By Jasmine Franklin
A pile of lumber and sheet metal is all that’s left of a cattle shed after a sudden windstorm tore the structure to pieces.
“In the 29 years I have farmed here I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Ken Windsor, manager of Abt Cattle Company. “It’s a mess.”
The farm in the Menaik area, was blasted with wind March 29 around 3:30 p.m.
“It only lasted a few minutes but everything was shaking,” Windsor said. “The house was vibrating and the all you could see was dust everywhere.”
Concern for his 360-head cow/calf operation set in but the farmer couldn’t do anything about it.
“We were afraid that if we went outside we would be hit by sheet metal or something — that’s how nuts it was.”
Luckily, none of Windsor’s cattle was hurt.
But that was only one of the farmer’s now many concerns.
“We found out yesterday (April 1), that there is no insurance on the cattle sheds. We are debating now on what to do — do we rebuild another shed or just make do with one for now?”
Windsor said to rebuild the 180-foot long by 16-foot wide shed that was bolted into cement and built with fir lumber, would most likely cost as much as a house — money that the farm just can’t afford to dish out in this economy.
“I mean, we can’t do with just one cattle shed come next winter. We will either have to build a windbreak or replace the entire structure,” he said. “Either way, we can’t keep the cattle in there right now, they can just step right over it.”
Windsor plans on looking into to grant money that may allow him financial supports so he can get the farm ready for the busy winter season.
“This was the worst time of year for this to happen,” Windsor said. “Now is when we need to start preparing everything.”
The farm backgrounds calves, meaning weaning them off their mothers and raising them into full cattle, which makes the winter season packed with cattle.
Windsor said the mess alone will take up to one week of cleaning and if the farm cannot receive financial assistance through a grant, then most likely the shed won’t be built.
“We can’t afford to fix up these places like we used to,” he said. “But that’s the lifestyle of a farmer. They are tough and don’t quit.”