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Ike kills 4,000 animals, damages rice fieldsLUBBOCK, Texas (AP)--Agriculture officials said late Sept. 16 they've found about 4,000 dead cows in portions of two Southeast Texas counties searched in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Some cows left stranded or that perished might never be found, though. "They're being eaten by alligators," said Kathleen Phillips, spokeswoman for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Meanwhile, the storm's strong winds and heavy rains heavily damaged the rice crop, equipment and storage facilities east of Houston. One official estimated losses will be in the millions of dollars. "It's not a pretty sight," Dwight Roberts, chief executive officer and president of the Houston-based U.S. Rice Producers Association, said Sept. 16 while out assessing losses. Corralling loose animals continued Sept. 16 along with air and land surveys in Chambers and Jefferson counties continued; Orange and Liberty counties haven't yet been searched. Yesterday, agriculture officials estimated as many as 20,000 cows and horses were roaming the region. About 15,000 cows have been sighted, officials said. Twenty percent of those--about 4,000 cows--did not survive the storm, said Andy Vestal, Texas AgriLife Extension Service liaison to the State Operations Center for Hurricane Ike. "This is not all the cattle expected to be found stranded or dead, but it is a good start in locating these animals that are in dire need of assistance," he said in a statement. Agriculture officials are seeking donations and contributions of hay, feeding cubes, fresh water and troughs to help out producers in the region. So far $30,000 has been donated and about 340 bales of hay have been bought with the money or contributed. A 5,000-gallon tanker of water, panels for makeshift pens, and two flatbed trailers to haul hay are en route, Ed Smith, director of the extension service said in an email late Sept. 16. Animal rescuers are racing against time because the storm-stressed cattle will continue to die without provisions, he said in the e-mail. Cattle officials estimate there were 35,000 cattle in the area before Ike hit. Some producers loaded up their animals and moved them out of Southeast Texas. Cattle found roaming will be taken to a central location so ranchers, using brands and eartags for identification, can find animals that belong to them. A special rangers division of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and assistance from New Mexico's cattle industry are coordinating that effort, Phillips said. "They want to be able to return them to the rightful owners," she said. There should be little concern about cattle drinking salty water or eating grass from seawater-drenched pastures. "It's so salty they'll back off of it," said Buddy Faries, a rangeland specialist with the extension service. Carcasses of cattle or other livestock must be disposed of properly, state officials said. The preferred way is burial in pits or trenches, or by mounding. Public health and safety concerns are paramount to prevent the spread of disease and to protect water quality. The cattle industry isn't the only one suffering. Ike walloped the rice crop east of Houston. Some entire fields were wiped out, Roberts said. "I know (damages) are going to be well into the millions of dollars," he said. Texas ranks No. 4 nationally in production of long-grain rice. Second crops for some producers are still possible, Roberts said. Rice producers' problems from Ike won't end when the floodwaters recede, though. Salt water from Ike's storm surge will cause difficulties for several growing seasons, he said. "It takes a while to get (the salt) out" of the soil, he said. More rain will help dilute the soil's salt concentration. While much of the crop was harvested, the rice had not been dried fully and producers now face having to store green rice. Since power supplies are down, generators are being sent into the region from neighboring states to help dry the rice, Roberts said. 10/6/08 Date: 10/2/08
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