Ranchers and farmers were hit the hardest by the dual threat of water scarcity and the increasing price of feed.

The combined income of Texas farmers fell by one-fifth from the previous year, and the price of low-grade beef cattle dropped from 15 to 5 cents a pound.

Without new grass growth, cattlemen overgrazed their pastures, which damaged the land and made it more susceptible to mesquite and juniper ("cedar") intrusion.

[3][9] On January 13, 1957, President Eisenhower and Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson visited San Angelo as part of a six-state inspection tour of the drought.

Intermittent January rains gave way to downpours in February, which continued through the spring and summer seasons.

On April 24, 1957, a storm brought 10 inches of rain on a large portion of Texas within a few hours, accompanied by destructive hail and multiple tornadoes.

The state created the Texas Water Development Board in 1957, which set into motion a number of water-conservation plans.

[10] An amendment to the Texas constitution in 1957 authorized the issuance of $200 million in loans to municipalities for conservation and development of water resources.

[10] The 1950s Texas drought has been written about by a number of Texans who experienced it, including Elmer Kelton, renowned Western novelist and agricultural journalist, whose novel The Time It Never Rained, is still regarded as the best account of the period.

[4] The 1989-93 TV science fiction show, Quantum Leap, in its episode "A Single Drop of Rain - September 7, 1953" is set during the Texas drought of 1953.

The show's protagonist, Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) leaps into the body of a rainmaker in the con man's hometown.