UPDATE: 15,000 Dead

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austin

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May 7, 2006
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This is terrible. I had no idea it had gotten this bad.  :'(

DENVER (AP)--Up to 15,000 cattle may have been killed by a snowstorm that buried southeastern Colorado under several feet of snow and built drifts up to 15 feet high, a Colorado Cattlemen’s Association official said Monday.



That would be more than four times higher than the 3,500 cattle that state officials estimated were killed, but the smaller number included only range cattle and did not account for thousands of livestock in feedlot pens.



Terry Fankhauser, executive vice president of the state cattlemen’s association, said he estimates between 10,000 and 15,000 cattle died. He said he based his estimate on conversations with ranchers and feedlot owners.



“We’re waiting on pins and needles“ to hear whether ranchers will receive federal disaster aid as requested by the state, Fankhauser said.



State officials have said many ranchers will not have an accurate count of their losses until more snow melts. Fankhauser estimated that up to one-third of ranchers in the area have not located all their cattle.



A storm that hit Dec. 28 left thousands of cattle stranded without food or water in the southeastern part of the state. Colorado National Guard troops used helicopters and large trucks to deliver hay to livestock.



By Monday, many roads had been made passable and ranchers were able to start feeding their own cattle after the second of three snowstorms to hit Colorado in two weeks, said Laura McConnell, a spokeswoman for a state team coordinating relief efforts.



Thirteen Colorado counties -including the cities of Denver, Boulder and Pueblo -- were included in the emergency declaration issued by President Bush Sunday for the Dec. 18-22 blizzard. A second declaration was issued for Otero County in southeastern Colorado for the Dec. 28-31 storm, Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jerry DeFelice said.



The action makes the counties eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 75% of costs for snow removal, police overtime, shelter operations and emergency medical care.



The declarations do not trigger low-interest loans to ranchers, nor does it provide for direct assistance to households or businesses, DeFelice said.



In southeastern Colorado, where Colorado National Guard troops and crews from several state agencies plowed roads and used helicopters and trucks to deliver hay to isolated livestock, counties were taking over more of the storm cleanup.



Crews were still delivering hay by ground, but most ranchers were able to start clearing some of their own roads and get to their cattle, McConnell said.



The next big concern is rounding up enough hay for area herds, said Scott Brase of the Colorado State University agriculture extension agency. He said most ranchers were short on hay because of the ongoing drought, and now the grass is under several feet of snow. The price of a ton of alfalfa hay has risen from $130 before the storm to more than $200 now, Fankhauser said.



Source: Dow Jones Newswire
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=96380


 

cowz

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Jan 10, 2007
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Hello calfman - Welcome to the board.

I was talking to a guy from Southern Colorado today who says the true numbers of dead cattle will be much higher.  The feedlots have suffered huge lossess.  The number will probably exceed 200,000.
 

austin

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May 7, 2006
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857
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Midwest
cowz said:
I was talking to a guy from Southern Colorado today who says the true numbers of dead cattle will be much higher.  The feedlots have suffered huge lossess.  The number will probably exceed 200,000.

:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ 

My buddy was stranded in dever airport for 3 days. He's been back for awhile, and I asked him about the cattle situation.  He grew up in La Junta, and he also expected a very, very high death toll--I think he said around 140,000.  :'(

 

cowz

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This same guy was telling me about how most of the National Guard guys who flew in the bales of hay to stranded cattle where farm boys from TX and OK.  They really appreciated that they dropped the hay right by the cattle, landed the helicopter and chopped the ice in the windmill tanks so the cows could drink.  They also knew who the town guys were.....dropped the bales a quarter mile from the cows.

A lot of cows could have possibly died due to lack of water.  A lot of people dont realize that cattle cant eat snow in the place of a drink of water.
 

KS Showman

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May 12, 2006
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I'm happy to hear they have the national guard involved. That would be an awesome job, imo.
 

austin

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cowz said:
This same guy was telling me about how most of the National Guard guys who flew in the bales of hay to stranded cattle where farm boys from TX and OK.  They really appreciated that they dropped the hay right by the cattle, landed the helicopter and chopped the ice in the windmill tanks so the cows could drink.   They also knew who the town guys were.....dropped the bales a quarter mile from the cows.

A lot of cows could have possibly died due to lack of water.  A lot of people dont realize that cattle cant eat snow in the place of a drink of water.

I'll bet that was (is) one of the main causes of the deaths.

They can handle the cold, but water is vital.
 

aj

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Jul 5, 2006
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6,420
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western kansas
This is from almost a year ago. I remember it well. What is the latest ice storm report back in eastern kansas and is this new storm going to hurt you. I have steers in a feedlot in montezuma ks also in a shorthorn feedlot test. Are they covered up? Good luck to you all.
 

justintime

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May 26, 2007
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Saskatchewan Canada
This is truly a tragedy of major proportions!  I would be surprised if these cattle died from not having water, but most likely from the stress of the storm and lack of nutrition. I have a very good friend with 1500 cows who has only provided his cows with snow as a water source for  over 25 years and his cows look great in the spring.  I know of many herds here in Canada, that do the same thing. I very prominent purebred breeder I know with about 600 cows, has been using snow as a water source for about 10 years now and he says it is working out just fine. I would also mention that people here who do this calve these cows on grass. I am sure it would be hard for a milking cow to eat enough snow to maintain themselves and milk, but with a dry cow it is possible. I have even seen government issued brocures telling farmers how to winter their cows utilizing snow as a water source.
 

garybob

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Feb 4, 2007
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NW Arkansas
cowz said:
This same guy was telling me about how most of the National Guard guys who flew in the bales of hay to stranded cattle where farm boys from TX and OK.  They really appreciated that they dropped the hay right by the cattle, landed the helicopter and chopped the ice in the windmill tanks so the cows could drink.   They also knew who the town guys were.....dropped the bales a quarter mile from the cows.

A lot of cows could have possibly died due to lack of water.  A lot of people dont realize that cattle cant eat snow in the place of a drink of water.
Things like that restore my thinning faith in human nature. Them boys deserve success in whatever arena they chose to participate in. Take the boy outta the country, can't beat it outta 'em, No matter what.
 
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