County's cattle and poultry hit by summer heat

By Staff
Jason Cannon, FCT Publisher
The lack of rain spread over the summer months did more than affect the county's farmers. It put the county's cattlemen in a pinch, too.
According to Tim Reed, Franklin County Extension Agent, a lack of rain reduced grass and hay production by more than 50-percent this year, putting local cattlemen in a pinch.
"The shortage of grass and hay forced many cattle producers to sell more cattle than they normally do during the summer and now the number of cattle in the county is down about 10-percent due to the drought," he said. "Across the county most farmers will have fewer calves to sell next year."
There were an estimated 24,000 head of cattle in the county when the year began.
However, early fall rains helped rejuvenate pastures and gave farmers a chance to cut a little more hay for the winter but many are scrounging to find additional hay with the price of a 1000 pound roll of hay is now up to around $35.
The shortage of hay isn't the only thing that has impacted our county's cattlemen, Reed said rising corn prices have led to lower cattle prices.
"The price of a good 500 pound calf is now about $100 less than it was earlier this year," he said.
Reed added the county's poultry's industry also took a hit.
Hotter than normal weather forced farmers to spend more money to cool their poultry houses this summer," he said. "Higher corn and soybean meal prices have also hit the poultry industry hard."
The cost of corn and soybean meal together make up about 60-percent of the cost of raising a chicken, Reed noted.