Jeremy14
Active member
This article just ran today in the Lafayette, LA paper. Thought some of you might like to read it.
Damaged grazing pastures, high feed costs hurt ranchers
Jim Bradshaw
[email protected]
South Louisiana ranchers lost about 35,000 head of cattle to the storms of 2005, and some may have to get rid of some more before they want to because of the cost of feeding the surviving herds during the winter.
Hurricane Rita, particularly, inundated coastal parishes with salt water, covering pastures that would normally be used to grow hay to feed their herds during the winter months or growing rye grass for grazing.
"Some of the pastures have come back, but a lot of them are still suffering from salt damage," said Bob Felknor, executive director of the Louisiana Cattlemen's Association. "Some of those lands are still unproductive, and that means that the producers have to either buy hay that they normally would have grown themselves or cull their herds.
"Neither one of those is a good option," he said. "Buying the hay is expensive, and now is not the best time to sell cattle. Corn prices are so high in the Midwest that the people who would buy our cattle for the feedlots are not going to give a great price. The higher their cost for feed, the less they want to pay for the cattle."
Charles LeBoeuf, president of the Vermilion Parish Cattlemen's Association, is a bit more optimistic than Felknor.
And John Adams with the Fellowship of Christian Farmers in Lexington, Ky., said his organization stands ready to do what it can to help producers who need it.
The Fellowship has shipped 50 to 60 truckloads of donated hay to South Louisiana producers since Rita and plans to ship some more.
Adams said the Fellowship also is acting as a clearinghouse for donated bulls to help South Louisiana farmers rebuild their herds.
"I'm seeing some pretty stands of rye grass, and there was pretty much hay made in the parish," LeBoeuf said. "The problem we're having now is these cold fronts. We usually don't get frost until later in the year.
"We've already had frost, and we're expecting some more next week," and that makes it more expensive to feed cattle.
LeBoeuf said that most of the Vermilion Parish producers he's spoken to are in better shape than might be expected, and that a number of them are rebuilding, rather than culling their herds.
One of the problems has been that Rita's waters washed in not only salt but seed from "trash grass" from the marshes, LeBoeuf said. If water wasn't pumped off quickly, seed settled on the pasture and has taken root.
"The market is so soft right now because of the high price of corn, most people don't want to sell," LeBoeuf said. "And a lot of our producers are finally getting their fences back up and their pastures in shape so that they can begin to rebuild their herds."
Crews from the Fellowship of Christian Farmers helped to rebuild a good bit of that fence, as well as barns and other farm buildings, Adams said. He said he will be back in Louisiana later this month to see what help the cattlemen need, including distribution of donated bulls. He said 36 bulls have been donated so far and that 20 of them already have been shipped to farmers in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.
He and Felknor said the storms affected producers all along the Gulf Coast.
"We've had serious issues from Plaquemine Parish to Cameron Parish," Felknor said. "It will take a while to work everything out."
"When you lose your house and you lose everything you have and you have to put out a few extra dollars, it means a lot to you," LeBoeuf said.
Damaged grazing pastures, high feed costs hurt ranchers
Jim Bradshaw
[email protected]
South Louisiana ranchers lost about 35,000 head of cattle to the storms of 2005, and some may have to get rid of some more before they want to because of the cost of feeding the surviving herds during the winter.
Hurricane Rita, particularly, inundated coastal parishes with salt water, covering pastures that would normally be used to grow hay to feed their herds during the winter months or growing rye grass for grazing.
"Some of the pastures have come back, but a lot of them are still suffering from salt damage," said Bob Felknor, executive director of the Louisiana Cattlemen's Association. "Some of those lands are still unproductive, and that means that the producers have to either buy hay that they normally would have grown themselves or cull their herds.
"Neither one of those is a good option," he said. "Buying the hay is expensive, and now is not the best time to sell cattle. Corn prices are so high in the Midwest that the people who would buy our cattle for the feedlots are not going to give a great price. The higher their cost for feed, the less they want to pay for the cattle."
Charles LeBoeuf, president of the Vermilion Parish Cattlemen's Association, is a bit more optimistic than Felknor.
And John Adams with the Fellowship of Christian Farmers in Lexington, Ky., said his organization stands ready to do what it can to help producers who need it.
The Fellowship has shipped 50 to 60 truckloads of donated hay to South Louisiana producers since Rita and plans to ship some more.
Adams said the Fellowship also is acting as a clearinghouse for donated bulls to help South Louisiana farmers rebuild their herds.
"I'm seeing some pretty stands of rye grass, and there was pretty much hay made in the parish," LeBoeuf said. "The problem we're having now is these cold fronts. We usually don't get frost until later in the year.
"We've already had frost, and we're expecting some more next week," and that makes it more expensive to feed cattle.
LeBoeuf said that most of the Vermilion Parish producers he's spoken to are in better shape than might be expected, and that a number of them are rebuilding, rather than culling their herds.
One of the problems has been that Rita's waters washed in not only salt but seed from "trash grass" from the marshes, LeBoeuf said. If water wasn't pumped off quickly, seed settled on the pasture and has taken root.
"The market is so soft right now because of the high price of corn, most people don't want to sell," LeBoeuf said. "And a lot of our producers are finally getting their fences back up and their pastures in shape so that they can begin to rebuild their herds."
Crews from the Fellowship of Christian Farmers helped to rebuild a good bit of that fence, as well as barns and other farm buildings, Adams said. He said he will be back in Louisiana later this month to see what help the cattlemen need, including distribution of donated bulls. He said 36 bulls have been donated so far and that 20 of them already have been shipped to farmers in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.
He and Felknor said the storms affected producers all along the Gulf Coast.
"We've had serious issues from Plaquemine Parish to Cameron Parish," Felknor said. "It will take a while to work everything out."
"When you lose your house and you lose everything you have and you have to put out a few extra dollars, it means a lot to you," LeBoeuf said.
