Freak Snow Storm: South Dakota Cattle Ranchers Report High Livestock Death Toll

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Cattle ranchers in South Dakota are starting to grasp reality as an October snow blizzard has claimed the lives of between 20 to 50% of their cattle herd, early reports say.

South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Lucas Lentsch is calling the number devastating for producers, noting that he is working with the industry to draft a plan on how to move forward with recovery efforts.

Ranches in western South Dakota appear to have been hit the hardest, with many reports of property damage and a significant number of livestock casualties. Early estimates are suggesting that the region may have lost about 5% of its entire cattle population.

Producers are asked to document livestock losses with pictures and any other records which will be helpful in order to qualify for disaster relief programs. At this time, ranchers do not have access to U.S. Department of Agriculture services with the federal government’s partial shutdown.