Extreme heat is taking a toll on a large part of the U.S. this week and cattle country may be getting the worst of it.
The Southern Plains are being hit especially hard this week with triple digit temperatures and the majority of the area is already in moderate to severe drought.
Brock Thompson is a frequent guest on the Market Day Report and he told us the shocking reality.
“We’re just hearing reports of not hundreds of cattle that are just dying from this heat but thousands of cattle that are dying from this heat. So that’s definitely not going to be good especially in eastern Kansas and the Nebraska area. Not only are we hearing the bigger fat cattle that are just falling over and dying but also some of these younger new cattle they are receiving are having a hard time handling this heat. So, its not a good situation for the feed yards out there today.”
Thompson says most of the losses are heavier cattle that are just about ready to ship because their lung capacity isn’t able to handle the heat.
Related:
Handling The Heat: signs to look out for while working in extreme heat
Maintenance tips on how to prevent heat stress in your swine herd
Saskatchewan cattle producers once again facing extreme drought conditions
