Early snow kills thousands of cattle in SD

Associated Press ^ | Oct 7, 2013 7:10 PM EDT | Chet Brokaw

[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. …

[cloudmountain]

So, what you are saying is that the weather people may be a waste of time. Heck, it's a crap shoot! You would do as well in Lost Wages Las Vegas.

Gotta go now. 'Night. Nice chatting with you!

[NVDave]

Cows ain’t real bright. Really. A very few are, most aren’t.

And sheep - holy crap, they are stupid. I’ve seen sheep get run over by an irrigation pivot on our farm that would have taken four days to make a full circle. All the stupid sheep had to do was stand up and walk away. Instead, they get run over by a pivot that’s moving at a couple *hundredths* of a mile per hour.

Cattle don’t want to move when they’re in a situation where they have water and grass. Put them in good pasture, and they’ll be happy to stay there through thick and thin. Same for horses. I’ve seen mustangs in Nevada die standing up in snow drifts, when all they had to do was walk out of the canyon. Why didn’t they move? Because they knew that back up in the canyon, they had reliable water. They weren’t going to move. Period.

Most herd animals are content to stay where they’re comfortable. Unless you put pressure on them to move, they’re going to move only if they need something. If they didn’t need anything when it started snowing, then they’re pretty much going to stay where they were when it started snowing. And that’s where you’ll find them when the snow melts.

[ican'tbelieveit]

By the way, people who experience failed businesses CHANGE their business to something more safe, reliable, dependable, whatever.

See you don't understand in the blood. If every rancher or farmer that failed the first time moved onto something more "reliable," we wouldn't have food on the grocery store shelves.

And don't forget to book a week in some place WARM for the coldest part of winter. That would be January and February. Better make it two weeks.

The worst time to leave a ranch is in January or February. Ranchers have to feed their cattle nearly daily during these months, and if cows calve early, they have to support that process. We would be out in the worst of weather pulling calves, loading them up to bring back to the house, and putting newborn calves in the house in front of heaters to keep them alive. We would be out digging cows and calves out of snowdrifts. You have to break the ice on water tanks/holes so cattle can drink water (if it is a long enough cold spell, that is a daily chore across all of the pastures that cattle are wintering in). We drove the roads to break paths for the neighbors to get in and out of their properties. Again, no concept of the life.

[caww]

LOL...oh that’s funny..I’m sure he laughed too.

Yes, I was a town gal so adjusting to the world of farm and ranch people took some doing. I had to get use to the smells and the dress “style”.... But they make it hard not to love them....most are really good people who don’t have time to get caught up in the sillyness that city people seem to think is so important.

As hard as it is I still say anyone who has ‘their own business’...regardless of the trials and hardships...is way ahead of the top CEO of any company who never knows if his job is going to be their tomorrow. HE’s always working FOR someone else...framers and ranchers work for themselves!

[bd476]

"23 Everest wrote: Dude, Rapid City is now where near the state of SD. You folks are full of it."

23 Everest, Rapid City is in South Dakota. As mentioned in the linked article Olog-Hai posted, the devastating storm which hit South Dakota on Friday, broke the record set in October 1919 where 15.1 inches of snow fell on Rapid City, South Dakota.

In fact, I have posted a copy below of the October 1954 Climatological Data Weather Summary of South Dakota published by the US Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, where the snowstorm of October 1919 is confirmed as having had the highest number of inches of fallen snow on Rapid City, South Dakota.

23 Everest, this current snowstorm which hit Rapid City, South Dakota has been devastating to people who live in or near Rapid City, South Dakota. The storm has seriously impacted people with relatives and financial concerns in South Dakota. If you weren't aware of the impact such a storm could have, that's one thing.

If you're just here to troll or make fun of FReepers who have been hurt; if you're just here to ridicule those who have suffered losses from this storm, please go elsewhere to play.

[ApplegateRanch]

Thanks; yes, it was a record setter, and dumped about twice what had been predicted. Rapid City got 21 inches; Deadwood got 42; we got between 8 & 12.

As of today, there were still loose cows running around in downtown Rapid City.

This was in Rapid Valley, just outside Rapid City:

[caww]

Man! You are one nasty individual...are you having a man-period or something? Sheesh...

[Tammy8]

You have been snide about ranchers throughout the thread. Not sure why you are so quick to judge a way of life you know nothing about. I really don’t care what you think about me or my way of life.

[reaganaut]

//We look after ourselves and each other. We pull together. We are true “red state” conservatives. //

Amen! And that is so true. You need something, someone is there to help you.

I had some friends from Utah come visit this summer and they were shocked at how helpful people were. They stopped in the Capitol to get a part for their car and one of the guys sitting there chatting offered to come out and help put it on for them. When TSHF, we are there for each other - no strings.

[Rannug]

A dude named Noah was going to build a barn that covered 7700 acres, but another one named God told Noah to build an ark for some reason or other.

[Daffynition]

Goodness!

Stay safe! It looks like January in the White Mountains of NH!

[reaganaut]

It is in the blood and we (either directly or indirectly) feed most of the world. If we all just gave up that easily under the belief that it was more reliable, the grocery stores would be empty. Furthermore, my inlaws had 9-5 corporate jobs, pensions and stocks. A ‘reliable’ business. They can’t afford to retire. My farmland still works for me and I do realize that I am VERY blessed but I worked hard to get where I am now and took a lot of risks and it wasn’t “safe, reliable, dependable, whatever”. THANK GOD for that.

My immediate family sold off the livestock (except for our aquafarm) by the time I was a teenager, but I have heard a lot of those stories (and lived a few). And frankly, why is there an assumption we would WANT to go somewhere warmer? I have to spend some of the winter in the SW because I care for my mother and she can’t handle the cold, but I would MUCH rather stay here in the frozen North.

Like the t-shirt I got my husband “Why would I go to town? I didn’t plant anything there!”

[reaganaut]

Thank you for posting that. That was interesting.

[caww]

LOL...sounds like people too!

[Rannug]

I managed to keep from calling you a dumb ass in my first reply to you.

[Daffynition]

These are the same people who think food comes from a grocery store. Trolling trolls.

[caww]

That’s right....I heard many a farmers story about vet calls in the middle of the night...and in all types of weather...or when a calf needs more than two hands can handle.

Wets too have to be available to the rancher and farmer for those times when there’s no other way to handle.