Dangerous Heat and Humidity
The extreme heat and humidity is taking its toll across cattle country and dealing a crushing blow to feedlot operators and farmer feeders.
Dr. Derrell Peel, extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University says on Wednesday in Stillwater the heat index was 110 to 112 degrees with an actual temperature of 102.
“So it’s extremely tough. It (the heat) came on rather suddenly, which I think is probably part of the problem in terms of the impact on these animals. There wasn’t much adjustment time, which is a key. Obviously, these animals are big and heavy,” he says.
Performance Losses
Despite stepped up efforts by producers to keep cattle cool, there have been reports of rising death losses in cattle feedlots from North to South and performance has also been compromised.
Cattle weight gains have been going backwards says Zach Tindall with Producers Livestock Marketing.
“You think 3% on a on a 1600 lb steer is 48 lbs. I would guess in the last 3 days when you got heat index values close to 120 or even 130 in places in Nebraska, those cattle have shrunk 100 lb pretty easy,” he explains.
Death Toll Rises
The bigger story is death loss in major feeding areas.
Tindall says they’ve been getting numerous reports from customers that operate in the Central and Southern Plains ranging from a few to a few hundred head.
“We’ve heard up to 300, lots in the hundreds in the Southern states and on a percentage basis, I would say there’s some yards that are at 3% some are at 1%.”
Northern Feedlots Hit the Worst
But the bigger losses have been in the Northern feedlots where cattle are usually larger in frame, fed to heavier weights and genetically are not bred for the heat.
Kyle Bumsted with Allendale is also a cattle producer in Ericson, Nebraska and says it has turned into a crisis.
“Here in Nebraska and South Dakota, they’ve been taking the brunt of it as these cattle are bigger up here in the north, and they’re not really maybe accustomed to the heat or the prolonged heat. It’s been staying too hot at night in most instances, and these cattle just can’t get cooled down,” he says.
Bumsted says many feedlots had cattle sold with a plan to have those delivered before the heat set in. However, some of those cattle were pushed back by packers.
Death Toll in the Tens of Thousands
This has led to tens of thousands of cattle deaths from North to South and that number could grow if the heat is further prolonged.
“I’d say we’re probably in the neighborhood of probably 15 to 20 right now,” estimates Bumsted, “If we get another hot stretch, we could probably work that number up towards that 20 to 30,000 head very easily, especially from what I’ve been hearing.”
While those are alarming numbers Peel says they may not be a market mover.
“That’s a huge number, not really to affect the overall market, but obviously for the producers involved, it’s a tremendous loss.”
Financial Blow to Feedlots
The losses are always a blow to feedlots but especially in this high cattle price environment says Bumsted.
“Financially, yeah, it’s definitely, it’s big. You know, it depends on the size of the yard,how much they can absorb. But regardless, one is tough, but losing multiple is not good.”
And Tindall concurs, “Obviously zero is too much in this market with what the cattle are worth but not real good.”
Some feedlots or farmer feeder operations do have insurance, but not all, due to the high cost.
Little Reprieve in Sight
Unfortunately the dangerous heat and humidity may persist according to USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippy.
Appearing on AgriTalk, Rippy detailed a hot forecast for cattle country for the next several days.
“As you get back to the High Plains region, we’re just going to keep rolling along with a lot of this heat. There may be some occasional breaks as the monsoon wraps across out of the Southwest. But the overall theme here, I think, is a lot of humidity, a lot of heat continuing into August. Tough on livestock,” he summarizes.
Peel says the forecast is a concern. “We may get a tiny respite this weekend based on the forecast I’ve seen, but then we’re going to be right back in it again next week. So it could go here for quite some time.”
And that could lead to additional cattle losses.
