Area livestock farmers brave freezing temperatures to care for animals

Bone-chilling temperatures have made life a little more difficult this week for area farmers who care for cattle, goats and other livestock.

Spending additional hours and money are among the headaches farmers such as Eva Rainwater of Wappapello, Mo., are facing as the temperature continues to remain well below the freezing mark.

Rainwater, who raises about 85 goats on a 220-acre farm with her husband, Charles, said that for the most part her livestock have fared well in conditions of single-digit temperatures with a wind chill below zero. But for Rainwater and her husband, the winter weather has meant an additional hour of chopping through ice on her pond so the goats can have drinking water.

"The conditions are rough on us and the goats," Rainwater said. "So our animals can have water we have to break through about three inches of ice on our pond each morning that froze overnight. We're been battling these temperatures for the past week and are ready for this to be over."

Charles Schwartz, a dairy farmer in Cape Girardeau, said the cold weather has placed extra stress on his about 300 head of cattle.

"They're needing about a third more food than normal, but the problem is many of them won't eat what's needed," Schwartz said. "Instead of getting the three extra pounds of feed needed each day they usually only are eating as much as one extra pound of feed.

"And even though they aren't eating the feed, I still have to buy the extra, and that makes my costs go up," Schwartz said. "I'm losing money every day through this cold weather and I'll be glad when it decides to leave."

Roger Eakins, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Jackson, said when cold weather sets in, livestock need twice as much food and additional hay to stay warm. Eakins said many farmers will exhaust what is normally a month's supply of hay in a 10-day period, which puts a financial burden on farmers already affected by the recession. But since the area received an ample amount of rain last year, Eakins said many farmers kept the hay out of the rain and, thus, have that extra supply on hand this week.

Eakins said if the winds reach the expected gusts of near 30 miles per hour in some locations, farmers will need to keep their livestock in an outdoor setting that is protected from the snow and wind.

"With the exception of baby calves who were just born that day, farmers need to stay away from keeping their livestock inside a barn or other shelter," said Eakins, who raises 25 cattle on his farm. "When they're kept indoors the livestock many times will sweat and get overheated. And that can lead to sickness.

"Many farmers I've talked with in our area are prepared for this storm," Eakins said. "Those that aren't need to keep doing their daily chores and keep an extra eye out for their livestock over the next few days."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

Pertinent address:

3208 County Road 227, Cape Girardeau, MO

684 W Jackson Trail, Jackson, MO