INVISIBLE HEROES
Without human help, cattle would struggle to survive weather
Police, firefighters, emergency medical workers and wrecker drivers attract a lot of attention f or sacrifices they make when serving the public during severe weather.
But don' t forget about Oklahoma' s farmers and ranchers.
Oklahoma is home to about 2.5 million cattle and to the thousands of farmers and ranchers who care for animals, and their work continues daily in rain or shine, whether it's blisteringly hot or frigidly cold outside.
Experts say t he current frigid weather poses risks to both livestock and to the men, women and children who care for them.
This most recent round of severe winter will stick around for awhile with freezing temperatures and below-freezing wind chills lasting through the second half of the week.
“The whole family is working outside in weather that in many cases cancels school,” said Bradley Secraw, an agriculture and 4H educator with Oklahoma State University's cooperative extension service. “Whether it is a dairy
farm ora beef cattle farm, they have got to be out there keeping their animals safe ... no matter how cold it is.”
Secraw said the timing of this storm is somewhat critical because calving season has just begun.
Farmers and ranchers, he said, should be bringing a buddy along with them so that they aren't out on the range tending to a calving cow alone.
Short of that, he encouraged them to make sure they alert a family member, co-worker or friend about where they are going to be, and to make sure they have suitable phone service so that they can call if they need help.
“These are large animals that can get excited. You can get into a freak accident. If this were the middle of the summer or the spring where temperatures weren't so bad, you might have time where someone could come to help you. But in these kinds of conditions when you find yourself in a bind, you can definitely put yourself in some serious danger,” he said.
Calving aside, farmers and ranchers also must provide the animals with routine care they need to survive, especially during this ongoing weekslong stretch of cold weather.
“These guys are going to be spending a lot of time chopping i ce, twice a day,” said Peel. “I grew up in Montana where we used stock fountains that were heated so they didn't freeze. But those aren't used down here, so they will be putting a lot of extra time in.”
Plus, cattle need a lot more energy—need to eat a lot more — to keep going when the weather is this cold, Peel continued.
“And if you feed them more hay, then making sure they have access to water becomes even more critical.”
Farmers also will be supplementing their animals' diets with feed, he observed.
“It isn't enough to just make sure they have access to stuff. It has got to have enough nutrients to give them the energy they need to maintain their bodies in this type of environment.”
Peel said most ranchers had adequate supplies of hay and feed headed into this storm, adding that many have been repositioning supplies over the past week to make sure their cattle can get to what they have available.
As of January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that Oklahoma had 2.14 million head of beef cows in pasture, another 410,000 head of replacement heifers and then additional stocker cattle and others that are currently grazing in wheat pastures.
“Cattle are adaptable and can handle this kind of cold.
Once they get used to it, they will be fine as long as they have access to feed and water,” Peel said.
As for the ranchers and their families taking care of the animals, both he and Secraw said they hope they realize the hazards they face.
“We all have our limits. These are situations where asking someone to be out there with you might seem weak, but you definitely don't want to find yourself in a disastrous situation just because of a freak accident. Farming is one of the most hazardous occupations out there — right up there with some of the most dangerous things you can do for a living,” Secraw said.