Heath Lewis moved about 300 head of cattle off a pasture below the Arkansas River levee in southeast Conway County before rising floodwaters could trap them.
A neighbor wasn't so alert, Lewis said Monday, and about 80 of his cattle drowned.
"This was something we didn't expect," Lewis said. "None of us dreamed it would get up as fast and as high as it did."
Lewis said he spent most of Dec. 29 trying to help his neighbor rescue the threatened cattle, which were in a pasture between the river and the main levee. Sometime the night before, Lewis said, the floodwaters topped a raised roadbed that provides access to the low-lying pasture, which is about 3.5 miles upstream from the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, and trapped the cattle.
Even though none of his own cows drowned, Lewis said he lost about 65 bales of hay to the flood and would spend the next few months repairing fences and clearing debris from his pastures below the levee. In addition, he said he likely would sell half his herd, or about 250 head of cattle, because he doesn't have room for them in pastures above the levee.
"I'm looking at selling probably $250,000 worth of livestock and then turning around and spending about $250,000 on repairs," he said.
Across the state, the flood's effects on livestock varied largely on the basis of terrain, according to interviews with personnel of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service.
In Lonoke County, low-lying areas flooded but cattle producers saw little damage, said Keith Perkins, the county agent.
"Most of the cattle in Lonoke County are not in the floodplain area," Perkins said.
Chuck Capps, the county agent in Arkansas County, said most of the cattle in his area are pastured on hilly ground.
"We're not in danger of losing any cattle," he said.
In Perry County, the damage was more extensive. Numerous producers lost fences and hay to the flood, said Jesse Bocksnick, the county agent.
"They're going to be days and days putting their fences back up and getting their pastures in shape," Bocksnick said.
Bocksnick warned that producers would need to check their pastures for storm debris that could be fatal to livestock, including wood splinters, metal shards and screws and nails. When consumed, those items can puncture the walls of a cow's digestive tract and cause infections and scarring, he said.
Flooding may also increase the risk of blackleg, a fatal, soil-borne disease, because the waters disturb the soil in pastures, Bocksnick said. Inexpensive vaccines are available, according to the extension service.
Lance Kirkpatrick, the Sebastian County extension agent, said the producers in his area had time to move their cattle to higher ground.
He said the fall's mild temperatures and wet conditions meant more grass has been available for livestock so some producers have been able to delay using hay. At the same time, he said, the heavy rains have put winter crops, like wheat, in jeopardy.
Anthony Whittington, the Jefferson County agent, said he wasn't aware of any cattle being lost in his area. But he agreed the winter wheat crop could be impaired.
"Wheat doesn't like to get its feet wet," Whittington said.
Business on 01/05/2016