boyst Posted January 7, 2014 Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) http://www.foxnews.c...rd-that-killed/ A month after a freak blizzard dumped up to 4 feet of snow in western South Dakota, killing about 14,000 cattle, 45 donated cattle from Montana designed to serve as breeding stock were sent on Friday to ranchers in The Mount Rushmore State. Another 400 cattle, including yearling and bred heifers worth as much as $75,000, have also been sent to South Dakota from neighboring Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota to help the afflicted ranchers get back on their feet ahead of the looming harsh winter. and http://www.farmforum...e8c51bb0d6.html PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A relief fund for western South Dakota ranchers who lost tens of thousands of cattle in an early October blizzard has collected $3 million, three times as much as expected, an organizer said on Dec. 27. The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, Cattlemen’s Association and Sheepgrowers Association set up the fund and expected to raise $500,000 to $1 million, but donations by Dec. 27 exceeded $3 million from more than 5,000 donors, Stockgrowers Association President Bob Fortune said. Many donors gave $5, while some gave up to $100,000, he said. ... Assistant state veterinarian Mendel Miller said 297 South Dakota ranchers have reported losing 21,541 cattle, 1,382 sheep, 299 horses, 40 bison, one goat and one llama in the October storm. Well, I had not posted anything about this because I feel like I put a lot, maybe too much on Ag for a board about football. But, after the last week, maybe 10 days I have been feeling the urge to do so. Many people watch the news, many people heard about how the Upper Midwest got some nasty early season blizzards that left them unprepared in the Ag world to deal with it. And, after the Green Bay playoff game we saw extreme temperatures and thought how will the fans survive? We had our meeting tonight, the same one we have every month and it came up. We all knew about it but we kept talking about how, really, not much of the country knew or was talking about how bad it was. If this had been a corporation we all know of like Microsoft or GM it would be like their largest complex burning down completely. South Dakota is huge in the livestock, tied for 6th in the country, and they had more then 3.8mm cattle vs. just over 800,000 people . Whether you eat meat or not, whether you agree with all the fancy terms about agriculture it is a tough job and gets little appreciation. Some farmers lost their entire herd, some lost dozens of cattle. The ones hardest hit were the youngest, the ones that are a paycheck come the end of Spring. Family farms are already hit hard with the realities of the world, and the bottom dollar is getting thinner and thinner. While fans can make it for 3, maybe 4 hours watching a football game farmers who put food on your plate are out there in this every day dealing with the cold and not just doing it for their income. I've not met one farmer who doesn't care about their herd and their animals. I cannot imagine what losing all of my herd at one time or just my newest calves. So, I really don't know what I am saying here other then just throwing this up to the wall and drawing attention to it. These funds, the $3mm came from individuals without the need of the Red Cross, Goodwill, NATO, or some Federal relief assistance. To donate: http://www.ranchersrelief.org/ or you can contact your local Ag Extension office. https://www.giveblackhills.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Cart.New&Organization_ID=27677 Edited January 7, 2014 by jboyst62
BuffaloBill Posted January 7, 2014 Posted January 7, 2014 JBoyst thank you for putting this out here. My dad was not a farmer but I grew up in rural WNY surrounded by family farms (outside Medina). Farming is a very tough business. Many of the farms I knew are no longer in business some were in families for generations. Hard to imagine what families in the upper midwest are going through.
outsidethebox Posted January 7, 2014 Posted January 7, 2014 Thanks Jboyst, to be honost, I didn't hear about this until yesterday. This is terrible! I sure hope those poor farmers will be able to recover from this disaster. My thoughts and prayers go out to those families. They don't get the respect they deserve. People seem to forget where our food comes from. It doesn't just appear at the grocery store on its own.
ExiledInIllinois Posted January 7, 2014 Posted January 7, 2014 Like the others have said, a great cause to help out. I did hear about it when the storm hit, I just always thought that there was some protection like insurance built in. Can the ranchers carry insurance on their cattle or is that not an option? This from October: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE99D0NS20131014?irpc=932 Did they ever get federal disaster aid relief when the gov't reopened?
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