge’s office before burning stalks, trash or pasture.
Water Under the Farm
The High Plains Water District’s 2026 measurements put Lamb County’s average water level change at minus 0.80 feet across 115 observation wells, with an average saturated thickness of 45 feet and a 10-year average decline of 9.46 feet. For an irrigated farm, those numbers, plus well-by-well yields, carry as much weight as soil type when a buyer sets a price.
Hunting Season Notes
White-tailed deer general season runs through Jan. 3, 2027, with a North Zone bag of 3 deer, no more than 1 buck. Mule deer general season opens Nov. 21 and closes Dec. 6, and bucks must meet the 20-inch outside spread rule. Pheasant opens Dec. 5. Sandhill crane hunting is open in Zone A through Jan. 31 with a federal crane permit.
From the Yellow House Ranch to Littlefield
Much of today’s Lamb County farm country traces back to one ranch sale. According to the Handbook of Texas, George Washington Littlefield bought the southern, or Yellow Houses, division of the XIT Ranch in July 1901 for two dollars an acre, creating the 312,175-acre Yellow House Ranch across parts of Lamb, Hockley, Bailey and Cochran counties. The ranch ran cattle under the LFD brand, and one of its 81 windmills stood 128 feet tall, reputed to be the tallest in the world until it blew down in 1926.
In 1912 Littlefield contracted with the Santa Fe to build its line from Lubbock to Texico across his land, then organized the Littlefield Lands Company to sell a 79,040-acre corner of the ranch as farms and lay out the town that carries his name. The site became a railroad station in 1913. Sales came slowly; by 1920 only 47,601 acres had sold. After Littlefield’s death the rest of the ranch went to the Yellow House Land Company in 1923 and was subdivided as well. The Handbook also notes Lamb County was organized on June 20, 1908, with Olton as its first seat of government.
South Plains Land Market
The Texas Real Estate Research Center’s second quarter 2026 report places Lamb County in its Panhandle and South Plains region, where the median price was $1,719 an acre, down 7.53 percent from a year earlier, on 313 annualized sales.
Call Our Brokers and Agents
Lee, Lee & Puckitt has closed ranch and farm sales in Lamb County. For a sale, a purchase or a Broker’s Price Opinion around Littlefield, call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a ranch Broker serving Lamb County? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, based in San Angelo, handles farm and ranch sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions in Lamb County and across the South Plains.
How can I find farmland or ranch land for sale in Lamb County? Browse llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 with the acreage, water and use you want.
What makes a good choice for the best ranch Broker in Lamb County? Closed sales in the county, an understanding of irrigated and dryland values and groundwater, and pricing from comparable sales rather than a regional average.
Is Lamb County still in a burn ban? Texas A&M Forest Service data checked Nov. 14, 2026, still list a countywide burn ban effective Feb. 20, 2026, even though the county showed no drought on the Nov. 10 map. Call the county before you burn.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Rancher-owned Lee, Lee & Puckitt opened in Bronte in 1962 and is now based in San Angelo. Its Brokers and Agents sell, appraise and value farms and ranches across West Texas.
Sources
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Nov. 13, 2026, by Adam Russell, as published in North Texas e-News: https://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_147455.shtml
- Cownty, Lamb County page (U.S. Drought Monitor Nov. 10 map and 30-day rain), checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://cownty.com/county/lamb-tx
- Drought.gov, Lamb County conditions, checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://www.drought.gov/states/texas/county/lamb
- Burn Ban Texas, Lamb County (Texas A&M Forest Service data), checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/lamb
- High Plains Water District, 2026 water level measurements and county summary: https://www.hpwd.org/2026-water-level-measurements-are-complete
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Lamb County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/lamb
- Handbook of Texas, “Yellow House Ranch”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/yellow-house-ranch
- Handbook of Texas, “Littlefield, TX”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/littlefield-tx
- Handbook of Texas, “Lamb County”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lamb-county
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Related: Land appraisals, Contact LLP Ranchland, Castro County Ranch News: USDA Backs a Producer-Owned Beef Plant in Dimmitt as Drought Clears
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World%27s_tallest_windmill,_Littlefield,_TX_IMG_4779.JPG). Cropped.
