CALF_News_June_July_2019

41 CALF News • June | July 2019 • www.calfnews.net Filmaker Georg Joutras. Photo from Omahamagazine.com. The film premiered at the Kansas City Film Fest in April 2018. Screenings have played to sold-out audiences across the state, often with Joutras appearing for Q and A sessions afterward. It has also Visit oceanofgrassfilm.com for information and upcoming screenings. been shown at benefits for the recent Nebraska flood. We in the industry are constantly work- ing to tell “our” story to the public. Gen- erations of Americans have no concept of where their food comes from or what actually happens in flyover land. Joutras has put a face, a real face, on a way of life that needs to be shown and respected.  Alan Sears Alan Sears, field editor for Western Ag Reporter , travels four states representing his publica- tion. He tends to advertising needs for purebred cattle sales and has an opportunity to keep his finger on a wide range of producers and events. During the 2019 bull sale season, he attended multiple Nebraska bull auctions, taking bids and assisting sale management. Sears says that there was a three-to-four-week period during the worst of winter when sale crowds were lighter, adversely affecting bull prices. He could see the despair and exhaustion among farmers and ranchers who had been fighting the weather. The field rep notes that, after only one week of good weather in April, people were much relieved and seemed to be more like their old selves. He was quick to point out that although sale bulls were somewhat thinner than last year, they were still in good shape, and producers “get an A for getting things in order.” He says they did a good job with their cattle under bad circumstances. Father Lou Nollette Fr. Lou Nollette of Nenzel is the pastor of the Catholic Church in Mullen, Neb. He says that, although the Sandhills area he serves was not hit with the brunt of the March storm, there were still livestock losses. A few were severe but were the exceptions rather than the rule. The greatest challenge he says were the road conditions. Heavy winter snow combined with rain and thaw had made most Sandhill trails impassable without four-wheel drive. The inconvenience of soft roads is nothing compared to the life-and-death reality of being stranded with no fuel, distiller’s grains, salt and mineral or other feedstuffs. Hay became impos- sible to move. Nollette related one neighbor lost 49 calves, but, altogether, he’s not encountered anyone “at the end of their rope.”The greatest expression heard has been,“It could have been worse.” Ranchers feel blessed to have met the challenges they faced. Conclusion The general takeaway can be seen as not only a problem of lost livestock, but access to feed, unpassable roads, and ability to take general care of stock for extended periods of time. Let’s hope these “100 year storms” only come along every 100 years.  HOW DOWE SURVIVE? Continued from page 25 Alan Sears Fr. Lou Nollette