{"id":373466,"date":"2026-07-15T02:29:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/373466\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T02:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:29:12","slug":"agrilife-extension-provides-flood-readiness-tips-for-texas-ranchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/373466\/","title":{"rendered":"AgriLife Extension provides flood readiness tips for Texas ranchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service<\/a>\u00a0Disaster Assessment and Recovery, DAR,<\/a>\u00a0specialists are ready to be deployed as rivers in parts of Texas are predicted to rise or overflow due to heavy rainfall flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Disaster Assessment and Recovery specialists are ready to quickly respond to any immediate needs,\u201d said Monty Dozier, Ph.D., program director, College Station.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service\u00a0Disaster Assessment and Recovery, DAR,\u00a0specialists are ready to be deployed as rivers in parts of Texas are predicted to rise or overflow due to heavy rainfall flooding. (Michael Miller\/Texas A&M AgriLife)<\/p>\n

Moving to higher ground<\/p>\n

River flooding is a primary concern for both homeowners and livestock owners. DAR is prepared to assist with local pet owner needs, pet health as well as livestock recovery efforts in low-lying areas.<\/p>\n

Livestock owners should be mindful of several concerns related to cattle that have been exposed to flooded pastures or low-lying areas. These include:<\/p>\n

Contaminated food and water, standing or stagnant water.<\/p>\n

Sick, diseased or displaced animals.<\/p>\n

Damaged gates or fences.<\/p>\n

Eroded or unstable creek beds.<\/p>\n

Following a flood event, Dozier said it\u2019s important to inventory and identify missing animals, remove potentially dangerous objects from pastures and quickly repair damaged fences or gates.<\/p>\n

Dozier said removing objects from pastures protects more than livestock.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt protects farm workers and machinery from being injured or damaged when mowing pastures that have grown over and hidden these objects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Livestock recovery tips<\/p>\n

Livestock owners should check the condition of their animals exposed to high water.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is best to move them out of flooded areas and into dry or covered areas, if possible, then check them for injury and render any necessary first aid as able until a veterinarian can be found,\u201d said Bryan Davis, DAR South region chief, Seguin.<\/p>\n

If an animal is injured, clean the wound and dress it with an antibiotic before covering the wound with a bandage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen contact your vet and provide a full description of the injury, so your vet can prioritize the treatment of your animal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Davis said animals that have not been able to eat for one or more days should be given a little feed over the first few days, then gradually increase the ration over a week\u2019s time. He also recommends providing access to hay until pastures can be inspected for hazards and forage has time to recover. Also check for signs of illnesses, including respiratory disorders like pneumonia.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoughing, hard breathing or non-clear mucus running from the nose could be indicators,\u201d Davis said. \u201cLater you might notice crusty eyes and a lowered head. You\u2019ll want to separate these animals and get them treatment as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longer-term considerations<\/p>\n

Producers should also be looking for the impacts of extended exposure to wet conditions, Davis said. Foot rot or\u00a0leptospirosis\u00a0is another typical problem with cattle after flooding and can occur after an extended rainfall. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Another long-term consideration, especially in low-lying areas, is biting pests, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to make sure all livestock vaccinations are current and to apply insect repellents to protect livestock from what will likely be increased mosquito and fly populations,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n

Protecting livestock from the hazards of flooding and other natural disasters and emergencies is essential to help ensure continued success of farming and ranching operations, Dozier said. Contingency planning and enacting proactive emergency plans can mitigate financial losses, including animals. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Essential steps to take before cleaning up after flooding<\/p>\n

Any losses pertaining to livestock, damaged equipment, machinery, agricultural structures, fences and water wells must be documented with digital images to provide further proof of loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s advised for landowners to take photos of any deceased livestock before burial or disposal,\u201d Davis said. \u201cAfter a flood, it\u2019s important to inventory and identify any missing animals, remove potentially dangerous objects from pastures, and quickly repair any damaged fences or gates.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reporting, documenting<\/p>\n

The following are helpful tips and assistance information:<\/p>\n

Livestock owners may be eligible for federal assistance, so they should record all details about livestock death losses due to floods. Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, when possible, should be supplemented by the following:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photographs or video records to document the loss, dated if possible.<\/p>\n

Purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and bank or other loan documents.<\/p>\n

Written contracts, records assembled for tax purposes, private insurance documents and other similar reliable documents.<\/p>\n

Rendering truck receipts or certificates.<\/p>\n

Federal and state assistance<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Livestock Indemnity Program, LIP,\u00a0<\/a>aids with livestock losses due to disasters.\u00a0LIP provides indemnity payments for livestock killed in floods that had to be euthanized directly due to the flooding or were injured and sold within 30 days for a reduced rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Producers must provide records of their losses, including inventories, financial records, photographs, rendering receipts and veterinary certifications.\u00a0The deadline to provide notice of loss and submit a payment application is 60 days after the calendar year in which the loss occurred.<\/p>\n

Carcass disposal guidelines\u00a0are available from the\u00a0Texas Commission on Environmental Quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Texas Department of Agriculture<\/a>\u00a0State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, STAR Fund<\/a>, also provides resources for farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses impacted by natural disasters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Disaster Assessment and Recovery website<\/a>\u00a0contains more preparedness and recovery information.<\/p>\n


\n \"Print
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Share or print this post: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service\u00a0Disaster Assessment and Recovery, DAR,\u00a0specialists are ready to be deployed as rivers in parts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2888,27,29,28],"class_list":["post-373466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-disaster-preparedness","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}