By ANDREA McCANN
Indiana Correspondent

DENVER, Colo. — The National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) have launched a disaster-relief effort for North Dakota farm and ranch families impacted by spring blizzards and record flooding from the snowmelt.

“We don’t have the exact number of families that have been affected, however we do know that the total financial estimate on cattle alone is at $55 million, and that is based on 71,000 calves that have been lost, along with 20,000 adult cattle,” said Jonathan Beitia of the NCF/NCBA.

Beef is the largest sector of the North Dakota livestock industry, according to Julie Ellingson, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Assoc.

“There are just shy of one million cows in North Dakota, so this is a significant loss,” she said, adding that producers are still dealing with lingering beef health issues, such as scours and pneumonia, in the aftermath. “Farmers and ranchers are working long, hard hours, and their veterinarians and others are working hard along with them.”

Besides the livestock losses, North Dakota farmers and ranchers have incurred damage to structures and fences, and the floodwater ruined hay and feed supplies. According to the NCF website, many families have been displaced by the flooding. Others have been without potable water, power and other utilities.

“For the most part, the outages weren’t long term,” Ellingson said.
Getting feed to stranded livestock was a problem initially, but in April, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack authorized $750,000 in emergency livestock assistance funds that was allocated for that purpose. CRP land was made available for grazing, but according to Ellingson, there wasn’t much to graze on because the land hasn’t yet greened up. She said it did allow ranchers to spread their animals out and relieve some congestion.

According to The Bismarck Tribune, President Barack Obama declared North Dakota a national disaster area in March. That means the federal government will pay state and local governments a large portion of their cleanup and rebuilding costs.
Rebuilding the road system will probably be the longest-term project, according to Ellingson. She said roads were damaged by snow-removal equipment, and many roads and bridges were washed away by the flooding. In North Dakota, she said, “the window for road construction is really quite small.”

With roads washed away, it’ll be difficult to move large equipment to the fields, Ellingson said. Currently, the state’s farmers are about two weeks behind the average start date for planting. The North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service’s weekly crop report for the last week of April stated that flooded fields continue to delay planting.

Only 1 percent of spring wheat is planted, compared to 26 percent planted at the same time on average. Wheat is the state’s top agricultural commodity, Ellingson said, with beef just behind at No. 2.

Ellingson said fields still need to dry out and temperatures need to warm up. Generally in the 60-degree range at this time of year, she said temperatures have been in the 30s.

“It’s still unseasonably cold,” she said. “Spring has been slow in coming.”

A “hodge-podge of weather” since January has contributed to the state’s natural disasters, according to Ellingson. She said some areas of the state saw unusual weather as far back as November with early blizzards.

“In general, most areas of the state got winter earlier than usual and got much more snow than usual,” she said, adding that snowfall amounts ranked either one or two in the record books. “There was record cold, too.”

Ellingson said the flooding devastation started in March with the thaw, when ice jams and a quick melt left water with no place to go. She said most of the floodwaters have receded, but the destruction left behind will take some time to clean up and repair.

“Miles and miles of fences washed away with the flooding or was pounded to the ground by the snow,” she said.

Funds collected by the NCF/NCBA will be earmarked to help rebuild fences, according to Beitia and Ellingson. Beitia said livestock is roaming, so fences are an immediate need. Donations of fencing material also will be accepted. “What we’re focusing on in terms of nonmonetary donations is primarily fencing supplies,” he said. “There are other entities in the area who are providing feed and hay.”

The North Dakota Stockmen’s Assoc. will administer and distribute the funds collected by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. Every dollar will go directly to beef producers struggling to make repairs while they keep their farms and ranches operating in the wake of North Dakota’s recent natural disasters.

Although funds primarily are to be tagged for fence repairs, Ellingson said a few families have been hit particularly hard and have lost nearly everything, so it’s possible they could use the funds for other rebuilding purposes. She also said if donors wish their contribution to go to a specific farm, those requests will be honored. Otherwise, the money will be divided among the applicants.

Contributions by check can be made out to National Cattlemen’s Foundation, with “disaster relief” noted on the memo line, and mailed to: National Cattlemen’s Foundation, 9110 East Nichols Ave., Suite 300, Centennial, CO 80112.

Online contributions can be made at www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org by selecting “contribute now” on the left side of the screen, which brings up the “Online Giving” screen. Scroll down to “Disaster Relief Effort Contribution” to enter the amount, then to the bottom of the screen to enter credit card authorization. Donations are tax deductible.