Castrophic freak winter storm leaves South Dakota ranchers reeling

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/1...atastrophic-storm-leaves-up-to-100000-cattle/​

Ranchers in South Dakota fear they may lose everything after a freak storm dumped up four feet of snow in parts of the state last week, killing as many as 100,000 cattle.

Matt Kammerer, a 45-year-old rancher whose family has operated in South Dakota’s Meade County since 1882, told FoxNews.com that he lost 60 cattle in the storm, or one-third of his entire herd.

“You’re talking about $120,000 of assets that are just gone,” Kammerer said Friday by phone. “And we still owe the banks, too. It’s like driving a brand-new pickup off a cliff and still having to make payments.”

Most ranchers are reporting the loss of 75-80% of their herds. More like driving a several new trucks over a cliff ... Not to mention the emotional cost. Ranchers are attached to their herds. Losing so many at once is like losing a family member.

Among the other problems associated with the storm are that carcasses of dead cattle are lying all over the South Dakota prairie. Bodies are caught in fences, dams, creeks, etc. Disease outbreak is certain if the dead animals aren't picked up and carted away, and with the animals so close to -- in some cases, in -- the water sources in the area, disease could contaminate a wide area very quickly.

More news, not good, for the area: Heavy rains and high winds are predicted for this weekend, less than a week after the huge dump of snowfall.

 

[ktn4eg]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/1...atastrophic-storm-leaves-up-to-100000-cattle/
​

Most ranchers are reporting the loss of 75-80% of their herds. More like driving a several new trucks over a cliff ... Not to mention the emotional cost. Ranchers are attached to their herds. Losing so many at once is like losing a family member.

Among the other problems associated with the storm are that carcasses of dead cattle are lying all over the South Dakota prairie. Bodies are caught in fences, dams, creeks, etc. Disease outbreak is certain if the dead animals aren't picked up and carted away, and with the animals so close to -- in some cases, in -- the water sources in the area, disease could contaminate a wide area very quickly.

More news, not good, for the area: Heavy rains and high winds are predicted for this weekend, less than a week after the huge dump of snowfall.

This catastrophe would have never happened if the GOP wouldn't have single-handedly shut the federal government down! :tear:

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

This catastrophe would have never happened if the GOP wouldn't have single-handedly shut the federal government down! :tear:

You say that with tongue in cheek. Someone will come along and claim it as fact!

 

[ktn4eg]

You say that with tongue in cheek. Someone will come along and claim it as fact!

Of course......it's ALL[ways] GWB's fault! :thumbsup:

And Al[jazeerha] Gore's already jetting to the Coyote State's capital Pierre to protest!! :BangHead:

[Maybe if Alj... Gore would've been there sooner, his hot air might have counterbalanced the whole wintry blast....yah think?!!?] :smilewinkgrin:

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

[Maybe if Alj... Gore would've been there sooner, his hot air might have counterbalanced the whole wintry blast....yah think?!!?] :smilewinkgrin:

Lord knows he has enough and if it didn't dissolve the storm on contact, he'd debate it into non-existence.

 

[church mouse guy]

South Dakota is a place that the Indians did not inhabit. The range of temperatures is amazing--over 100 in the summer, more than 50 below zero in the winter.

 

[Zaac]

This catastrophe would have never happened if the GOP wouldn't have single-handedly shut the federal government down! :tear:

While the other side will blame Obama as it does for everything. He will naturally get the blame from the GOP for why help can't be gotten to the farmers.

Always enough "blame" to go around.

And while both sides are busy blaming the other, the farmers and their families still sit in four feet of snow minus their livelihood.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Stronger storms and unusual storms all have been predicted by global warming models. So what is the surprise?

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to how un-surprised I am by the last two comments?

I oughta charge $5 for my "prophesies."

 

[ktn4eg]

And while both sides are busy blaming the other, the farmers and their families still sit in four feet of snow minus their livelihood.

And that's partially due to corn farmers using their crops for ethanol instead of feed grain for cattle, thus hiking up gas prices for all and, in the long run, probably causing harm to all of our vehicles.

This, in turn, results in higher food prices for all of us!
----------------------------------------------------
Saint Pogo had it right: "We have met the enemy, and he is us!!"

 

[saturneptune]

What do you call a cow without any legs? Ground beef

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to how un-surprised I am by the last two comments?

I oughta charge $5 for my "prophesies."

LOL....:thumbs:

 

[Zaac]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to how un-surprised I am by the last two comments?

I oughta charge $5 for my "prophesies."

Probably about as unsurprised as I was that once the cynicism started that one would make such a comment about anything that showed the partisan view to be just that.:smilewinkgrin:

 

[church mouse guy]

There are two major books about the hardships of life in the Dakotas, originally settled by starving Norwegian immigrants. One book is the non-fiction work published in 2004 by David Laskin entitled The Children's Blizzard, dealing with the 1888 blizzard that took so many children's lives before they could get home from school. It is my understanding that there were more people in South Dakota in 1888 than today, unless the oil boom has re-populated the desolate area that some say birds never lived in until people came.

The famous work of fiction is by O. E. Ralvaag and deals with the same blizzard. It is Giants in the Earth: a Saga of Prairie Life, translated from Norwegian. It was first published in 1927.

The exact date of the blizzard was Jan. 12, 1888.