Drought means higher sales at feed stores
Local Cattle rancher Mike Volcik buys several bags of feed, as well as mineral tubs, to supplement his cattle's feed during one of the worst droughts in South Texas' history.
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TIPS TO KEEP COSTS DOWN
Looking for tips on keeping costs down but the animals healthy? A couple of local feed store professionals share their tips:
Stay stocked up on mineral supplements and remember to worm the animals.
If cattle ...
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TIPS TO KEEP COSTS DOWN
Looking for tips on keeping costs down but the animals healthy? A couple of local feed store professionals share their tips:
Stay stocked up on mineral supplements and remember to worm the animals.
If cattle aren't producing calves, they need to go.
Make sure the animals have plenty of roughage. It will cost money, but it will keep them full.
Supplement the roughage through protein from a breeder cube or molasses lick. Now isn't the time to keep the animals "showy." It's the time to keep them alive and healthy.
Sources: Jackie Parsons, manager of Northside Ranch Pet & Garden and Kyle Nethery, co-owner of The Other Feed Store & Fence Co.
As drought continue to plague the Crossroads, business is up for area feed stores.
But store owners say that isn't necessarily a good thing.
There's nothing left in the fields for cattle to eat, said Kyle Nethery, co-owner of The Other Feed Store & Fence Co. Ranchers must continue feeding them, he said, and that gets expensive.
The Other Feed Store & Fence Co. doesn't experience seasonal peaks and valleys, Nethery said, but he shouldn't see the cattle feed sales he is.
"We are busier, but it's not the kind of busy we look for," he said. "Eventually, you lose the customer to economics."
Many smaller-scale farmers and ranchers are selling off cattle to save, even though cattle prices have declined, said Jackie Parsons, manager at Northside Ranch Pet & Garden Center.
"It's a very serious situation in Victoria County," Parsons said.
Hay is in high demand, Parsons said, explaining the store has struggled to find round bales.
"People who normally cut and bale their own hay locally, their crops have been on a decrease," she said. "You just can't find it."
Local supplies might be going through a rough patch but things are OK on the broader scale, said Joel Newman, president and chief executive officer of the American Feed Industry Association.
Corn, for instance, is priced off the Chicago Board of Trade and then transportation costs are added. Even if local corn was in a stressed situation, feed companies could still order the product from other areas, Newman said.
Texas is experiencing a regional drought, but products are still available and prices aren't likely to jump, he said.
Prices have remained fairly stable, said David Dierlam of Dierlam Feed.
Although prices vary between products, a sack of cubes costs roughly $7, he said, while an economy product - with more fiber - costs about $6, he said.
Feed sales are typically down from May through August but, like other feed stores, Dierlam has seen increased business this season.
It pays to be positive, though, and Dierlam said he hopes to see weather conditions improve soon. As a customer once told him, things can change at the snap of a finger.
"You've got to be optimistic," he said. "You just have to keep the faith."
