Thousands of cattle suddenly die in Kansas, officials say. What’s to blame?

Thousands of cattle died in Kansas in recent days due to sweltering heat and humidity, officials say.

Estimates vary on the total number dead, as ranchers aren’t required to report deaths, the state Department of Agriculture told McClatchy News.

The deaths are centered in southwest Kansas where “several weather factors...led to heat stress for cattle,” a department spokesperson said.

Temperatures were in the 80s and low 90s until a sudden spike to 100 degrees on June 11, followed by two more days of triple-digit heat, according to the Weather Channel.

At least 2,000 animals were lost, Reuters reported. That figure is based on the number of carcasses state officials were asked to help dispose of.

However, the number could be much higher — up to 10,000 or more, according to DTN, an outlet that specializes in agriculture industry analysis.

“We do know from reports from our members that there has been a significant number (of deaths) in that area of the state,” Scarlett Hagins, Vice President of Communications for the Kansas Livestock Association, told McClatchy News.

While heat stress deaths are known to happen, they don’t to this scale. “This is a very unique and unfortunate event,” Hagins said.

Cattle are generally hardy animals and able to handle heat, but there’s a limit. The problem in this case is that temperatures were high during the day but didn’t drop at night, or at least didn’t drop far enough — largely due to uncharacteristically high humidity, Hagins said. This worsens with consecutive days of high heat, and as such, the cattle couldn’t get any relief.

“Normally western and southwestern Kansas is an arid part of the state. Although it gets hot, it’s not humid,” Hagins said. “The sudden change … is what really caused the losses. It didn’t give the cattle time to acclimate.”

And temperatures are rising again. A high of 103 is expected on June 16 in Ulysses — the town reportedly hardest hit by the heatwave — followed by 100-degree heat on June 17, according to the Weather Channel.

The Department of Agriculture said it is in contact with ranchers in the area, and is standing by to provide “information and assistance as needed.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Thousands of cattle suddenly die in Kansas, officials say. What’s to blame?."