April snowstorm poses major threat to newborn cattle
Nearly halfway through the month of April is the heart of calving season, and for ranchers in the northern Plains, the blast of wintry weather will endanger the lives of their most fragile animals.
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 11, 2022 4:52 PM EST
|
Updated Apr 12, 2022 9:50 PM EST
Cattle on the Dynneson Ranch ahead of the blizzard in early April, 2022. (Katelyn Dynneson-Larson/Dynneson Ranch)
(Katelyn Dynneson-Larson/Dynneson Ranch)
As a springtime snowstorm barrels through a swath of the nation's midsection, some ranchers have found themselves hunkering down for what could turn into a dangerous situation for their herds.
AccuWeather forecasters are warning that a "storm of the century" could unfold across parts of the northern Plains this week and challenge snowfall records last set during cattle-killing blizzards.
The storm is expected to move eastward from the Rockies before crossing over into Canada, but not before catching a few ranches during the calving season.
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Over the last few days, Katelyn Dynneson-Larson has been preparing her livestock at Dynneson Ranch in Sidney, Montana, near the western border of North Dakota. While her Gelbvieh cross cows are suited for the chilly weather, the newborn calves will take much more work to keep warm and safe.
"The main issue is that we have been really warm lately, so it will be a shock to everyone," Dynneson-Larson told AccuWeather.
Cattle on the Dynneson Ranch. (Katelyn Dynneson-Larson/Dynneson Ranch)
(Katelyn Dynneson-Larson/Dynneson Ranch)
The storm will serve as a double-edged sword for ranches in Richland County, where the Dynneson Ranch is located, as the area is also experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
So while the storm will bring snow and impact her calves, Dynneson-Larson said she's looking forward to an end to the dry spell.
"The mud and moisture will be a welcome respite from the dust we’ve been experiencing for the past two years," she said. "We really need this moisture to help get our grass off to a start so the cows can graze this summer."
Even after the preparation work is done ahead of winter storms, ranchers at Klasna Farms make adjustments in the fields to protect the cattle. (Whitney Klasna/Klasna Farms)
Rancher Whitney Klasna of Klasna Farms, also located in Richland County, told AccuWeather that her ranch "desperately" needs the moisture from the storm, adding that the area has been on the Drought Monitor map since May 2020, and has been designated as a D3-D4 drought since spring of 2021. The D3 and D4 rating on the U.S. Drought Monitor represent extreme and exceptional drought conditions, respectively, with impacts that range from culling cattle and selling early to widespread pasture loss.
To prepare for the snowstorm that's standing between the ranch and greener fields, Dynneson-Larson and her family have been moving the cows into pastures and pens with windbreak and shelter to shield them from the elements and laying down straw for them to bed. She said they've also been stockpiling feed and bedding close by to have on hand.
Currently, the ranch has roughly 300 calves on the ground more than midway through the calving season. But even with all the preparation, taking care of these calves during the storm will be an all-hands-on-deck job.
"Depending on how cold the wind chill is, we will go through the cows every one-two hours throughout the day and night to check on any that might be calving," Dynneson-Larson said. "If we decide that it’s too cold, we will move the new calf and mother into our barn. We have a small heated room in our barn we can use to warm calves up and get them dry. It will be a round-the-clock effort from our whole family to keep the calves safe and we will do everything possible."
Early-spring storms, she said, often come with a fair amount of damage since the snow is usually wet and heavy, and the potential loss of power could complicate her family's efforts to keep everything running smoothly. Luckily, they have also prepared for that scenario with standby generators.
A calf from Klasna Farms during a previous winter's snowfall. (Whitney Klasna/Klasna Farms)
“Prep for a storm like this starts long before the storm,” Klasna said. “We make sure our cows are in good health and condition going into calving. We always make sure to have infrastructure in place to mitigate impacts by these spring storms.” She added that the ranch relies heavily on the National Weather Service and other weather services for forecasts on cold temperatures, storms and especially wind directions and speed to help prepare windbreak and know where to best shelter the herd to ride out any adverse weather. The biggest concern Klasna has is over electricity.
