Colo. Ranchers Struggle to Reach Cattle

DENVER -- A month after the first wave of devastating winter storms hit Colorado, some eastern Colorado ranchers still haven't been able to get feed to their cattle, a state official said.

With calving season under way, the damage is expected to get worse, state Agriculture Commissioner John Stulp told lawmakers Wednesday.

"They're starting to calve now. We're expecting losses," Stulp said.

"It really has been a continuing disaster, about 30 days in longevity. The real loss is still buried in the snow," he said.

State officials estimate that 10,000 cattle died in the storms, although some agriculture groups think the toll could reach 15,000 once all the carcasses are found.

Besides the problem of deep snow, there is also a shortage of hay, with prices doubling and even tripling _ if ranchers can find any.

State Rep. Kathleen Curry estimated Colo. ranchers will spend $10 million to $20 million extra on feed this year and said the state must find a way to help struggling farmers and ranchers.

"It certainly isn't going to end tomorrow," she said.

Rancher Traci Eatherton said five snowstorms in a row have taken a toll, making it difficult to reach her animals to feed them.

With another storm forecast for this weekend, she said she and her neighbors are getting awfully tired of snow. On Tuesday, a neighbor finally got a delivery of propane and the truck got stuck in the snow.

"It doesn't even have to snow, it just gets blown in. It's supposed to snow again this weekend. It's becoming a four-letter word," she said.

The Kansas Livestock Association estimates well below 1 percent of the cattle in Kansas feedlots affected by the storms died in the weather _ a relatively insignificant death loss. But the real loss, the association said, will be in production.