Hurricane Harvey wreaks havon on Texas cattle

About 1.2 million beef cows are in the 54 counties that have been declared disaster areas due to Hurricane Harvey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The total is a “conservative estimate” and encompasses 27% of the state’s herd, according to Texas A&M University livestock economist David Anderson. “Ranchers are hoping for the best right now, but there are certain areas where there are going to be some losses,” said Dennis DeLaughter, a market analyst at VantageRM.com, who also owns a farm near Edna, Texas, 50 miles from the center of the storm when it was at its strongest. “All you can do is open the gates and hope the cattle are smart enough to seek higher ground. You can’t round up all the cattle, so there will definitely be losses. How big the losses are going to be – I don’t know.”