February 10, 2010

Snowstorm upsets US livestock's living conditions

The living conditions of livestock have been affected and cattle have started to lose weight amid the ongoing US snowstorm.

Livestock traders said the severe weather has caused cattle to lose substantial weight, with producers having to feed the cattle more just to keep them warm.

As of two weeks ago the weather damage to feedlot gains converts to a 2% drop in beef production, said livestock analyst Rich Nelson.

The storm left a battered Midwest in its wake, and up to 17 inches of snow in Iowa, one of the largest hog-producing states. The marketing of hogs was disrupted, helping Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures to rise to their highest level in six months.

"This snowy weather creates miserable conditions for livestock in feedlots," said Harry Hillaker, an Iowa state climatologist. "It is difficult to get feed to them and to keep water lines from freezing."