By Russ Daly
When the winter snowfall begins to melt, oftentimes into ground already saturated from fall precipitation, significant areas in the state can face severe flooding in the spring.
SDSU Extension spends time doing everything possible to help stakeholders prepare for the issues that arise as the waters rise in the spring. The SDSU Extension
flood page is a one-stop location for all topics related to flooding. This is a valuable resource for homeowners, property owners, farmers, and ranchers by providing methods to prepare for flooding, access resources during the event, and information on dealing with the aftermath. Extension services in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota have all cooperated to make this an extremely useful information source.
Of the people witnessing the rising water, livestock producers have perhaps the most daunting task. It’s incumbent upon them to not only protect their family and home, but also their feed sources, outbuildings, and their animals themselves. Unfortunately, spring flooding coincides with calving time for many cattlemen and women in the Dakotas—an especially busy and stressful time to begin with. So in the midst of all this activity, how can one prepare for possible floodwaters?
First, animals and feedstuffs should be moved out of harm’s way to the greatest extent possible, meaning to higher ground. Now is the time to get this done, before more mud makes this impossible. In an emergency situation, cattlemen with limited patches of ground should consider working with neighbors to share patches of ground or feedstuffs until conditions get better. Now, for a person like myself that stresses biosecurity, this inter-mixing of herds usually rubs me the wrong way, but sometimes there may be no other choice. Use of temporary fencing could be a strategy used to keep animal groups apart.
What supplies are you going to need on-hand during calving season? Water over roads may make that last-minute trip to town three times as long or maybe impossible. Stock up on colostrum (or colostrum replacers/supplements), milk replacer, electrolytes and other treatments for scouring calves, along with necessary purchased feed. Electric fence materials are another item to stock up on, so they can be used to separate groups of animals or fence them away from problem areas.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to evacuate your house or barns, do you have a plan to take the horses and tend to their care? Or to care for the family pets if you need to leave your house? Now is the time to consider these questions, so that decisions do not have to be made during the rush and panic of evacuation. Information at SDSU Extension or the
American Veterinary Medical Association website will help you think through these matters.
Also, now is the time to review your animals’ vaccination schedule. If boosters for tetanus are due for your horse soon, now is a good time to get it done. Standing water and debris make exposure more likely. If dogs and cats will be due for—or are behind on—rabies boosters, it’s time to get that done now. Flood waters may roust out skunks and other wild animals from their normal habitat and make encounters between them and your animals more likely. Do your animals have good identification if they become separated from you?
Whatever happens this spring, please keep one thing in mind—your own safety and that of your family. It is extremely important to do what we can for the animals in our care, but not at the risk of jeopardizing our own safety. Trying to rescue animals in freezing water is a dangerous proposition and one that can put your own life in peril. That’s only one reason why preparation for floodwaters—even if it turns out to have been unnecessary—is so important.