Conflict ranching vs. oil drilling

[the-lost-son]

The conflict between ranching / environment protection and the oil business has been one of the highlights of the series.

On the one hand we got Miss Ellie and her love the land. It was one of my favorite storylines when oil drilling on Southfork land seemed possible. I loved the fight between Bobby and John Ross when they drilled secretly for oil there too.
The plots involving the daughters of the Alamo always worked for me (Takapa...)

On the other hand we got this fascinating oil business with the need for land.

I think the only character who portrayed this eternal conflict perfectly was Jock who clearly loved both the land and the oil business.

My question for a reality check:
Is this conflict as severe as shown in the series or is it exaggerated? Or is it part of the past as agriculture seems to lose ground?
Oil wells in the series/movies seem quite small compared to the vast Texan landscape. There seems to be plenty of space. Why is it difficult to do ranching and oil drilling in the same field? Is it because of the emerging traffic or pollution?

Thanks in advance for sharing your expert knowledge. (hoping for you too lastkidpicked)

 

[Lastkidpicked]

My question for a reality check:
Is this conflict as severe as shown in the series or is it exaggerated? Or is it part of the past as agriculture seems to lose ground?
Oil wells in the series/movies seem quite small compared to the vast Texan landscape. There seems to be plenty of space. Why is it difficult to do ranching and oil drilling in the same field? Is it because of the emerging traffic or pollution?

Interesting idea for a thread!

I'm no expert, just a guy who services oil wells for a living and ranches and rodeos for the fun of it. So I get to see both sides on a daily basis.

There are two different kinds of ranchers. Let's choose @Billy Wall as an example and pretend he owns a small ranch in east Texas that he bought ten years ago. Billy is like me, he can't make enough money ranching so he has a job in town to help support the family.

Westar Oil comes knocking and wants to drill on his land. It will be loud and messy for about a year, and then the well will quietly pump for years after that. They offer Billy $ 20,000 plus twelve percent royalties after that. Doing the math, Billy realizes the oil well will generate enough money that both him and his wife can quit their jobs and ranch full time. They decide to take the deal and allow drilling on their land.

And your buddy, TheLastKidPicked will service that well. A win-win for everyone.

Now, let's look at a second rancher. Let's say @DallasFanForever inherited a ranch that was started by his great grandparents. He grew up hearing stories about the sacrifices they made to keep the ranch in the family. The oil companies approach him to drill on the ranch and he won't even consider it.
"My great-grandparents, then my grandparents, then my parents ranched this land and handed it down to me. They didn't make all those sacrifices just so I could put an oil well on it."
People like Miss Ellie were very interested in preserving the land. We usually see this land being encroached by oil fields, but in the episode Fallen Idol, Bobby approaches Miss Ellie about building a shopping center on the edge of Southfork. His argument was "We don't use that land for anything anyway."
Miss Ellie's Response?

Does everything have to be used? Can’t some things just be? Stay the way they’ve always been? Do we have to change everything we touch? Does it really make things better that way?

 

[DallasFanForever]

Now, let's look at a second rancher. Let's say @DallasFanForever inherited a ranch that was started by his great grandparents. He grew up hearing stories about the sacrifices they made to keep the ranch in the family. The oil companies approach him to drill on the ranch and he won't even consider it.

Tell them I said they can drill. I’ll take the money. My great grandparents will get over it and so will I.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Tell them I said they can drill. I’ll take the money. My great grandparents will get over it and so will I.

I know you're joking, but I'm glad you posted that because it provides a good example of what happens to ranch families. The kids inherit the ranch and some of the kids want the oil money and the other kids want to preserve the ranch.

The arguments that follow can tear a family apart.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I just parked at one of the wells I service and looking around, I thought of something.

It's not just me, here. There is another field engineer (in a separate pickup truck) and a crude hauler is in an 18 wheeler loading up the crude to be hauled off.

So it's not just the drilling. Its guys like me servicing the wells. We come in at all hours of the night (well, I don't because I have enough seniority to choose my own schedule) and we sometimes make a lot of noise. Then, add in the fact that we need to re-grade the roads every once in a while. It's a little more than just a pump jack quietly doing it's thing.



It's often a little more like this:



Each of these pieces of equipment need to be trucked in, then guys like me drive in and service them. Then they need to be trucked out. Looking at this picture in West Texas, you can see that this could be a dusty and loud time.

Make no mistake-- once you drill on a section of land, it's not a ranch anymore. It's an oilfield.

 

[the-lost-son]

Make no mistake-- once you drill on a section of land, it's not a ranch anymore. It's an oilfield.

Thank you for sharing your expert knowledge. That was my biggest question - can ranching and drilling not co-exist in the same field.

I had an interesting discussion yesterday resulting in my next question:

The agriculture in Germany is in a process of change with many farmers quitting livestock breeding (increasing regulations and demands which they are unwilling/unable to fulfill, resulting in most animal products being imported). The former livestock breeders are using the grasslands now for their biogas plants (generation of electricity which the state subsidizes significantly).
I live in a former farm with 10 acres of grassland. Personally I'm happy that the last local farmer harvests the grass twice yearly (for a small rent) using it for his biogas plant because me and my family simply couldn't manage that.

Nonetheless an increasing number of environmentalist doesn't regard this practice as farming anymore but as industrial usage of grassland and therefor is set against it. There is an increasing number of incidents where metal poles are put in e.g. corn fields to damage combine harvesters significantly. Insurance companies changed their policies due to this development leaving farmers without compensation.

Are their any acts of sabotage in regards to oil wells in Texas?

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Thank you for your kind words, @the-lost-son , but I'm no expert. Just a guy out here having fun in Texas.

We don't see any acts of sabotage because oil and gas pays for everything out here. If your kids go to school, that school was paid for with oil and gas. If your neighbor is collecting government benefits, then those benefits are paid for by oil and gas.

The reason Dallas is so much fun is that it shows that when times are good in the oil industry, they are crazy good! Imagine being a young person working in an entry level job. Then your buddies tell you that the company where they work is hiring, and paying TEN TIMES what you are making now. Sounds too good to be true? During the boom times, this is exactly what happens.

I remember being young, and fresh out of college. My friends went into the oil fields for their first jobs. We were at a large barbecue (another thing the writers of Dallas got just right) with our friends, parents, and grandparents. I remember how proud the parents were, saying, "Young Jeb is only 21 and he is already making more money than me!"

Things are changing, even in Texas. We all know that the movement is away from oil and gas and towards solar and wind. That's okay, because it will take a while to get there. Some guys like me will probably retire (think of guys like Punk Anderson, Jordan Lee, and Andy Bradley. Those guys will simply run it out and then retire). The younger guys will re-train and do similar jobs in wind and solar.

So things will eventually transition away from the oil business. But in the meantime . . .

It's a helluva ride!