Wet weather bogs down cattle sales, feeding chores

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

These cattle can attest to the reports that "soil moisture is surplus" as indicated by Texas Cooperative Extension's regional report. The Southeast report cites "pastures are extremely wet; deep mud making it difficult for livestock to get around." In the Coastal Bend region, "cattle are in good condition, but there is lots of mud; supplemental feeding continues." -- Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

March 13, 2003 -- If the spring continues to be as cold and wet as it has been, producers and animals in South Central Texas may need to develop webbed feet!

According to the National Weather Service website, the region is experiencing a moderate "El Nino" year. Some weather predictions even show the wet weather continuing in our area throughout the spring, summer, and even into the fall.

While some rain is good, enough is enough. Not only is it a mess for the general public, but producers are really starting to feel the "pinch" of El Nino. The farmers can't get into their fields to get the land ready for planting, and some crops should already be in the ground.

Ranchers are having trouble getting to their animals, and the feed they finally get to them is simply maintaining their weight.

If the producers aren't able to get their products to market, that affects even more people: truckers waiting to haul, livestock barns waiting for animals to sell, as well as buyers waiting for products to become available. There is a definite "trickle" down affect when agriculture comes to a near stand still.

According to Mike Brzozowski, general manager of Hills Prairie Livestock Company in Hills Prairie, the past weeks of rain and cold, icy weather are taking their toll.

Brzozowski said there are producers with animals ready to sell, but they can't get into the fields to get them. He said some of the livestock are even starting to lose weight, due to the extremely wet, cold weather and wading in mud for days.

Like all livestock auction barns contacted, receipts are down. The buyers are there, but the animals aren't.

"It's getting pretty critical out there for everyone," said Brzozowski.

Janie Dreyer of Four County Livestock Company in Industry said that sale numbers have fallen to about half or less of the normal numbers expected this time of the year.

At the Columbus Livestock Company, numbers were down, according to Alice Friedrich; and April Fuqua of the Seguin Cattle Company echoed those same problems in the past few weeks.

John Banker of El Campo Livestock stated their numbers are running several hundred head below normal. He said the market is good, but producers just can't get to the cattle and the buyers have no choices, and the truckers have no livestock to haul. As he said, with agricultural producers, "nothing is going on."

Although areas of South Central Texas have recently seen a short break, with some sunshine and warmer weather, long-range forecasts don't look promising.

Pamela McCown and Ilona Torak of television station KVUE out of Austin predict the weather systems will continue to "trail" through this part of Texas for the foreseeable future, and the region will continue to see cloudy, wet weather patterns in the area.

While "El Nino is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific," it can cause important consequences for weather around the world. Weather systems continue trailing across the same part of the country, one after the other, until the (ocean) waters get back to normal temperatures.

So, even though the calendar is nearing the first day of spring (March 21), don't put the coats, rubber boots and umbrellas away, yet. A forecast for a severe cold front due to move through the area in mid-March was given last week.

Come on summer!