High temps affecting livestock farmers

Local farmers are struggling to keep their cattle fed after record temperatures and severe drought have robbed them of their pastures.

Ninety-three percent of Southeast Missouri's pastures are in poor or very poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly Crop Progress and Conditions report. Hay is in short supply too and with the hot, dry weather expected to continue, many farmers are selling off their herds all together.

Saturday's high temperature of 105 degrees in Cape Girardeau broke the previous record high for this day, set in 1952.

That year, the temperature reached 102, according to local records. The previous record of 102 was tied on this date in 1969.

Saturday's record high temperature was recorded at 1:43 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

"There is a big high-pressure ridge sitting on the southeast United States and it's just not breaking down," said Deanna Lindstrom, observation program leader at the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. "We're sitting in a dry, hot pattern and there's not an end in sight of it."

Today's high is expected to reach 103, which would easily break the previous record of 99 set in 1980. Temperatures are expected to hover around 100 degrees for the next several days, Lindstrom said.

In addition to being without pasture ground, livestock herds are also short on water. Seventy-five percent of Southeast Missouri's stock water supplies, such as ponds and creeks, are either very short or short, according to the USDA.

Hay is simply hard to find and if farmers can find it, it's cost prohibitive to buy it. The price has jumped from $30 to $40 a bail two weeks ago to about $60 now.

Without hay, some are getting creative when it comes to keeping their cows fed, said Geoff Shinn of Performance Blenders, a feed supply company in Gordonville.

Some are feeding straw they bailed after cutting wheat, some are chopping some of their corn crop, which is likely to have a low yield anyway, and feeding the stalks to their cattle.

Some may cut down smaller trees to let cattle eat their leaves, said Millersville cattle rancher Mike Kasten.

"Most of us will be selling our cows. We're just going to have to because there's not enough hay," he said.

Because of the dry spring, most people's first cutting of hay was small, he said. Pasture ground was already running short because many farmers motivated by high corn and soybean prices opted to convert pasture ground into row crops this spring.

"Now, they're not doing very well either. This is really a kind of trifecta. Fortunately, cattle prices are still good because we have such a short supply," Kasten said.

According to a USDA report released in January, the latest U.S. cattle inventory totaled 90.6 million cows and calves. That is the lowest Jan. 1 inventory of cattle since 1952, when there were 88.1 million.

In the short-term, the sell off will keep beef prices down, but in the long run this summer's drought is likely to make them go higher.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

Millersville, Mo.

Gordonville, Mo.