Ranchers Working, Spending Extra To Help Livestock During Cold Winter
Jan 2, 2019, 7:39 AM | Updated: Jan 7, 2019, 3:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Frigid temperatures around the state can be miserable for many residents, but it’s especially tough on the state’s ranchers.
They have been working around the clock to make sure their livestock are as comfortable as possible, and it’s costing them extra money to do that. Those are costs that could be passed on to consumers.
Ranchers are paying extra money to keep their livestock properly fed during the cold winter.
When Utah sees extremely cold days and nights, as it has recently, farmers and ranchers have to feed their horses, cows and other animals more food to keep them warm. One Sanpete County rancher said he throws in an extra five pounds of hay for every head of cattle in his herd when temperatures drop below zero.
Typically, cows will eat between 30 – 35 pounds of hay per day. During these extremely cold days, cattle ranchers will feed their livestock twice each day to keep them warm and keep their weight up.
That can add up to nearly $3.50 per head of cattle per day.
Feeding livestock has been harder this year than it has in years past, though. Last summer, Sanpete County ranked near the top in the United States for drought, and hay fields quickly ran out of water.
Farmers and ranchers said they’re hopeful the cold temperatures will bring more storms and help build the snowpack so that, come summer, there will be more water for crops.
