Drought
causing problems for county farmers
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Many farmers have had to sell livestock to make feed supplies
last
By
LAURA HAGAN
With high
temperatures and a low amount of rainfall these past few months,
it’s no wonder that local farmers are having trouble keeping
their animals fed.
Grass,
hay, and water are becoming so scarce in the county, many farmers
have had to sell some of their herd.
Doyle Deavers,
manager of United Producers Inc., said the number of livestock
coming through the stockyard has increased by 300 to 400 head
a week.
“A
few farmers have had to sell out their whole herds,” he
said.
He names
the drought as the number one cause.
Besides
the problem the lack of rain is causing right now, it will also
make the winter a hard time for farmers. Deavers said as the weather
gets colder, there’s always the chance of what little water
is left freezing.
The biggest
problem right now though, is finding enough hay for all of the
animals. Deavers said many are supplementing with feed. Another
option is going out of state to buy loads of hay. He said a number
of county agents are putting together deals for farmers to do
so, allowing four or five farmers to go in together on a load
of hay.
But going
out of state makes it more expensive. Deavers said it is about
$250 a ton to get hay shipped in.
“It’s
a bad situation for farmers,” he said. “They have
no choice but to sell (their animals).”
He said
the market is still strong and prices for cattle are still good.
More smaller cattle are being sold because they cannot take the
extreme heat as well as bigger cattle can.
Deavers
said the bigger cattle are still selling well, and there is less
death-loss with them.
Jerry Jones,
owner of Bishop Feeds, said he doesn’t know what farmers
are going to do.
He said
he plans to sell all of his livestock because of the lack of hay
and the age of his cows.
Jeff Satchwell,
assistant manager at Southern States, said the situation has been
stressful for everyone.
He said
the large bales of hay being brought in from out west have helped,
and that several farmers are supplementing with bulk feed, to
help stretch out the hay for the winter months.
Brian Forsee
has sheep and cattle and said his feed supply has been reduced
drastically, and it will continue to affect him through the winter.
While he hasn’t sold a lot of his cattle, he has reduced
the number of aged cattle.
“I’m
having to purchase commodities on a retail basis and supplement
the livestock to get by,” he said.
Forsee
said the current situation is similar to what happens during the
winter. He said costs have increased dramatically, and there is
more labor required to feed and take care of the animals.
“This
will affect me financially for years to come,” he said.
The drought
may also affect next year’s supply of hay as well.
Forsee
said the late freeze this past spring, accompanied by the drought,
has damaged hay stands and already reduced the feed supply for
next year.
“We
all hope and pray every night it will rain,” Deavers said.
“It will get worse if it doesn’t.”
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