“We are very concerned that the power will go out, especially since our power supply comes from areas in North Dakota that are forecasted to have the deepest snow and weather impact," Klasna said. "We have several tractor-driven PTO generators that we can hook up to run our homes and wells to pump water for the cattle."
Klasna added that they have their surveillance system, dubbed the CowCams, to monitor the barns, corrals and most of their calving area pastures and check in on the calves and the expecting mother cows for earl signs of calving.
The ranchers' job won't be done even after the storm, however, as the ranches will both have to keep an eye on the calves for any sign of pneumonia from the wet, cold conditions.
"Unfortunately, there will be some calves across the region that won’t make it through the storm but hopefully it’s not a huge loss," Dynneson-Larson said. "We’ve definitely seen that in the past with other spring storms."
CowCams were installed at Klasna Farms to keep a careful eye on the cattle. (Whitney Klasna/Klasna Farms)
"The combination of snow, wind and colder temperatures will be particularly dangerous for young livestock for much of the region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said. "While blizzard conditions are not expected across most of Montana, any significant snowfall, especially at higher elevations in the mountains and in the Plains, will cause concern for young cattle and other livestock that have recently been born. These young animals are much more susceptible to cold temperatures and snowmaking for a life-threatening situation."
He added that this will especially be the case for any animals in the northern Plains where blizzard conditions could result in significant livestock losses.
One state over, in North Dakota, areas such as Bismarck and Grand Forks are expected to see over 18 inches of snow -- roughly the same amount that fell in one day in the latter city during a blizzard in 1966. Grand Forks recorded 27.8 inches of snow from the storm overall, and the blizzard as a whole has gone down as one of the heaviest snowfalls on record for the city, according to the National Weather Service. It was also a deadly one: At least 18 fatalities were reported across the Great Plains, and tens of thousands of livestock were killed.
In 1997, another early-spring blizzard swept through North Dakota and killed 100,000 head of cattle -- 10 percent of the state herd. This blizzard struck April 4-7, delivering as much as 2 feet of snow in some areas and winds of up to 65 mph, according to the NWS. Bismarck, the state's capital, received 17.5 inches of snowfall over the course of three days, boosting the season snowfall to an all-time record of 101.4 inches that still stands as of 2022.
"Bismarck came close again in the winter of 2008-09, recording 100.3 inches of snow, just short of the record from '96-'97 which still stands," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said. "So far this winter, Bismarck has just seen 34.2 inches, so while this next storm looks like it could certainly be a historic April blizzard for the region and break daily, monthly and storm total records, the season as a whole still doesn't appear it will come close to any records."
The most recent off-season blizzard occurred in 2013 when an October snowstorm, often referred to as the "Cattlemen's Blizzard," hit South Dakota and caught ranchers and farmers unprepared, killing tens of thousands of cattle. On Oct. 4, rain transitioned into heavy, wet snow over the plains of western South Dakota and wind gusts reached 50-70 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The snow and wind let up by the next morning, but the damage had already been done.
In this Oct. 1, 2014 photo, rancher Alan Rislov secures a fence on a ranch outside of Philip, South Dakota, in Haakon County. At least 43,000 cattle across the state were lost to the blizzard that struck in early October 2013. (AP Photo/Kristina Barker)
"The blizzard's most staggering toll was livestock losses," said the NWS. Not only had the cattle been in their summer pastures, away from any shelter from the unseasonable elements, but they also had not yet grown in their thicker winter coats and became hypothermic after first being drenched by the rain and then chilled by the snow and wind. Livestock deaths ranged from heart failure due to stress, to wandering off embankments into creeks and drowning or suffocating in snowdrifts.
Lorayna and Richard Papousek in Quinn, South Dakota, were two of the many ranchers who lost a portion of their herd, though found themselves battling their insurance providers in court after their insurance claim on the 93 head of yearling heifers killed in the blizzard was denied.
The family's veterinarian determined the cattle's cause of death to be drowning from inhaling heavy blowing snow and rain, though the insurance company DeSmit Farm Mutual Insurance denied the claim on the technicality that the cattle hadn't died by submersion in a body of water. The case made it all the way to the state's Supreme Court, where the justices ruled in favor of the family due to the ambiguous wording of the drowning provision.
