By Barry Whitworth, DVM

Chances are that livestock producers at some time or another will be affected by a disaster such as a flood, tornado, drought or wildfire. Whatever the disaster, the challenge of any producer is to take care of their animals. Unlike small animals, farm animals tend to be large and require special needs in an emergency. For this reason, it is important to take the time to prepare a “Disaster Preparedness Plan.”

The plan will hopefully create a step-by-step set of guidelines to follow during a chaotic situation that will keep both animals and humans safe. In any disaster situation, the most important thing for a producer is to ensure above all else that his/her family and life come first. A producer should never attempt to risk his/her life or a member of their family’s life to save the life of an animal.

The start of a good disaster preparedness plan begins with evaluating what are the most likely disasters that a ranch or farm might face. For example, a ranch in the far eastern part of the state may not spend as much time with drought preparation as a ranch in the western part of the state. All producers should take the time to research history and look at weather patterns to understand the most likely disasters they could face.

Next, the producer should evaluate their premises to determine the potential risk to the animals. For example, the producer may want to remove the animals from any area that falls in a flood plain during certain times of the year or have an evacuation plan ready in case of an emergency. One should also evaluate the structures on the property. Are the barns or sheds able to withstand strong winds or not? The answer to that question will determine if the animals will be kept in a barn or turned out in a pasture during a storm.

Stacks of lumber and/or tin should be tied down. This will prevent the material from being blown around and possibly injuring an animal. Areas around a barn should be kept mowed and free of dead debris. This will help reduce risk where there is potential for a wildfire.

These questions and more need to be addressed in preparing the plan.

A disaster preparedness plan should also include animal identification. All animals need some form of identification. Brands, microchips and tattoos make excellent identifications since they are more permanent than other forms. Pictures will help identify animals. The producer should have records of ownership in case animals are lost or die in the disaster. This will be important if the producer is receiving insurance or indemnity payments.

It is important to remember that during a disaster power and utilities may be lost. A livestock owner who relies on electricity for his/her animals will need to have a backup source of power. A seven to 10-day supply of feed and water should be kept on hand. Producers may want to prepare an emergency kit. Items that might be included in the kit are halters, ropes, feed buckets, medications, first aid supplies, cleaning supplies, flashlights, batteries, cell phone, radio, feed, hay, water and generator. These are just a few things that a producer might need in an emergency.

An evacuation may need to be part of a producer’s disaster preparedness plan. Moving large herds of animals is probably not feasible. However, producers may wish to evacuate a small number of animals that have exceptional genetics. If evacuation is an option, producers will need to prearrange for an evacuation site. They will need to establish a route.

The truck should be full of gas and the trailer hitched during unfavorable conditions. Producers need to leave early. A producer should keep in mind that traffic may be increased during a disaster. The last thing a livestock owner needs is to be caught in a disaster stuck on a highway.

The producers will need to take feed and hay or prearrange for delivery to the evacuation site. If the animals are to remain on the farm, the producer will need to establish an area that he/she feels is safest depending on what the disaster is. For example, a pasture with no trees would be safer than a pasture with a few trees that animals would congregate under during a severe storm.

Once the crisis is over, the owner should be prepared to deal with injuries and dead animals. Producers need to have a carcass disposal plan ready in advance. Producers need to check with the local and state officials about the laws for disposing of animals. Producers need to realize that there is a chance that some animals will need to be euthanized. Owners need to be prepared to euthanize or contact a veterinarian to this job.

Planning how to deal with a disaster is like writing a will. Most of us think that we have plenty of time to get it done later. Unfortunately, later usually comes earlier than we like, and we get caught in an emergency with no plan. If a producer would like more information about planning for a disaster, they should go to www.prep4agthreats or contact their local county educator.

This article originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch. 

By Ralph Chain

In 1935 and 1936, when we used to work a lot of mules, my granddad and dad decided to build some mule barns. So, in 1935, we built the first barn where my dad lived and in 1936 we built a barn where my granddad lived. All the work on these barns was done by hand, back before we had cement mixers and the conveniences of life. The work was done by hoe or shovel.

Our neighbors, Sale and Dwight Bennett, and their dad, Claude, helped build the barns. The old man who laid the tile on the barn was Bill Hopper. He was an old bachelor and where he came from or where he went I do not know. But he stayed with my mother and father all during this time while building the west barn. It probably took two or three months to build a barn. He was particular about what he ate. My mother always had to cook for him, and she was glad to see him leave. He also laid the tile for my granddad’s barn. My grandmother cooked for him while he was building that barn.

