CALF_News_June_July_2019

25 CALF News • June | July 2019 • www.calfnews.net Control when you need it most. XL Rancher Hydraulic Chute Get more information or find a dealer at pearsonlivestockeq.com skies cleared, there was an extended period of beautiful fall weather. The disaster helped break a drought that had crippled the region the previous year, and cattle grazed peacefully for several weeks, recovering from the storm. “Storms are not discriminatory,” Jim Goddard says.“Produc- ers do the best they can but sometimes that’s not enough.” When asked why they continue to raise cattle, Robyn simply replies,“This is what we do.” They have a perspective of not being alone, referring to God and prayer.“Do the best you can, one task at a time.” BOMB CYCLONE Nebraska, March 2019 Todd Pritchard Todd Pritchard works for Howard Hay Company of Litch- field, Neb. They grind forages and corn for cattle backgrounders, cow-calf producers and feedlots, mostly in central Nebraska. Pritchard says people seem to be maintaining a good attitude despite the stress of last winter. He has been con- cerned after seeing more than a few folks suffering fatigue and hopelessness over livestock and crop losses and is surprised at their resiliency. As of this writing, there was another blizzard forecast to hit the area April 14. Pritchard says the biggest problem they have faced is bad road conditions. Even a month after the initial bomb cyclone, they “buried a grinder in the middle of the road” and had to bring in a professional towing service to solve the problem. He reports that cow-calf producers have moved their cattle away from their usual calving areas to relieve them from the mud. Backgrounding operations have turned their calves out into cornstalks whenever possible to aid their comfort. In some cases, local construction or dirt-moving companies have dozed strips in fields, moving mud to lay bunks so cattle can eat. Having to grind hay has become another issue, Pritchard notes. If bales are simply wet from flood water, there is an attempt being made to dry them out. The bales damaged by mud, however, are already rotted and considered a total loss. It is a common problem on nearly every ranch. The worst areas he has seen are around Merna, in central Custer County. It seems people are keeping up the good fight, warm and sunny days are the best cure for the chronic winter fatigue. Heather Paitz Heather Paitz is a loan officer for Town and Country Bank, serving several locations in central Nebraska. She says that the ag economy has not been robust in the past few years. Truth- fully, her loan officer team was anticipating a difficult renewal season in 2019. She’s relieved to report that’s not happened; things were not as bad as they’d feared. Overall, agricultural producers were better off than lenders had anticipated. That being said, bankers were not expecting the bomb cyclone to hit their area in the middle of calving season. Paitz says she has loan clients who suffered relatively little damage. Conversely, there are others who suffered immense loss. The bank cooperated with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in sponsoring meetings in two com- munities, detailing the application for disaster assistance and getting people signed up. In addition, a mental health expert was on hand to speak and offer help. The banker says professionals are currently waiting on exactly how the assistance will materialize – in the form of money, low-interest loans or cost sharing. She says some folks will have help from their own private farm insurance policies, as well. As of now, bankers are looking at their loans case by case, and are trying to work closely with people this year, since cir- cumstances have hurt an already strained economy. Lenders are currently seeing losses in livestock, feed, equip- ment and farmable acres. One unique and surprising problem is the heavy deposit of sand on low lying farm fields. As of now, no one has determined how to deal with it. Delayed planting is also anticipated due to mud and debris. Paitz says that before the flood, bankers were breathing a sigh of relief. Now, it is different. Continued on page 41  HOW DOWE SURVIVE? Continued from page 22 Heather Paitz