Rain brings only
temporary relief to
Big Island ranchers

'The rain was worth millions,'
a rancher says, but the
drought is still not broken

30-year dry spell seen

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Associated Press

WAIMEA, Big Island >> A four-year drought has left Big Island ranchers thirsting for rain, even after last week's storm that dumped more than 10 inches of rain on some parts of the island.

Last week's Kona storm gave ranchers a temporary reprieve in the form of 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches of rain from the dry conditions that have parched pastures, said Parker Ranch's Corky Bryan.

"The rain was worth millions of dollars and will let us breath for a while," he said, however, "the drought isn't broken."

In the past, Waimea would experience one dry year and then catch up with rainfall in the next year, said Monty Richards of Kahua Ranch.

"The last four years has been the worst," he said.

The Kona storm brought three inches to Kahua Ranch, helping the dry pastures in the lower elevations, Richards said. But he was unsure of how long a pasture could sustain moisture with that amount of rainfall because the ground has been very dry, he said.

According to the rain gauge at Kahua Ranch, the area in North Kohala receives an average of 50 inches of rain per year, ranging from two inches at the lower elevations to 125 inches at the highest elevation.

The distribution of rain is more important than the amount at one time, Richards and Bryan said.

"If we had two inches of rainfall every month, we wouldn't have to worry," Bryan said.

The problem for both Parker Ranch and Kahua Ranch is a lack of pasture grass to feed cattle.

"We chase grass where ever it is," Bryan said.

Parker Ranch moves cattle from different pastures within Parker Ranch and down to Naalehu to find a healthy supply of pasture grass.

Kahua Ranch moves cattle about every two days because of the drought, Richards said.

The rainfall for the state has been below normal since the early 1990s, said University of Hawaii Meteorologist David Chen.

Because Waimea receives less rainfall than most areas, it has been hit really hard by the long drought, Chen said. The long-term climate change has created a drying trend for the last 10 years.

Meteorologists can't explain why it is happening to Hawaii, he said.

The rain last week did not compensate for the low rainfall during winter, which is when the islands receive the most rain, Chen said.

The El Nino phenomenon, which happens every three to five years, created the driest winters for Hawaii and can make drought conditions worsen, Chen said. El Nino will not be present this winter.

Kahua's herd is down 20 percent to 25 percent from the usual number of about 4,000 cattle, because the drought has caused a decline in the amount of feed needed to sustain them, Richards said.

Parker Ranch's calf crop has declined over the last three years of the drought, Bryan said.

With fewer cattle, ranchers are finding it difficult to catch up, starting with fewer cattle and are sending smaller cattle to slaughter quicker, Richards said.