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FRANKFORT,
Ky. – Kentucky weather can be cruel to livestock
and their owners, as recently shown when an apparent
lightning strike killed 31 cattle on a Henry County
farm during the Eminence tornado May 27 and when livestock
were reported swept away in Powell County floodwaters
May 30.
To
prevent further losses during a predi--cted upcoming
surge of high waters, Kentucky livestock producers near
the Ohio River in western Kentucky should consider preventive
measures, said Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer.
Dr.
Robert Stout, Kentucky state veterinarian, warns that
farmers should exercise caution even after storms end.
“Some farmers think they are out of risk once the rain
stops, but rising waters bring a whole new set of problems,”
he said.
State
emergency officials are focusing on the threat of rising
waters along the lower Ohio during the next several
days, said Charlie Winter, an official with the Kentucky
Division of Emergency Management.
“Everything
coming down the Mississippi is going to make the Ohio
rise,” Winter said, noting that recent heavy rains in
the upper Midwest will drain into and swell the Mississippi
River.
Livestock
threatened by flooding should be removed to high ground
before floodwaters rise. If farmers don't try to move
cattle until rising water directly threatens, cattle
may refuse to move, Stout said.
Cattle
that contact floodwater run an increased risk of diseases
caused by bacteria that live in the soil, Stout said.
Owners can vaccinate their livestock against soil-borne
diseases such as black leg and tetanus before a crisis
strikes, he said.
Flood
emergency plans for the farm should include such routine
but crucial matters as turning off power to electric
fences and to buildings that might flood, and making
standby feeding and watering arrangements, Stout said.
Dairy
farmers also must make emergency plans to continue milking
and to store and deliver milk. “You need standby services
for emergency milk pickup, and you have to make sure
the milk truck can reach you,” Stout said.
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