Rising Feed Prices, Impacting Farmers' Pocketbooks

Thursday, January 25th 2007, 12:11 pm

By: News On 6

The high costs of keeping cattle fed are putting some Oklahoma ranchers out of business. News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson explains why keeping bellies full is leaving pockets empty.

At Farmers' Feed Store in Sapulpa, bags of cattle cubes have never been more popular or more expensive. Still, that does stop stack after stack from flying off the shelves.

Inside, on the feed storeâ€™s big board, prices are high, unimaginable for some ranchers, unaffordable for the rest.

Farmers Feed Storeâ€™s Todd Johnston says, "a lot of people are selling. The stockyards over there, the people are kin to us, they say a lot of people just can't do it anymore. They can't afford, the cattle are high, yeah, but feed? It just doesn't work. They have to do something."

For weeks, pastures have been covered by snow and sleet, taking its toll on cattle. Whole herds line up for the only meal they can find.

Brothers Todd and Curt Johnston say bales that cost $4 last year, now go for more than $8, which just doubles problems for cattle owners. "Cattle and horses, they'll eat twice as much hay. When you put a bale of hay out, they'll stay right there because there's no grass to eat. I know our cattle eat twice as much hay," says Curt Johnston. Curtâ€™s brother Todd says, "who'd ever thought there'd be a hay shortage like it is, and hay as high as it is. I didn't think I'd ever live to see hay this high."

Some frustrated ranchers have even accused the Johnstons of price gouging. The brothers say the truth is, for the first time ever, they're having to ship in hay from out of state and the freight costs just as much as the hay. "We got a load last week out of Wisconsin. That's a long way to go to get a load of hay."

And the problem is not just in Sapulpa. From the southeast corner of the state to the Panhandle, ranchers say spring can't come soon enough.

The State Department of Agriculture has petitioned Congress to help bail out farms and ranches on the verge of failure. So far, no word from Washington about when or if that money is headed to Oklahoma.