We used the barn for mules until the late 1940s or early 1950s, when tractors took the place of our mules. I remember my dad trading a team of mules for a D John Deere tractor, which had steel wheel lugs on the back wheel, and you cranked it by hand. I think John Deere built these tractors and called them Argentine, because they were built for sale in Argentina.

When the mules left we converted the west barn. We took out the oat bins and mule stalls and moved our cattle working equipment inside the barn. Each barn had a long oat bin that ran the length of the barn. We filled these bins by scoop shovel with oats that were fed to our work mules.

We converted the east barn the same way but instead of moving our cattle working equipment I converted it to a sheep barn. We used to feed a lot of sheep, and we put the sheep feeders in the barn. Then we quit feeding sheep and the barn was converted into calving pens for our two-year-old heifers.

One day Newley, my grandson, approached me. He and Mandy Hill were getting married and he wanted to have the wedding in our converted school house. I asked him, “Why don’t you have your wedding in the barn?” He nearly fainted when I mentioned the barn. But I told him we would clean the barn up if he wanted to have the wedding there.

He needed to talk to Mandy’s mother, Glenda Hill, and see what she thought about it. She came and looked the barn over and said it if was cleaned up it would be all right. One of the biggest jobs was cleaning the hay out of the hay loft. Some of it had been there ever since the barn had been built. The only way to get it out was using pitchforks through a little door in the north part of the barn. It took three guys several months to get all the hay out of the loft.

It was amazing what they found in the hay. They found collars, harnesses and all kinds of mule and horse equipment. One of the main things they found was whiskey bottles, which had been hidden by some of the hands. They had hid them there because we didn’t believe in drinking.

Then the work started downstairs removing all the calving pens, and we poured a new cement floor. We got a steam cleaner and cleaned the walls, which helped a lot, and repaired some of the windows. On May 16, 1997, the wedding took place, and the reception was held in the hay loft. It went off great.

The barn has been used for all sorts of things from family reunions, hunting business, and special events for handicapped children. We have had people come from New York, California and even the Vice-President of Ecuador.

There is something always going on in the barn. The main event now is the Red Angus Sale that we have had for the past seven or eight years. There will be from 150 to 200 people in and out of the barn during the sale. Both barns are as good as they’ve ever been after 80 years. I don’t know of any other barns anywhere that are still standing after the horsepower went away and people starting using tractors. I can see no reason that the barns shouldn’t last another 80 years. Of course, a tornado or fire could destroy them in a matter of seconds.

Time changes things.

This article originally appeared in the September 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch. 

By Laci Jones

A dog is commonly referred to as “man’s best friend,” but is the saying still true for a working dog?

Randy Reed, an Oklahoma dog trainer for more than 10 years said having working dogs on the farm and ranch is helpful because of their ability to sort livestock. He said having a good working dog will make the trainer look good.

“These dogs will teach you just as much as you can teach them,” Reed said. “They are intelligent dogs, and all they want is to work and please you.”

Each dog has a different technique to herding livestock, Reed explained.

“Herding dogs were developed to do certain jobs for different types of livestock and for different types of farming,” said Susan Bennett, president of the Oklahoma Stock Dog Association.

Some dogs, known as headers, will herd livestock by putting pressure toward the stock’s head. Other dogs, known as heelers, will nip at the heels of stock to herd them. Bennett said some dogs can be headers and heelers. Each livestock species may require a different approach, Reed said.

“Working sheep is different than working cattle,” he said. “The dogs can work the sheep with their eyes. You don’t have to be on sheep so tight, but it’s a challenge with cattle.”

For an owner, it may be a challenge to decide which dog breed is appropriate to have. The best working dog breed depends on what livestock species is worked and the owner’s preferences.

Border Collie

Border collies are known for their herding ability, Bennett said. This breed of dog was bred for their intelligence and work ethic.

“The border collies that actually work livestock were never bred for how they looked,” she added.

Border collies typically use their eyes to herd livestock, but they can also be sent into a pasture and gather livestock.

“If you want to pull 300 yearlings off of a wheat pasture, you can pull up to the gate send the border collies out there,” Reed said. “They will bring the cattle right to you and through the gate.”

Bennett said people need to make sure they have jobs for working dogs.

“These dogs have been bred for hundreds of years, and they have to find an outlet for that instinct,” Bennett said.

