A lack of rain and historically low levels at the reservoirs that provide water to the entire Valley is hitting farmers hard.

When Dale Murden visits his citrus groves near Combes, he's reminded of the tough summer he and fellow farmers in the Rio Grande Valley are facing due to drought conditions.

RELATED STORY: Rio Grande water reservoirs drain to their lowest point ever

Murden decided to bulldoze roughly 40 acres of citrus trees because he couldn’t water them.

If he had the resources he needed, that grove could have made him at least $750,000, Murden said.

Drought, record high temperatures, and lack of water meant he had to decide which trees he would keep.

“We're taking what water allocation we had here on some of the less productive stuff, and moved it over to the more productive stuff,” Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, said. “It's a tough, tough decision. You can't ever say if you did the right thing or not.”

Now the land will be used for different crops that require less water.

Murden says it costs about $2,000 dollars per acre to clear out groves and prep them for new crops.  He's not the only grower having to prioritize certain trees

“We're having to spend the most money on the ones that have the best potential,” Calley citrus grower Fred Karle said.

Karle has citrus groves in several irrigation districts throughout the Valley

“Some of them are more favorable and some of them are just completely out of water,” Karle said. “We've been through droughts before, but nothing like this.”

Karle said he plans to tough it out to avoid having to bulldoze trees and lose them. He also doesn't want to switch crops.

Watch the video above for the full story.