Liberty Belle
Well-known member
How many of you ranchers in South Dakota and Nebraska had this problem this winter?
Ticks Take Toll On Cattle
Following a treacherous winter, some ranchers in western South Dakota are already having an even worse spring. Hundreds of cattle have died and officials believe an infestation of winter ticks may be to blame.
There are usually around 200 head of cattle grazing on the May ranch near Kyle. But in less than two months, a quarter of them have mysteriously died...two in the last two days.
"Fifty-four head. Doesn't seem to be an end in sight. We've been doing this for thirty years. Never. Never seen anything like this," rancher Liz May said.
The Mays aren't alone in their struggles. Veterinarian Norma Headlee says this season, she's seen about 250 individual cases of animals dying after being bitten by a winter tick.
"We've probably had 20 different herds involved, mostly around the heavily wooded creeks where there's more tick hatch," Headlee said.
Headlee says cattle would normally be able to fight off diseases carried by the bug, but believes a cold, wet winter may have forced the ticks into an early hatch, allowing cows to get infected during calving season when they're much more susceptible to diseases.
"As far as an early tick hatch, this is the first year we've dealt with it," Headlee said.
One year may be enough to run some ranchers out of business. On the low end, each of these cows is worth around $1500, putting the Mays' loss at more than $80,000 so far.
"This loss can't be made up; you can't make up fifty four head of cows. The inventory is gone, and once the inventory is gone you cannot recoup that," May said.
Unless they can find a way to protect the rest of their herd from being infected, the Mays worry they'll lose even more.
Headlee says winter ticks have been documented in areas of Montana, but she's not sure how the bug made its way to South Dakota. More tests are being done on the ticks to determine the exact disease that is causing the cattle deaths. So far, no humans have gotten sick.
Karla Ramaekers
http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=83400
Ticks Take Toll On Cattle
Following a treacherous winter, some ranchers in western South Dakota are already having an even worse spring. Hundreds of cattle have died and officials believe an infestation of winter ticks may be to blame.
There are usually around 200 head of cattle grazing on the May ranch near Kyle. But in less than two months, a quarter of them have mysteriously died...two in the last two days.
"Fifty-four head. Doesn't seem to be an end in sight. We've been doing this for thirty years. Never. Never seen anything like this," rancher Liz May said.
The Mays aren't alone in their struggles. Veterinarian Norma Headlee says this season, she's seen about 250 individual cases of animals dying after being bitten by a winter tick.
"We've probably had 20 different herds involved, mostly around the heavily wooded creeks where there's more tick hatch," Headlee said.
Headlee says cattle would normally be able to fight off diseases carried by the bug, but believes a cold, wet winter may have forced the ticks into an early hatch, allowing cows to get infected during calving season when they're much more susceptible to diseases.
"As far as an early tick hatch, this is the first year we've dealt with it," Headlee said.
One year may be enough to run some ranchers out of business. On the low end, each of these cows is worth around $1500, putting the Mays' loss at more than $80,000 so far.
"This loss can't be made up; you can't make up fifty four head of cows. The inventory is gone, and once the inventory is gone you cannot recoup that," May said.
Unless they can find a way to protect the rest of their herd from being infected, the Mays worry they'll lose even more.
Headlee says winter ticks have been documented in areas of Montana, but she's not sure how the bug made its way to South Dakota. More tests are being done on the ticks to determine the exact disease that is causing the cattle deaths. So far, no humans have gotten sick.
Karla Ramaekers
http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=83400