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

Oct 08, 2013

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.

Video: Seaweed-Based Solutions: Building Natural Performance in Modern Swine Production

In today’s pork industry, producers are under increasing pressure to do more with fewer inputs—while maintaining performance, improving animal health, and meeting sustainability expectations.

we sit down with Sylvain David and Scott Preston from Olmix to explore how seaweed-based solutions are emerging as a foundational tool in modern swine nutrition.

Rather than acting as simple alternatives, these solutions are designed to support gut health, immune resilience, and overall system consistency—especially during key stress periods like weaning, feed transitions, and disease challenges.

The conversation dives into:

• What seaweed-based solutions actually are and how they work

• Why consistency and standardization matter in “natural” products

• How gut health connects to immune function and performance

• Where producers are seeing real-world impact today

• The role of natural solutions in the future of sustainable pork production