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Heat stress causing cattle deaths in KansasBy Kylene Scott It's July and it's hot. In many parts of the country, the summer weather has been a bit unpredictable. In central and western Kansas since July 16, high temperatures, even higher humidity levels, combined with low wind speeds are affecting cattle living in feedlot scenarios. The high temperatures were forecast to continue through July 23, according to the National Weather Service. Some cattle are having a tough time dealing with the heat, and a number have already died. Great Bend, Kan., veterinarian Nels Lindberg has been consulting with feedyards in his area and has seen deaths in both central and western Kansas feedlots. "The heaviest hit, at this point, is around Great Bend and the surrounding areas," Lindberg said. "I've even seen some cattle losses in the Dodge City area." Lindberg said, particularly on July 16, there were extremely high temperatures, high humidity and no wind. "It's a bad combination for livestock--any animal for that matter, as well as people," he said. Many feedyards, Lindberg stressed, have protocols in place to deal with heat stress situations. "As a consulting vet with feedyards, management has protocols in place to help alleviate the heat stress," he said. "They work around the clock to offset the heat and to give the cattle the best conditions possible." Lindberg said it is also important to care for the people who are taking care of the livestock. "We also should focus on care for the employees. It's hot for them, too," Lindberg said. Todd Domer, Kansas Livestock Association vice president of communications, said most of the problems they have heard about have been in an area from Ottawa County down to Ford County. There is no official count of the number of head lost. "There's no official mechanism, either government or private industry, to collect official numbers on this type of loss event," Domer said. "Any total number used could be either high or low, due to the lack of reporting. Individual feedyards have reported anywhere from zero losses to 1 percent of inventory, but neither are reflective of a total number." Research has shown the most effective practices include providing adequate shade, spraying with water, careful monitoring, and proper feeding and watering. Discuss specific alternatives with your veterinarian and nutritionist to develop a strategy for your operation. Overnight lows higher than 74 degrees do not allow cattle to adequately cool, requiring heightened observation and possibly intervention the following day. Livestock heat stress forecast maps are produced daily through a partnership of the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and the National Weather Service. More information on heat stress forecasts and tips for managing such emergencies can be found at www.kla.org. This combination of weather conditions doesn't happen often, but it has in the past. "It does not happen every year," Domer said. "However, a similar occurrence was experienced by cattle feeders in north central Kansas and south central Nebraska during June 2009." KLA also has information about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Livestock Indemnity Program, or LIP. The program can compensate producers for animals lost during extreme weather events, including heat. LIP will pay on a per-head basis for losses exceeding an established baseline loss percentage. For non-adult beef cattle over 800 pounds, the baseline death loss percent is 1.1 percent and the payment rate is $654.60 per head. For cattle between 400 to 799 pounds, the program will pay on losses over 1.9 percent at a rate of $432.59 per head. Cattle under 400 pounds will be compensated at $302.58 per head over 2.7 percent. Producers will be required to notify the county Farm Service Agency office that maintains their farm records within 30 days of the loss and then file an application for payment by Jan. 30, 2011. A producer must have an adjusted gross non-farm income of $500,000 or less on their tax return to qualify for payments. The program is capped at $100,000 per producer. Documentation of inventory and livestock losses will be necessary as part of the application process.
Kylene Scott can be reached by phone at 620-227-1804 or by e-mail at kscott@hpj.com.
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