Posted on 07/28/2011 9:10:32 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
Ranchers in parts of Kansas are hauling their spring cattle to auction barns because a drought and the brutal heat have made it difficult to provide the water and hay needed to keep the animals healthy, according to a state agency.
Some auction markets are seeing more than triple the number of cattle at weekly sales than they typically have at this time of year, the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service said. For example, 14,500 head of cattle were taken to sale rings at Pratt, Salina and Dodge City last week. Last year, those auction markets sold just 4,300 head.
The sales are necessary because the hot, dry weather has dried up ponds and pastures, The Hutchinson News reported Wednesday. The statistics service said more than half of the range and pasture conditions are in poor or very poor condition.
Some areas of southwest Kansas haven't received a good rain for more than a year. Large cattle-producing areas like Comanche County had just 1.49 inches at Coldwater from January through June, said Larry Ruthi, with the National Weather Service.
It also has been the driest July through July on record for Dodge City, with about 8 inches of rain falling during the period, Ruthi said.
And temperatures have reached past 100 degrees more than 30 days in a row for much of southern Kansas, with no significant rain forecast for the near future.
Cattle pens have been packed at Winter Livestock in Dodge City, said Brian Winter, who owns several Midwest sale barns. Last week, about 5,500 head sold at the Wednesday sale. In July 2010, market receipts for the month totaled 6,000.
"That's pretty telling," Winter said. "Some of these guys wouldn't sell until the fall, but it's just been so dry they can't maintain their herd."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I’ve had the privilege of eating some good western Kansas beef before. At least maybe some lucky steak eaters will benefit from this drought.
We are selling them here in east TX, too. No grass. Round bales of hay now $80.00 per.
If its like other commie/socialist countries this “grought” will last at least 2-3 more years.
/sarc
Short term cheap beef followed by long term expensive beef. Eat your burgers now guys.
Same here in the Panhandle.....hot an very dry.
I’d gladly pay you today for a burger Tuesday...
If Free Republic existed in 1980 a Freeper would have posted the same story about Wichita and the surrounding area. I lived there then and gang it was hot...and it was Kansas and it was July. We had 12+ days in a row of 100 deg heat...and I had to walk 4 miles uphill to work in a dark gray uniform and the city didn’t allow backpacks if you wore dark gray and I had to carry my 14lb government cheese and Spam lunch in my hands...and ...and...sob..sob...
These droughts happen all the time, my husband sold off his mother’s cattle about 15 years ago and never restocked. She just happened to marry a guy who had a large capital loss and she had that large capital gain and it evened out so she didn’t have to repurchase or pay huge taxes.
We will inherit that ranch some day and I figured it would take us 5 years to pay for the herd and that is with no ranch payment, just expenses. I don’t think we’ll ever restock it...but I will never say never because my husband bought 5 pair the other day and we have some feed to last a while.
Price of beef finally going down? I have about stopped buying it for the past six months.
Sorry to the ranchers, but what is bad news for one person can be good news to another.
Our round bales just went up today from $80 to $95 a bale. I need 1 per week to feed my 4 horses and 2 donkeys.
Its just crazy weather here. Jan to June was a record four our area. 4.3 inches of rain ...total !
Eastern NM here. We had contracted to ship 1st week of Oct. Cattle buyer here yesterday and we will ship August 17th and Aug. 27th. We run 600 head of angus cows. Calves are 150lbs lighter now than this time last year. Now is time to think about cows, this calf crop is done. Have never seen it so bad. Denco
Never seen it like this here....just glad crp grass is holding the soil.
Stay Chilly an pray for rain.
Since I last posted, got a call from one of the hay suppliers....next weeks bale will cost me $95.00. The quality not really vouchsafed....I used to get top quality horse hay for $50.
My worry is, will there be hay available by Nov, Dec....?
Makes me wish I had grass rather than brown stuff in my meadow.
Our Kansas pond is drying up. Scary.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.