Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced additional actions and resources to help cattle producers

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced additional actions and resources to help cattle producers

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Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced additional actions and resources to help cattle producers

About 2,000 head of cattle died from the Kansas heat in the southwest part of the state this week. It happened after an abrupt spike in temperature, humidity, and a lack of wind.

With the cattle loss, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced additional actions and resources to help cattle producers.

"Well, it's devastating. But you know we go through these things sometimes on the farm," said Susie Mackey, a Johnson County cattle farmer.

Mackey has been a cattle farmer her whole life. She has been making sure her animals had plenty of water in the relentless heat at her farm near Gardner. She also has adjusted her feed schedule so the cattle aren't digesting food and generating more heat in the middle of the day.

While she hasn't lost any cattle to heat, it was a different story in the far southwestern part of the state. What is normally a good place for cattle to feed and be ready for processing, a quick change in weather meant about 2,000 cattle, worth about $2,000 a head or a $4 million loss, died in the heat.

"Any kind of animal loss is significant to a producer to a cattle feeder to a rancher," said Scarlet Hagins, of Kansas Livestock Association.

While it's a tough loss, it's not expected to be passed along to consumers at the grocery store.

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