Drought conditions force livestock sales

Mid-South Livestock Center in Unionville was still selling cattle when contacted by the Times-Gazette at 8:10 this morning, the tail end of a long day for area farmers, some of whom have been forced to sell off their cattle due to the lack of pasture and / or water.

"We still have 300 head of cows and bulls to go," said Christina McKee when reached by telephone this morning at the livestock auction's offices. It's the largest sale the facility has had in the past 11 years, with 2,717 cattle offered for sale. Only one other time has the weekly Monday sale still been going on at daylight Tuesday, and that incident was due to technical problems more than volume.

McKee said about 35 percent of the sellers have indicated that they were in a "have-to" situation, forced to sell animals they cannot maintain due to dry conditions. The auction was closed last week due to the Memorial Day holiday, which may have also added to this week's volume, but McKee said the weather was the primary factor.

"It's been a difficult day for agriculture," said McKee.

McKee said that at one point, there were 72 trucks on the highway waiting to bring cattle in. She praised all participants for their patience and cooperation.

"It has been an exceptional day for people to work together," she said, noting that farmers tend to be patient people. Some of the livestock auction's staffers have gone without sleep for extended periods.

University of Tennessee Extension Agent John Teague, whose weekly T-G column appears on page 7 today, writes that "It's bad out there, and the entire Southeast is getting worse." Cows and calves are being sent to market in record numbers by farmers who cannot feed them.

"Areas south of us are worse," writes Teague.