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Early snow kills thousands of cattle in SD
Associated Press ^ | Oct 7, 2013 7:10 PM EDT | Chet Brokaw

Posted on 10/07/2013 6:29:58 PM PDT by Olog-hai

A record-breaking storm that dumped 4 feet of snow in parts of western South Dakota left ranchers dealing with heavy losses, in some cases perhaps up to half their herds, as they assess how many of their cattle died during the unseasonably early blizzard.

Meanwhile, utility companies were working to restore power to tens of thousands of people still without electricity Monday after the weekend storm that was part of a powerful weather system that also buried parts of Wyoming and Colorado with snow and produced destructive tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa. At least four deaths were attributed to the weather, including a South Dakota man who collapsed while cleaning snow off his roof. …

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: South Dakota
KEYWORDS: beef; cattle; earlysnow; foodsupply; ranchers; snowstorm; southdakota
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To: 23 Everest

Driving cattle is not instinctual migration. If domestic breeds of cattle did migrate of their own volition, all ranchers would need to be nomadic simply by trade.

Now bison migrate; that is the instinct of that animal. But they are also built for the variables in US weather, even sudden cold weather such as this.


61 posted on 10/07/2013 8:30:20 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: 23 Everest
Cattle can deal with this??? Black Hills S. Dakota


62 posted on 10/07/2013 8:30:48 PM PDT by caww
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To: Cicero
The woolly bear caterpillars are reliable predictors of a winter? Whodda thunk?
Best send those little guys to the Midwest. No one saw it coming...dead meat everywhere.
63 posted on 10/07/2013 8:31:25 PM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: caww

Some people still can’t conceive of divine influence of weather. Even those that might self-identify as religious conservatives.


64 posted on 10/07/2013 8:31:58 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: LucyT

Horses grow winter coats too. Some people make the mistake of babying the horses by putting blankets on them, and that discourages the ingrowth of the winter coat. (Even certain breeds of dogs and cats can grow winter coats.)


65 posted on 10/07/2013 8:34:04 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: reaganaut
snow accumulation in Wright, WY on October 4, 2013


66 posted on 10/07/2013 8:34:23 PM PDT by caww
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To: LucyT

Seems unnatural. Like the lone polar bear on a floating piece of ice. The story said he was miles from shore but if the camera shot was turned 180 degrees, he was just yards away from shore.

My dog here in California has been growing an thicker coat since Sept.


67 posted on 10/07/2013 8:35:18 PM PDT by 23 Everest (When seconds count. The police are just 23 minutes away. 831 Bonnie)
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To: cloudmountain

Not stupid, it is what they know. Farmers live on thin margins too. It can take $200k to plant a single quarter of land and then you are at the mercy of the weather. Most of the time cattle don’t need extreme protection - you can make due with hay bales and you learn where to keep them during the hard months. This was a surprise. Insurance is also very expensive.

We had a prop jet, but it was because we did our own spraying. It costs a lot to keep farms and ranches going. I’m smart enough that I rent out my farm land rather than actually farm it myself. Other people take the risk, not me. I’m not going to lay out 2.5 million per year in HOPES I have a crop. Also most ranchers and farmers do not use subsidies. They want the government to leave them alone. In a good year, you can make good money, but there is always risk.

Not desperate or dumb. Most of us LOVE being farmers and feeding the world. Many of us see it as a sacred trust. My family has farmed in South Dakota since before it was Dakota Territory and I come from one of the largest (and wealthiest) farm/ranch families in the state history but every year it was still a risk.


68 posted on 10/07/2013 8:36:13 PM PDT by reaganaut (I don't do hopey-changey. I do ouchy-bleedy.)
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To: reaganaut
For the large farms that is probably true, moving them takes time, Western South Dakota is grassland and small hills. Most ranchers I know, were not expecting this much this fast and most are underinsured so insurance won’t pay up - maybe about 10% of the losses. A few of the larger ranches can take the loss but my aunt’s family lost over half their heard - almost half a million dollar loss and the margins are so thin - they probably won’t come back from it.
Underinsured? Sigh. I can understand that. Insurance is so high everywhere that it's a risk a lot of people take.
I'm sorry for your aunt's family. Horrible to see all those poor creatures dying and dead. Maybe your aunt's family will try something that doesn't rely on Mother Nature.

Carcass removal will depend on where and how many, most will dig a fire pit and burn there. No need to hire help, they will just bulldoze them into the pit they dig, light it on fire, and when burned bury it.
Sounds easy, but still horrible. SUCH a waste of God's creatures. I suppose EVERY working farm also has a bulldozer to dig and bury.
My husband had fantasies of having a bulldozer in the city...no problem with traffic or parking. WHAM!!!

69 posted on 10/07/2013 8:37:00 PM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: Olog-hai

My grandfather used to say there is no such thing as an atheist farmer. You spend a lot of time praying.


70 posted on 10/07/2013 8:37:11 PM PDT by reaganaut (I don't do hopey-changey. I do ouchy-bleedy.)
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To: cloudmountain

And farming in CA is very different than farming in South Dakota or the plains. Costs, labor, etc.


71 posted on 10/07/2013 8:37:56 PM PDT by reaganaut (I don't do hopey-changey. I do ouchy-bleedy.)
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To: caww

Pretty much.


72 posted on 10/07/2013 8:38:42 PM PDT by reaganaut (I don't do hopey-changey. I do ouchy-bleedy.)
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To: reaganaut
Rapid City S.Dakota...


73 posted on 10/07/2013 8:39:18 PM PDT by caww
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To: caww

That dog should be grateful for the snow fence, he’d have been buried otherwise.


74 posted on 10/07/2013 8:39:23 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: Olog-hai

Go rent/buy the movie Lonesome Dove. If they have cattle in Texas and cattle in South Dakota I think the animals adjust to the the climate they are in.


75 posted on 10/07/2013 8:39:57 PM PDT by 23 Everest (When seconds count. The police are just 23 minutes away. 831 Bonnie)
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Comment #76 Removed by Moderator

To: reaganaut
Not desperate or dumb. Most of us LOVE being farmers and feeding the world. Many of us see it as a sacred trust. My family has farmed in South Dakota since before it was Dakota Territory and I come from one of the largest (and wealthiest) farm/ranch families in the state history but every year it was still a risk.

Hmmm, you JUST finished saying that you were "not going to lay out 2.5 million per year in HOPES I have a crop" and OTHERS take the risk, not you.
You aren't desperate or dumb. You are smart. You OBVIOUSLY love the land and the entire idea of farming and ranching....but YOU just don't take the risk.

You have your cake...and eat it too. Good for you.

77 posted on 10/07/2013 8:42:07 PM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: reaganaut

Very interesting....thanks.


78 posted on 10/07/2013 8:42:13 PM PDT by caww
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Comment #79 Removed by Moderator

To: cloudmountain

//. Maybe your aunt’s family will try something that doesn’t rely on Mother Nature. //

And do what? It is all they have done for generations and he is 64 this year? Do you expect him to go back to school? He worked hard to build this ranch so he had something to leave his 3 sons.

And you still eat steak, right? Hamburgers? Drink Milk? Get that Latte? Someone needs to do it. Be grateful you don’t have to take that kind of risk.

And yes, bulldozer or similar is pretty much required for farms and ranches. We don’t have trash pickup - it goes to the ‘burn pit’ in the yard.


80 posted on 10/07/2013 8:44:02 PM PDT by reaganaut (I don't do hopey-changey. I do ouchy-bleedy.)
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