27 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — In combination with an ongoing drought, the summer heat is causing issues for cattle farmers in Kansas.
With enough water and shade, cattle can make it through high heat, but ponds and natural water sources have been left dry by drought.
A whipping wind made Wednesday’s hundred-degree temperatures bearable for livestock on Zach Blair’s ranch an hour outside of Wichita.
“These cattle here, they’re comfortable right now,” said Blair.
That’s because the breeze helped lower the heat index.
“Progressively, the hotter and more humid it gets, the higher that index is, the more desperate issues happen,” said Associate Professor of Animal Sciences at Kansas State University Jaymelynn Farney.
Issues include rapid breathing and sometimes death.
Plenty of shade and cool nights help ward off livestock health issues brought on by heat. Hydration is also important.
“Water, water, water, that is the number one issue we can run into with cattle,” Farney said.
“You can’t have no more cattle than what you’ve got water for,” Blair said.
The ongoing drought has left natural water sources like ponds dry.
Last year, dry conditions were a driving factor that forced many Kansas ranchers to sell more cattle than they originally intended because they had a shortage of water, according to Blair.
“It’s affected farmers and ranchers financially all over the Midwest,” Blair said.
Blair has wells on his property that had not been pumped for a decade, since the last drought.
He resurrected them for extra water. However, maintaining them costs more than leaving cattle to drink from natural sources.
More rain this summer could help ranchers carry through the winter.
However, if mother nature doesn’t provide enough water, they could be forced to sell more cattle.