{"id":45592,"date":"2021-07-27T02:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T08:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/as-drought-cuts-hay-crop-cattle-ranchers-face-culling-herds\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:26:17","slug":"as-drought-cuts-hay-crop-cattle-ranchers-face-culling-herds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/as-drought-cuts-hay-crop-cattle-ranchers-face-culling-herds\/","title":{"rendered":"As drought cuts hay crop, cattle ranchers face culling herds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A pipe on the Stanko cattle ranch diverts water from the Woolery irrigation ditch, Tuesday, July 13, 2021, near Steamboat Springs. With the Yampa River approaching record low levels due to severe drought, ranchers are only able to use a third of their normal water supply, and Jim Stanko says if he can't harvest enough hay to feed his cattle, he may need to sell off some of his herd. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018If it rained four inches, there wouldn\u2019t be a cow to sell for five months\u2019<\/p>\n

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) \u2014 With his cattle ranch threatened by a deepening drought, Jim Stanko isn\u2019t cheered by the coming storm signaled by the sound of thunder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThunder means lightning, and lightning can cause fires,\u201d said Stanko, who fears he\u2019ll have to sell off half his herd of about 90 cows in Routt County outside of Steamboat Springs, Colorado if he can\u2019t harvest enough hay to feed them.<\/p>\n

As the drought worsens across the West and ushers in an early fire season, cattle ranchers are among those feeling the pain. Their hay yields are down, leading some to make the hard decision to sell off animals. To avoid the high cost of feed, many ranchers grow hay to nourish their herds through the winter when snow blankets the grass they normally graze.<\/p>\n

But this year, Stanko\u2019s hay harvest so far is even worse than it was last year. One field produced just 10 bales, down from 30 last year, amid heat waves and historically low water levels in the Yampa River, his irrigation source.<\/p>\n

Some ranchers aren\u2019t waiting to reduce the number of mouths they need to feed.<\/p>\n

\"Cattle
Cattle are sold at an auction at Loma Livestock, Monday, July 12, 2021, in Loma, Colo. Summer sales at the facility are bustling, even though the peak buying season isn't usually until fall, as some ranchers facing hay shortages and a severe drought are eager to unload cattle while prices are still strong. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the Loma Livestock auction in western Colorado, sales were bustling earlier this month even though its peak season isn\u2019t usually until the fall when most calves are ready to be sold. Fueling the action are ranchers eager to unload cattle while prices are still strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody is gonna be selling their cows, so it\u2019s probably smarter now to do it while the price is up before the market gets flooded,\u201d said Buzz Bates, a rancher from Moab, Utah who was selling 209 cow-calf pairs, or about 30% of his herd.<\/p>\n

Bates decided to trim his herd after a fire set off by an abandoned campfire destroyed part of his pasture, curbing his ability to feed them.<\/p>\n

Weather has long factored into how ranchers manage their livestock and land, but those choices have increasingly centered around how herds can sustain drought conditions, said Kaitlynn Glover, executive director of natural resources at the National Cattlemen\u2019s Beef Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it rained four inches, there wouldn\u2019t be a cow to sell for five months,\u201d said George Raftopoulos, owner of the auction house.<\/p>\n

Raftopoulos says he encourages people to think twice before parting with their cows. Having to replace them later on might cost more than paying for additional hay, he said.<\/p>\n

Culling herds can be an operational blow for cattle ranchers. It often means parting with cows selected for genetic traits that are optimal for breeding and are seen as long-term investments that pay dividends.<\/p>\n

\"Third-generation
Third-generation rancher Jim Stanko poses for a photo, Tuesday, July 13, 2021, in front of his childhood home near Steamboat Springs, Colo., as he holds a picture of the home taken in 1937. The family now rents out the home for supplemental income to support their cattle ranch, which is being threatened by high feed prices and severe drought conditions that have affected hay harvest. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jo Stanko, Jim\u2019s wife and business partner, noted her cows were bred for their ability to handle the region\u2019s temperature swings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a very specialized place,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need cattle that can do high and low temperatures in the same day.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Stankos prepare to shrink their herd, they\u2019re considering new lines of work to supplement their ranching income. One option on the table: offering hunting and fishing access or winter sleigh rides on their land.<\/p>\n

The couple will know how many more cattle they\u2019ll need to sell once they\u2019re done storing hay in early September. They hope to cull just 10, but fear it could be as many as half the herd, or around 45 head.<\/p>\n

Already, the family sold 21 head last year after a disappointing hay harvest. This year, the crop is even worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the heat, it\u2019s burning up. I can\u2019t cut it fast enough,\u201d Jim Stanko said of the hay crop.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP\u2019s environmental coverage, visit https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/environment.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cows
Cows graze on a field at the Stanko Ranch, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, near Steamboat Springs, Colo. Jim Stanko says due to drought conditions this year, he may have to sell some of his herd if he can't harvest enough hay to feed them. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rancher
Rancher Jim Stanko checks the water level of an irrigation ditch, Tuesday, July 13, 2021, on his ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colo. Stanko said that due to drought conditions this year, if he can't harvest enough hay to feed his cattle, he may need to sell off some of his herd. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fourth-generation
Fourth-generation cattle rancher Pat Stanko loads rounds of hay onto a trailer, Tuesday, July 13, 2021, on his ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colo. Pat's father, Jim Stanko, said due to drought conditions this year, if the family can't harvest enough hay to feed their cattle, they may need to sell off some of their herd. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jo
Jo Stanko, center, meets with her son Pat Stanko, right, and daughter-in-law Jan Stanko, left, to discuss their options for buying supplemental cattle feed, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at their ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colo. Feed prices are high, and due to drought conditions this year, Jo's husband, Jim Stanko, says if the family can't harvest enough hay to feed their cattle, they may need to sell off some of their herd. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Jo
Jo Stanko, who along with her husband, Jim Stanko, are third-generation cattle ranchers, watches a sudden afternoon rainstorm, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, on their ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colo. Due to extreme drought conditions this year, Jim Stanko says he may have to sell some of their herd if he can't harvest enough hay to feed them. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Third-generation
Third-generation cattle ranchers Jim Stanko, left, and his wife, Jo Stanko, pose for a photo as they stand together on their land near Steamboat Springs, Colo., Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Jim says due to drought conditions this year, he may have to sell some of their herd if he can't harvest enough hay to feed them. (AP Photo\/Brittany Peterson)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A pipe on the Stanko cattle ranch diverts water from the Woolery irrigation ditch, Tuesday, July 13, 2021, near Steamboat Springs. With the Yampa River approaching record low levels due to severe drought, ranchers are only able to use a third of their normal water supply, and Jim Stanko says if he can't harvest enough […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[281,402,28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-45592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-agriculture","tag-drought","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45592"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86557,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45592\/revisions\/86557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45592"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=45592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}