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. …
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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.
Some people still can’t conceive of divine influence of weather. Even those that might self-identify as religious conservatives.
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.)
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.
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.
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!!!
My grandfather used to say there is no such thing as an atheist farmer. You spend a lot of time praying.
And farming in CA is very different than farming in South Dakota or the plains. Costs, labor, etc.
Pretty much.
That dog should be grateful for the snow fence, he’d have been buried otherwise.
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.
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.
Very interesting....thanks.
//. 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.
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