The South Dakota Stock Growers Association estimated that 15% to 20% of all cattle were killed in some parts of the state, NBC News reported that year.
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
April snowstorm poses major threat to newborn cattle
Nearly halfway through the month of April is the heart of calving season, and for ranchers in the northern Plains, the blast of wintry weather will endanger the lives of their most fragile animals.
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 11, 2022 4:52 PM EST | Updated Apr 12, 2022 9:50 PM EST
Cattle on the Dynneson Ranch ahead of the blizzard in early April, 2022. (Katelyn Dynneson-Larson/Dynneson Ranch)
As a springtime snowstorm barrels through a swath of the nation's midsection, some ranchers have found themselves hunkering down for what could turn into a dangerous situation for their herds.
AccuWeather forecasters are warning that a "storm of the century" could unfold across parts of the northern Plains this week and challenge snowfall records last set during cattle-killing blizzards.
The storm is expected to move eastward from the Rockies before crossing over into Canada, but not before catching a few ranches during the calving season.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Over the last few days, Katelyn Dynneson-Larson has been preparing her livestock at Dynneson Ranch in Sidney, Montana, near the western border of North Dakota. While her Gelbvieh cross cows are suited for the chilly weather, the newborn calves will take much more work to keep warm and safe.
"The main issue is that we have been really warm lately, so it will be a shock to everyone," Dynneson-Larson told AccuWeather.
Cattle on the Dynneson Ranch. (Katelyn Dynneson-Larson/Dynneson Ranch)
The storm will serve as a double-edged sword for ranches in Richland County, where the Dynneson Ranch is located, as the area is also experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
So while the storm will bring snow and impact her calves, Dynneson-Larson said she's looking forward to an end to the dry spell.
"The mud and moisture will be a welcome respite from the dust we’ve been experiencing for the past two years," she said. "We really need this moisture to help get our grass off to a start so the cows can graze this summer."
Even after the preparation work is done ahead of winter storms, ranchers at Klasna Farms make adjustments in the fields to protect the cattle. (Whitney Klasna/Klasna Farms)
Rancher Whitney Klasna of Klasna Farms, also located in Richland County, told AccuWeather that her ranch "desperately" needs the moisture from the storm, adding that the area has been on the Drought Monitor map since May 2020, and has been designated as a D3-D4 drought since spring of 2021. The D3 and D4 rating on the U.S. Drought Monitor represent extreme and exceptional drought conditions, respectively, with impacts that range from culling cattle and selling early to widespread pasture loss.
To prepare for the snowstorm that's standing between the ranch and greener fields, Dynneson-Larson and her family have been moving the cows into pastures and pens with windbreak and shelter to shield them from the elements and laying down straw for them to bed. She said they've also been stockpiling feed and bedding close by to have on hand.
Currently, the ranch has roughly 300 calves on the ground more than midway through the calving season. But even with all the preparation, taking care of these calves during the storm will be an all-hands-on-deck job.
"Depending on how cold the wind chill is, we will go through the cows every one-two hours throughout the day and night to check on any that might be calving," Dynneson-Larson said. "If we decide that it’s too cold, we will move the new calf and mother into our barn. We have a small heated room in our barn we can use to warm calves up and get them dry. It will be a round-the-clock effort from our whole family to keep the calves safe and we will do everything possible."
Early-spring storms, she said, often come with a fair amount of damage since the snow is usually wet and heavy, and the potential loss of power could complicate her family's efforts to keep everything running smoothly. Luckily, they have also prepared for that scenario with standby generators.
A calf from Klasna Farms during a previous winter's snowfall. (Whitney Klasna/Klasna Farms)
“Prep for a storm like this starts long before the storm,” Klasna said. “We make sure our cows are in good health and condition going into calving. We always make sure to have infrastructure in place to mitigate impacts by these spring storms.” She added that the ranch relies heavily on the National Weather Service and other weather services for forecasts on cold temperatures, storms and especially wind directions and speed to help prepare windbreak and know where to best shelter the herd to ride out any adverse weather. The biggest concern Klasna has is over electricity.
“We are very concerned that the power will go out, especially since our power supply comes from areas in North Dakota that are forecasted to have the deepest snow and weather impact," Klasna said. "We have several tractor-driven PTO generators that we can hook up to run our homes and wells to pump water for the cattle."
