I have never sailed, but I imagine if I tried to be an authority on sailing I would sound as ignorant as you do about ranching.
There is so much you don’t know that you really aren’t making sense. First of all a ranch of any size has different areas that offer lower elevation, more shelter in the way of terrain or brush, things of that type. No need to move cattle all the way out of a storm to make a huge difference. Most ranches especially those with harsh winters have summer range and winter range and likely the cattle had not yet been moved to winter range where plans are in place to feed and care for the animals through the winter- feed storage and the like. It is not as easy as you seem to think to move cattle on the spur of the moment. Another issue is when the cattle are moved normally to winter range neighbors help each other, when it is an emergency situation the neighbors would need to move their own at the same time you would need to move yours so help is likely not available. Not to mention the hardship on the people trying to take care of the cattle in harsh weather that is at the wrong time of the year. Most of the people were likely thinking early snowfall, not catastrophic storm.
As to cattle knowing a storm is coming and being able to save themselves- they do know, and if there were no fences they would try very hard to drift away from the storm. With all the fences now they are essentially trapped, though even when fences are not an issue freak storms- wet heavy snow with harsh bitter cold wind at an unlikely time of the year have trapped and killed cattle before at astonishing rates.
I also have no idea why so many think it is somehow not harmful to a rancher to lose half his herd, or that the high price of meat will make up for that. First you would have to stay in business in order to cash in on high prices that may or may not happen as a result of this. Many also seem convinced all this is covered by insurance which may not be true. Many smaller ranchers cannot afford to insure everything on the place, or hardly anything on the place- most ranching is more hanging on by a shoe string than most think.
Before I lost my husband we had a Case New Holland Farm Equip. business along with hardware all geared to the farmers in our area. I didn't realize the hours nor the work these businesses entailed until I married him and saw first hand.
We lived close to the business in order to accommodate farmers emergencies....and they often can come in waves when weather occurs or during seasonal times. Basically we kept farmer/rancher hours when it came to opening the business for them off hours...and we did just that.
I truly got an education! And I will add this...there are no better people then there are farmers and ranches .....amazing individuals in every way..and so are their wives!
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