STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — As the drought worsens across the West, cattle ranchers are among those feeling the pain. Rancher Jim Stanko fears he’ll have to sell off half his cattle herd if he can’t harvest enough hay to feed them because of the drought. Stanko ranches along Colorado’s Yampa River, which is at historically low water levels. To avoid the high cost of animal feed, many ranchers grow hay to nourish their herds through the winter when snow blankets the grass they normally graze. This year, Stanko’s hay harvest is even worse than it was during last year’s drought.
As drought cuts hay crop, cattle ranchers face culling herds
