Colorado's cattle industry hobbled by parched conditions

The effects of a devastating drought in the southern plains are rippling through Colorado's cattle industry, forcing ranchers to make tough decisions about the future of their herds. In the parched southeastern quadrant of the state, ranchers are culling herds because prairie grazing grasses are, at best, dry and stunted. At worst, they've disappeared in scenes reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl. That leaves cattle producers with the difficult choice of paying the soaring cost of hay or selling off their animals. "It's pretty tough times right now," said rancher Bill Carwin, who runs about 100 head of cattle near the tiny town of Pritchett in far southeastern Colorado. "The grass is what puts the weight on the steers and calves, and there's just no grass." Carwin said he's facing the prospect of selling his entire herd and waiting until the drought breaks to rebuild. "You have to feed 'em hay or put 'em up for sale," he said. "And with hay at $250 a ton, it just doesn't pay to buy hay." As recently as last year, hay prices hovered around $110 a ton. Severe drought in Oklahoma and Texas is forcing a wholesale cattle sell-off that threatens to leave herd sizes at abnormally low levels for years to come...more