Drought has cattlemen digging deep into pockets

TERRA BELLA — As Andy Zimmerman surveys Terra Bella cattleman Jack Shannon’s vast empire, what he sees couldn’t get much worse.

Hardly any green grass is in sight, Shannon’s cows are a bit thinner than usual and Deer Creek is trickling down in the Valley.

This the result of a serious lack of rain in the area.

“We just don’t have the rain to supplement the grass right now,” Zimmerman, who has worked as Shannon’s full-time ranch hand for four years, said Thursday. “This all should’ve been green a couple of months ago. Although it looks green, there’s not a lot of grass there.”

A two-month dry spell from November to January certainly didn’t help cattle ranchers, many of whom have been forced to turn to expensive hay and supplemental products to feed their cows because native grasses are nowhere to be found.

Shannon, 76, a cattle rancher of six decades, said he has already spent $15,000 on hay and an additional $12,000 on supplemental feed, like tubs of molasses, for his 300 head of cattle.

Numbers like those can quickly eat into a cattleman’s profit margin.

“I wasn’t planning on spending a penny on hay,” Shannon said. “This is one of the worst feed situations I’ve ever seen.”

Shannon is smart about the situation, though. He is fully aware that spending a little more money now to keep his cows and their calves healthy will help him receive a better price at the auction yards.

And with beef prices at historic highs, due in large part to a weak beef supply after 1 million cows were slaughtered in drought-stricken Texas and Oklahoma, Shannon isn’t about to let his herd get overly distressed.

“Jack is very sound when it comes to keeping his cows in top condition,” Zimmerman said.

Less than 4 inches of rain have fallen in the area so far this season. By this time last year, nearly 12 inches had already been recorded, local weather observer Greg Chadwell said. There is a chance of showers several days next week.

If Shannon and Zimmerman can weather the drought for a few more months, they should be in good shape.

That’s because, come June, the cowboys will drive 225 head of cattle into the high Sierra Nevada, where native grasses will be abundant and streams will be flowing. The drive will last five days and cover 55 miles.

Shannon has a grazing permit from the U.S. Forest Service that allows him to park his cows in the Grey Meadows area. The cattle will remain there until late September, he said.

While his cows are up in the hills, Shannon will still hope for showers in a Valley thirsting for rain.

“We need something to come home to besides the hay wagon,” he said.

If the rains don’t come, Shannon will have to come up with a plan B. He’s been in the business for a long time, so doing so shouldn’t be a problem.

“Between the government and the weather,” Shannon said, “you’re never going to get too far ahead anyway.”