Colorado Ag Commissioner Expresses Concern for Livestock

January 8, 2007 — 

Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament has expressed concern over reports from farmers in southeastern Colorado affected by the recent blizzard.

Ament said the storm would likely kill at least 40,000 head of livestock in southeastern Colorado including cattle suffocated in 15-foot-tall snowdrifts and thousands of hogs housed in collapsed buildings.

State officials and National Guard units continue to respond to the disaster, which covers more than 10 million acres, using heavy equipment to clear roads in the affected area and helicopters to drop hay to stranded livestock. As of January 5th, approximately 80 tons of hay have been distributed to the impacted area. To date, Governor Bill Owens has authorized $2.1 million of emergency funds to support the response efforts. On January 8th, President Bush made emergency federal aid available for Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas to supplement state and local response efforts.

Colorado Department of Agriculture officials utilized information collected as part of the USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS) to contact ranchers with registered premises to help locate animals and determine feed requirements. ?Having direct access to livestock owners gave us the opportunity to quickly assess the situation,? said Colorado Division of Emergency Management Director, George Epp. ?Protecting the health of Colorado livestock is a top priority to this operation and NAIS was a big help.?

Sources:
USAgnet, January 5, 2007
Colorado Division of Emergency Management, Press releases
Colorado Department of Agriculture, Press release