Frightening Experience

[Just Us N Texas]

Hubby was on his way to work late this afternoon (night shift), and we were having a pretty rough storm. Lots of lightning. The large cattle farm about 2 miles down the road from us,, was coming up on his right and left. On the left, he saw a triple bolt of lightning rolling through the field. It hit a barbed wire fence, and 20 head of prime young beef went down. He called a couple of people to try and get in touch with the owner, then called me, and asked me to call someone who might have his phone number. I got in touch with someone who had the gentleman's phone number. Half way to work, hubby said it was just storming so badly, he was sick from watching all the cattle go down, and the roads were flooding pretty badly. He called in and came back. The owner was there, and several neighbors. Several of the cattle were dead, those he was loading and taking away to bury. He cut throats of those not quite dead, and let them bleed out. He gave those to the neighbors to try and avoid a total wastage of all that cornfed prime beef. I called every processing plant, locker, and even deer processor within 100 miles to get the calves taken in and processed. It seems there is a law in Texas that the cow must be alive, and the processing plant must be the one that kills it and then processes it. No one will process that beef. And all because of mad cow disease. That is when that law went into effect. Anyway, in my back yard and in the driveway there is a processing party going on. Sure hope they can get it all processed before it ruins. Couple of the neighbors have extra room in their freezers so the meat will be going there. I am just heartsick that the cattleman lost all that prime beef, and so many died on the spot. My husband was just sick at his stomach at the wastage. They wanted to hang and process the cattle in the horse barn, but I was afraid of what would happen to the horses minds, with all that blood smell, so they are hanging them on the front end loader, and in the trees to process them. It sure is slow going!

 

[crponies]

Wow, that would be scary to see. I too feel for the rancher but hopefully some of you will be able to enjoy some good meat.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Wow!

Sounds pretty scary. It seems either drought or floods lately all over the place. I'm glad at least all the people are OK. I think you made the right choice about not putting the meat to hang in your barn. No point in traumatizing your horses. They might have shrugged it off but they might not have to.

It seems there is a law in Texas that the cow must be alive, and the processing plant must be the one that kills it and then processes it.

Same law is in effect here in BC (and I suspect pretty much every where else too.) It is a shame when so many people are going hungry in this world that good meat has to go to waste but itis the only way to protect the food supply from some unscrupulous person who would claim the cow was fine but easier to transport dead because they think money (in their pocket) is more important than someones health.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Kudos to all the folks who are trying to retrieve something from this terrible loss...it would be a real shame for so much usable beef to go to waste.

Many don't realize how deadly lightning can be, for ANY form of life. I used to spend summers, between about age 9 and my mid-teens, with my aunt who married a rancher (acquired some neat 'cousins'--his adopted daughters-in the bargain!) Out checking pasture in a pickup truck, the three of us kids and my uncle once found a NICE QH colt, dead from a lightning strike. All the other mares and foals were fine; he was clearly 'burned' on the top of his head...very sad to see.

Severe lightning is one of the SCARIEST things around, too!

Hope you and all the friends and neighbors can complete this awful but necessary chore as quickly as possible!

Margo

 

[Miniv]

What a horrible shame...... Hope there will be something good coming from all this for people......... I feel sad for the cattle owner.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

That is just terrible. It is a good sign of survival that you have so many neighbors who can deal with that situation.

We had a neighbor who lost 10 head of just-bought heifers this spring to a strike. They were all laying in a circle, as though they were bunched and thrown outward.