Klasna added that they have their surveillance system, dubbed the CowCams, to monitor the barns, corrals and most of their calving area pastures and check in on the calves and the expecting mother cows for earl signs of calving.
The ranchers' job won't be done even after the storm, however, as the ranches will both have to keep an eye on the calves for any sign of pneumonia from the wet, cold conditions.
"Unfortunately, there will be some calves across the region that won’t make it through the storm but hopefully it’s not a huge loss," Dynneson-Larson said. "We’ve definitely seen that in the past with other spring storms."
CowCams were installed at Klasna Farms to keep a careful eye on the cattle. (Whitney Klasna/Klasna Farms)
"The combination of snow, wind and colder temperatures will be particularly dangerous for young livestock for much of the region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said. "While blizzard conditions are not expected across most of Montana, any significant snowfall, especially at higher elevations in the mountains and in the Plains, will cause concern for young cattle and other livestock that have recently been born. These young animals are much more susceptible to cold temperatures and snowmaking for a life-threatening situation."
He added that this will especially be the case for any animals in the northern Plains where blizzard conditions could result in significant livestock losses.
One state over, in North Dakota, areas such as Bismarck and Grand Forks are expected to see over 18 inches of snow -- roughly the same amount that fell in one day in the latter city during a blizzard in 1966. Grand Forks recorded 27.8 inches of snow from the storm overall, and the blizzard as a whole has gone down as one of the heaviest snowfalls on record for the city, according to the National Weather Service. It was also a deadly one: At least 18 fatalities were reported across the Great Plains, and tens of thousands of livestock were killed.
In 1997, another early-spring blizzard swept through North Dakota and killed 100,000 head of cattle -- 10 percent of the state herd. This blizzard struck April 4-7, delivering as much as 2 feet of snow in some areas and winds of up to 65 mph, according to the NWS. Bismarck, the state's capital, received 17.5 inches of snowfall over the course of three days, boosting the season snowfall to an all-time record of 101.4 inches that still stands as of 2022.
"Bismarck came close again in the winter of 2008-09, recording 100.3 inches of snow, just short of the record from '96-'97 which still stands," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said. "So far this winter, Bismarck has just seen 34.2 inches, so while this next storm looks like it could certainly be a historic April blizzard for the region and break daily, monthly and storm total records, the season as a whole still doesn't appear it will come close to any records."
The most recent off-season blizzard occurred in 2013 when an October snowstorm, often referred to as the "Cattlemen's Blizzard," hit South Dakota and caught ranchers and farmers unprepared, killing tens of thousands of cattle. On Oct. 4, rain transitioned into heavy, wet snow over the plains of western South Dakota and wind gusts reached 50-70 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The snow and wind let up by the next morning, but the damage had already been done.
In this Oct. 1, 2014 photo, rancher Alan Rislov secures a fence on a ranch outside of Philip, South Dakota, in Haakon County. At least 43,000 cattle across the state were lost to the blizzard that struck in early October 2013. (AP Photo/Kristina Barker)
"The blizzard's most staggering toll was livestock losses," said the NWS. Not only had the cattle been in their summer pastures, away from any shelter from the unseasonable elements, but they also had not yet grown in their thicker winter coats and became hypothermic after first being drenched by the rain and then chilled by the snow and wind. Livestock deaths ranged from heart failure due to stress, to wandering off embankments into creeks and drowning or suffocating in snowdrifts.
Lorayna and Richard Papousek in Quinn, South Dakota, were two of the many ranchers who lost a portion of their herd, though found themselves battling their insurance providers in court after their insurance claim on the 93 head of yearling heifers killed in the blizzard was denied.
The family's veterinarian determined the cattle's cause of death to be drowning from inhaling heavy blowing snow and rain, though the insurance company DeSmit Farm Mutual Insurance denied the claim on the technicality that the cattle hadn't died by submersion in a body of water. The case made it all the way to the state's Supreme Court, where the justices ruled in favor of the family due to the ambiguous wording of the drowning provision.
The South Dakota Stock Growers Association estimated that 15% to 20% of all cattle were killed in some parts of the state, NBC News reported that year.
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For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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