Heat and drought leave cattle farmers struggling

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Cows graze in a Limestone County pasture Wednesday during a much-needed rain shower. Temperatures above 100 degrees and drought have wreaked havoc on hay and corn crops, which has in turn hurt local cattle farmers. News Courier/Rebecca Croomes

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July 15, 2012

Heat and drought leave cattle farmers struggling

By Adam Smith adam@athensnews-courier.com The News Courier Sun Jul 15, 2012, 02:00 AM CDT

— The much-needed rain that fell across the Tennessee Valley this week may have perked up lawns and flowers, but it wasn’t enough to help the local cattle farmers who now find themselves in dire straits.

Three weeks of scorching temperatures and little-to-no rainfall put a hurting on hay fields, corn crops and ponds used by farmers to water their cattle. With no relief in sight, some have been forced to sell early at reduced prices.

Donna Jo Curtis, a Limestone County cattle farmer and president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, said the only thing that will help most farmers now is rain and lots of it.

“The rain has helped a little, but a lot of the pastures are just gone,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who don’t have enough water so they’re selling cows and calves.”

More livestock in the market means farmers are also not getting what their cows are worth. Curtis said prices normally fluctuate around $1.43 per pound, but she said a 650-pound calf is now only worth about $1.15 per pound.

And because the drought has devastated much of the corn crops, cattle farmers are forced to pay more for corn feed. The combination of higher corn prices and lower cattle prices, Curtis said, means consumers may soon be paying more for beef in the grocery stores.

“Prices will be going up because people selling cows are not going to replace them, so you’re going to have a shorter supply,” she said.

Curtis said even though cows are resilient animals, the combination of drought and high temperatures can be detrimental. Steers she weaned at the first of June actually lost weight during the stretch of 100-plus degree days.

“When it’s that hot, they’re not going to graze until nighttime,” she said. “That’s why people need to have a defined calving season because you don’t need to have a cow having a calf this time of year.”

To help alleviate some of the strain, the Limestone County Farm Services Agency plans to request emergency haying and grazing of the Conservation Reserve Program. The CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help safeguard environmentally sensitive land.

Emergency haying and grazing of CRP acreage may be authorized to provide relief to livestock producers in areas affected by a severe drought, according to the USDA. A determination to allow emergency haying and grazing is based on the U.S. Drought Monitor, which as of July 10 had Limestone County in a D-2, or severe, drought classification.

The USDA announced on Friday that drought-stricken counties in 26 states, including southeastern Alabama, would be eligible for relief funds. Limestone, Madison, Morgan and other counties across North Alabama were not eligible, however.

Sean Seay, executive director of the Limestone County FSA, said the release of CRP acreage for hay could certainly help, but it won’t be a cure-all. Without more rain, he said, the wheat, corn and soybean woes will continue.

“The first cut in the hay was pretty bad because the weather affected it more than anybody knew,” he said. “If this is all the rain we get, there may not be a second cutting.”

Seay knows of at least one farmer who irrigated his land but still lost much of his pasture. Others, he said, have started using winter hay for their cows because there are no other alternatives.

He said if North Alabama stays in the D-2 classification for eight weeks, it may be eligible for cattle relief programs. However, the Drought Monitor released next week may change following the latest round of rain.

To further complicate matters, Seay said the monitor is determined by local stream levels, which is not an accurate depiction of the dry soil conditions.

“When you’re 10 inches behind (in rainfall) and you get two inches, you’re still eight inches in the hole,” Seay said, adding the county is 67 percent behind in terms of normal summer rainfall amounts. “We have to be in bad shape to request (aid).”

Curtis didn’t know how much CRP acreage is available in Limestone County, but said many people left the program after choosing to lease to row crop farmers. Even worse, she said, is much of the local CRP land is not fit for cutting hay.

“It’s kind of watch and wait,” she said. “People just need to pray for rain.”

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