Livestock losses could be in tens of thousands

Although exact loss numbers are still being figured, it is apparent that this year's spring blizzards killed tens of thousands of cattle and sheep in the West River region. Based on estimates putting losses at between 15 percent and 20 percent in the hardest-hit areas, the number of dead calves and cattle could hit 50,000 or more, with a potential economic loss of $25 million. Lamb and ewe losses in Butte County alone are estimated at 10,000 sheep. Other counties in northwestern sheep country could have similar losses. The cattle and sheep deaths, in some locations averaging between 20 percent and 25 percent, have put added financial pressure on livestock producers, according to state Extension Service officials. The federal Farm Service Agency is still gathering data on livestock losses. In Harding County, average losses ranged between 20 percent and 25 percent, with some ranchers losing 50 percent of their calves and lambs, according to Robin Salverson, livestock educator with the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service, based in Buffalo. With 39,000 beef cows in the county, that could mean a loss of about 8,000 calves there. Salverson said as many as 10,000 sheep also could have been lost in the county. Salverson said many of the animals died of disease such as pneumonia and intestinal disorders caused by the cold wet storms...Rapid City Journal