July 25, 2010

Extreme temperatures are creating extra problems for livestock owners across the state. Some feedlots are losing cattle by the hundreds, as hot weather and high humidity bears down across Kansas. So owners are using extra water, and other methods to try and save cattle in this harsh summer climate.

"Our primary concern obviously is the animal welfare, getting the cattle water, making sure that they're taken care of," said Andrew Murphy of Innovative Livestock Services.

Keeping cattle hydrated and cool, has proved to be an especially trying task over the past week and a half.

"What we've seen all across KAKEland from Wichita to Great Bend all the way over to Dodge City, are extreme temperatures. This time of year we typically do see the hot weather, but we've had a pretty long streak of it and it's been pretty intense," said KAKE Meteorologist Blake Smith.

"The temperature got really high and we kind of stepped into the perfect scenario for deadly conditions," said Murphy.

But livestock owners aren't just talking about temperatures, they also know the high humidity has made a major impact.

"When it gets hot, really humid, we can't evaporate [heat] away from our bodies. So it gets trapped right near the surface," said Smith.

"We have never dealt with a scenario quite this extreme," said Murphy.

And this "extreme scenario" is causing major problems for cattle owners. Innovative Livestock Services, representing feedlots in Nebraska and Kansas, has lost more than a thousand cattle as a result of the heat wave.

"Economic impact is obvious. If you don't have animals to sell then you have an issue with lack of revenue," said Murphy.

But the company says, money isn't its primary concern as it loses cattle.

"The primary concern that we have is the welfare of the cattle, and we'll continue down that road," said Murphy.