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This year's drought conditions have been particularly hard on Utah ranchers, with some forced to contemplate going out of business or taking huge losses.
Much of the problem, according to state officials, is lands normally used for grazing are almost barren - or they've been blackened by wildfires.
"It seems like one more straw is going to break the camel's back - we're kind of in that situation this year," said Troy Forrest, the field operations manager for the grazing improvement program at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
Forrest said many ranchers are eyeing hard alternatives, including placing their herds in feed lots early for extended periods of time, importing hay and alfalfa at a rough base price of $200 a ton, or selling off animals early and taking steep losses.
If you're on the margins and it's been tough and it's tough to make your bills, this could put you out of business.
–Troy Forrest, Field Operations Manager
The money can add up quickly. Forrest said a cow can go through a half a ton of food per month, so a herd of 500 cattle would require about 250 tons of feed in that time. At $200 per ton, that theoretical herd would cost $50,000 per month to feed. Forrest said typical grazing costs are a fraction of that - maybe 20 percent.
"I talked to a family friend at home and he's culling his cow herd very hard - anything that's old, very young that doesn't look like it'll produce he's taking it to the sale and selling it," Forrest said.
Forrest said the state, in partnership with Utah State University, is now starting to offer workshops around Utah for ranchers to help them make some of the hard decisions. The first was held in Huntington last week.
"If you're on the margins and it's been tough and it's tough to make your bills, this could put you out of business," Forrest said of the situation. "If you've been going along and you're in pretty good shape, this is a big hit - you can probably get through it if next year is better."
Darrell Johnson is a fifth-generation rancher who operates Johnson Land and Livestock in the Rush Valley in Tooele County. He said his outfit fortunately bought hay early in the season at lower prices, and his business is currently weathering the storm.
"We're going to be alright," Johnson said. "Our calves are going to be probably 50 pounds lighter than they would normally be, but we kind of planned ahead enough to know and we started early tying up some feed and doing some things we needed to do."
Even Johnson admits the dry conditions - an extreme contrast from last year - have been a shock to the system. If they continue, next year could be a concern.
"That's what we all worry about," Johnson said. "You can't go on forever and save anything that isn't there."
With corn prices also taking a hit with the drought and with beef and corn prices intertwined, Forrest said the end result will likely be significantly higher beef prices at the grocery store - potentially as soon as the next couple months.
Forrest said that's despite more cattle being sold to beef producers by desperate ranchers.
"If corn costs are high, even if cows get dumped on the market it's still going to make the cost of that beef fairly high," Forrest said.
