Farmers will be allowed emergency permits to transport heavier-than-usual loads of agricultural supplies in an effort by the Missouri Department of Transportation to keep livestock feed supplies from running low after the blizzard.
The permits legalize loads that are 10 percent heavier than normal, the department said in a news release. They're free and are set to expire at noon Sunday (Feb. 6).
But they might not be what farmers need, said Albert Kennett, an MU Extension livestock specialist. He said the biggest problem is not that feed supplies are running low, but farmers are struggling to clear paths through the snow to get the supplies they do have to their animals.
"The feeding is just really horrible. Just as difficult as it has been to get our cars out, it is that difficult to get feed to livestock," says Kennett.
Sandra Rankin from Rankin Farms said her farm is lucky to have equipment to clear enough snow to get to the cattle. But it's hard to get water to their animals because ponds have frozen over, she said.
"That's just the best you can do is see that they have feed and water. In this type of weather, it's an all-day job and sometimes part of the night," Rankin said.
The executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, Jeff Windett, said a herd of cattle can withstand the cold temperatures, but problems are linked instead to the moisture they will have to endure. Windett said the presence of moisture requires farmers to provide significantly more feed for the cattle in their pastures, and the drifts created by the high winds obstruct the paths farmers need to get to their herds.
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