Drought forces North American ranchers to sell off their future
WINNIPEG, Manitoba/CHICAGO (Reuters) - When Canadian rancher Dianne Riding strides across her brown pasture, sidestepping cracks and popping grasshoppers, she has less company than usual.
Record-setting heat and sparse rain left Riding with too little grass or hay to feed her cattle near Lake Francis, Manitoba. She sold 51 head at auction in July, about 40% of her herd. The sales included 20 heifers, young cows that have not given birth, that were potential breeding stock.
"That's your future. As my herd goes down, so does my income," Riding said. "It's gut-wrenching."
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The drought spanning much of western North America - from western Canada to California and Mexico - has cooked pastures and hay crops that fatten cattle. The ranchers' plight is one impact of many from the punishing drought, which has also damaged wheat across North Dakota and cherries in Washington state, weakened bee colonies, and forced California to shut a major hydroelectric plant. In British Columbia, an entire town burned, while California is expected to see a record number of acres go up in flames this year.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/drought-forces-north-american-ranchers-to-sell-off-their-future/ar-AAO3Va9