Holiday storm Goliath will hurt the beef and dairy industries for months to come. An estimated 40,000 dairy cattle were lost to the storm. Beef losses will be from lost weight gains. For veterinarians and suppliers, helping customers find ways to replace lost animals will help ensure ongoing revenue from animal health products and services.
Source: Dairy Herd Management, December 31, 2015.
Winter storm Goliath rolled into the Clovis, NM, and Lubbock, TX regions Saturday evening and was gone by Monday morning. But the 22 inches of snow paired with wind gusts, some reaching over 60 miles per hour, was too much for many cattle. It also proved impossible for some dairies to continue operating at the time. The uncharacteristic weather was to the extreme for the High Plains region.
Also: Oklahoma Farm Report, December 30, 2015.
Market news reporter Ed Czerwein says the biggest impact will be in the reduction of weights of market ready cattle in the days ahead. An earlier storm that hit just after Thanksgiving cost feedlot cattle in the region approximately 40 pounds per animal.