Ranchers face one-two punch from drought, harsh winter

Healthy green grass is a welcome sight for cattle ranchers in Southwest Colorado who have faced an exceptional drought, low prices and a harsh winter. For Brad Fassett, owner of Fassett Hay and Cattle in La Plata County, green fields make it “a whole lot easier to get out of bed” in the morning compared with last season. The drought and high hay prices last summer made it expensive to feed cattle, and many ranchers culled their herds. Ranchers also lost more calves than normal to heavy snows this winter. The one-two punch of a drought and wet winter has been followed by low prices, making ranching operations less profitable, said Dr. Gerald Koppenhafer, a veterinarian and Mancos-area rancher. “It’s been a pretty tough year, year-and-a-half for local ranchers, and prices aren’t likely to help us this year, either,” he said. Many small operators who have only a few cow-calf pairs are likely to give up, Koppenhafer said. He added it will take several years to rebuild larger herds. “This is not something you bounce back from in one year,” he said. Despite challenges, the industry is profitable, and some cattle producers plan to replenish their herds, in part, because of the quality grass and forage, said Terry Frankhauser, executive vice president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association...MORE