When the border collies are not working, both Bennett and Reed keep their border collies in pens.

“I can run them loose, but they will overwork the stock,” Reed said. “They are like keeping an eye on kids.”

A downside to having a border collie is some may not have a tough enough bite, Reed said. They may not be as aggressive as other dog breeds.

Kelpie

Kelpies originated from Australia and are typically short, slick-haired dogs. This breed of dog is rangier than most other breeds, Reed said.

“Kelpies’ working style is similar to border collies,” he said.

Like border collies, kelpies are a “fetch” dog, meaning they will bring the livestock back to the owner, he said.

Bennett said the kelpies she has seen are typically more aggressive toward livestock. They have more stamina than most breeds, Reed added.

“When they go to work, they will be in a crouch position,” Reed said. “Their head is going to be down level with their shoulders. The tail is going to be dropped down behind them.”

Good border collies and kelpies have constant control, and they will have a lot of movement with their eyes, he said.

Reed said the American kelpie is close in proximity with the Australian kelpie. However, the American kelpie is weaker than the Australian kelpie.

Australian Cattle Dog

Developed from the native Australian dingo, the Australian cattle dogs was originally bred for driving livestock, Bennett said.

She said most working dogs within this breed are heelers, which is why they are commonly referred to as blue or red heelers, depending on their color.

Australian cattle dogs are typically used in pens and corrals to move livestock, Bennett said. They were not developed to go into open areas and gather livestock.

“We would haul cattle to the sale barn,” Reed said. “There was a blue heeler that would work on the chute and bite the cattle and get them through there.”

However, the Australian cattle dog is not as common in the competition trials as the border collie.

Reed said there is a market for the Australian cattle dog in the state. Australian cattle dogs are in high demand, but their herding ability is still to be determined.

Australian Shepherd

“Back when the United States was being settled, the Australian shepherd was the farm dog to have,” Bennett said.

Bennett said Australian shepherds were bred to be farm dogs, but they have changed in recent years to become show dogs and pets.

“There are very few Australian shepherds that can now go out and do a job,” Bennett said.

The Australian shepherd is not as popular for herding as other breeds today, Reed added.

“They are pretty dogs, but I haven’t seen any stock-oriented,” Reed said.

Reed said Australian shepherds can be trained, but he found them to be easily distracted.

Catahoula

Catahoulas are typically used for hunting. However, these bay-type dogs can be used to work livestock.

Reed said catahoulas and border collies have different styles of working. Unlike the border collie, this breed of dog uses their bark to move livestock, Reed said. Catahoulas will also work the outer perimeter of livestock, he said.

“Catahoulas will hunt livestock because they can use their nose, where the border collie will do everything by the power of their eyes,” Reed said.

Reed said catahoulas would be the better working dog in a situation where the owner needed help finding livestock.

However, working livestock with a catahoula is a team effort. A catahoula dog will not fetch livestock, but they will keep livestock in a “tight wad.” The owner will have to move the cattle themselves.

Cattlemaster

The cattlemaster is a newer breed of working dog. They are a cross between Border collie, pit bull, and kelpie, and they were bred for working cattle, according to Reed. They are more aggressive and have a stronger bite.

However, when cattlemaster was bred to get more bite, they lost their natural herding ability. Reed experienced this firsthand when he trained a cattlemaster.

“There wasn’t the natural ability,” Reed said. “She was just mechanical. I can move her, but she couldn’t read a cow.”

Reed said other breeds of dogs can potentially be used as working dogs including corgis, McNab shepherds and German shepherds. However, before purchasing a new dog, the buyer should research bloodlines and breeders.

“Buy a dog that can be bred to work cattle,” Reed advised. “Go watch the parents work and research who has trained the dogs.”

It is also important to purchase a dog that has been bred to work the specific species of livestock, Bennett added. No matter what dog breed an owner chooses, imported dogs may not always make the best working dogs.

“Just because a dog is imported doesn’t mean it will be better than a dog bred right here in the United States,” Bennett said.

She said there are many more great dogs and trainers in the United States than 20 years ago. It may be helpful to seek advice from a professional to help kick-start a new program, she added.

After purchasing a working dog, it is important to spend extra money to send the dog to a trainer for 30 to 60 days, Reed said. Then, the owner should spend quality time with the dog and the trainer to learn how to work together.

Bennett said each dog may require a different type of training, which may require adjusting. She said incorporating techniques from several different trainers can help the owner and their best friend.

This article was originally published in the January 2016 edition of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.