Ranches' profits evaporate

GATHERING HAY:
Chad Amen collects bales of vetch and rye grass from a field behind Safeway in Anderson.

Across northern California, livestock ranchers are being forced into making difficult choices due to the shortage of forage on ranchlands caused by three years of drought.

Some ranchers can't afford the extra cost of hay and are selling their cattle a year younger than they otherwise would, according to Kevin Devine, a spokesman for Shasta Livestock Auction Yard in Cottonwood.

"You can foresee that you're not going to have feed, so you cull," Devine said.

"It's the first time in 30 years we've had to feed hay in the winter months," said Prather Ranch manager Jim Rickert, who estimated that he spent an additional $30,000 in feed on his 1,500 cows.

Grass on the open range is a cheaper source of feed. But after three years of drought, it's not in abundance.

Several ranchers, including Glenn Aldridge of Shingletown, said their cattle have eaten down much of the grass where they winter in the Central Valley. As a result, they already moved their stock to summer range areas.

Simply relocating cattle sooner isn't a perfect solution, however.

"A lot of grass hasn't grown yet at higher elevations where there may still be snow," explained Shannon Wooten of Palo Cedro.

"A lot of guys are pushed to go there before the feed is ready," Wooten added.

Overgrazing on spring growth creates another problem. Ranchers would prefer to leave their winter range with more grass so that cattle have something to eat when they return in the fall, Aldridge said.

With so little grass remaining, ranchers are hoping for an early rain season.

"Hopefully it will rain early in the fall. Otherwise, I'll have to feed hay or (buy) another supplement," Aldridge said.

"We're worried about next winter now," Rickert said. "If we're fortunate and get some early rain, we'll be okay."

"The economy is hurting us too, on top of the drought," said Ellington Peek, owner of the Shasta Livestock Auction Yard.

"This is about as tough (a year) as I've seen. Everyone is trying to find extra feed," Peek said.

Ivar Amen and Miranda Butcher each operate ranches irrigated by the Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District. They have less to worry about since the district expects to receive all of its water allotment from the Bureau of Reclamation even as other districts are being cut back.

In 2008, crop loss estimates in California due to drought were $308.7 million, according to Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Estimated crop losses in Shasta County reached $3.5 million while Tehama County was at $5.3 million. By comparison, Lassen County losses were estimated at $13.2 million due to the vast acreage of range land there.

Statewide, rangeland made up more than a third of total crop losses worth $116.9 million.

"I talked to a couple people about it this morning . . . both said they were selling livestock," said Paul Kjos, deputy Agricultural Commissioner for Shasta County.

Kjos is currently gathering similar information from area ranchers to see whether the county qualifies for disaster relief due to drought.

For information, contact Kjos at 224-4949.