Shelterbelt Benefits During Ulmer

Nebraska Forest Service Author

06/11/2019 Added

431 Plays

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As the number of extreme weather events in Nebraska increases, the Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) recommends regulators and producers revisit the role of windbreaks and shelterbelts in agricultural operations.

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[00:00:00.882](upbeat instrumental music)
[00:00:10.259]Nebraska.
[00:00:11.720]This is cattle country.
[00:00:14.120]Over five million cows are fed and marketed
[00:00:16.930]in the state each year.
[00:00:18.651]And no where is that more evident,
[00:00:20.780]than at auction yards like this one in Rushville, Nebraska.
[00:00:25.135](auctioneer calling)
[00:00:29.480]Cattle are sold to the highest bidder's
[00:00:31.110]both locally and nationally.
[00:00:33.190]It's just one example of what amounts
[00:00:35.060]to big business for Nebraska.
[00:00:37.140]The cattle industry has a twelve billion dollar impact
[00:00:39.990]to the states economy.
[00:00:42.390]But so far, 2019 hasn't exactly been kind
[00:00:46.270]to the beef industry.
[00:00:48.116]In March, this area was one of several in the pan handle
[00:00:51.300]hit by two major winter storms.
[00:00:54.810]The first winter storm, Ulmer,
[00:00:56.570]brought high winds and 17 inches of snow,
[00:00:59.620]all of this during calving season.
[00:01:02.280]Brought us a lot of snow,
[00:01:04.110]wind driven snow.
[00:01:05.615]So that's tough on the calf crop,
[00:01:07.880]uh, these baby calves,
[00:01:09.330]if they are during those blizzards,
[00:01:11.950]it's a cold wet time for 'em.
[00:01:14.874]And especially if they're caught out in the open,
[00:01:17.687]and without any shelter or wind protection.
[00:01:20.840]Cows are often seen trying to find shelter,
[00:01:23.680]or protection from the storms.
[00:01:25.581]In cases where fencing failed,
[00:01:27.750]they'd sometimes end up in roads,
[00:01:29.282]or on neighboring property.
[00:01:31.350]That's where they were at,
[00:01:32.183]was behind those bigger trees,
[00:01:33.510]and up in here where, ya know,
[00:01:35.279]where they had some protection.
[00:01:37.230]Dave Howl was one of many ranchers
[00:01:39.050]who discovered dozens of his neighbor's cattle
[00:01:41.280]on his property.
[00:01:42.705]Howl owns and operates several hundred acres of land.
[00:01:46.240]He attributes the safety of his heard
[00:01:48.070]to a decision he made years ago;
[00:01:50.105]to plant wind breaks.
[00:01:52.300]When I fed these cattle Wednesday morning,
[00:01:54.860]we, uh, we closed the gate
[00:01:56.700]on these cattle, locked them in the corral,
[00:01:58.363]'cause we knew the storm was comin' and uh,
[00:02:00.800]so it was comforting to know they were here.
[00:02:02.580]And when we got two of 'em finally on Thursday,
[00:02:04.410]they were comfortable in here,
[00:02:05.920]and just hungry.
[00:02:09.620]Eastern ran cedar wind breaks
[00:02:11.110]have long been a favorite of farmers and ranchers out here,
[00:02:13.659]due to their high tolerance of the elements.
[00:02:16.590]They also help reduce animal stress and mortality.
[00:02:20.017]But it took an event similar to Ulmer
[00:02:22.470]for land owners to turn to wind breaks.
[00:02:24.820]The winter of 1948 to 1949
[00:02:27.690]brought with it 70 mile per hour winds,
[00:02:29.891]24 inches of total snowfall,
[00:02:32.041]and extreme cold temperatures.
[00:02:34.611]The result was a major loss of live stock,
[00:02:37.390]and, as land owner Pat Strasburger puts it,
[00:02:40.437]"a change in ranchers attitudes."
[00:02:42.499]Partner everybody planted trees the next year
[00:02:44.939]As you go along, when you plant another grove,
[00:02:48.770]or wind breaks some places where you need 'em,
[00:02:51.330]and you ain't gonna-
[00:02:53.342]you ain't gonna lose enough ground
[00:02:55.140]to shake a stick at,
[00:02:56.790]in a- in 15 years somebody will appreciate it.
[00:03:02.070]Nearly 40 years later,
[00:03:03.500]that lesson repeated itself to Pat's son Mike,
[00:03:06.470]who now runs the ranch.
[00:03:08.050]You know, with the storms that we've had this spring,
[00:03:10.421]there's- it's particularly important,
[00:03:13.100]to visit with someone about the importance of these trees.
[00:03:16.000]And planting trees in the sand hills
[00:03:17.970]for livestock protection.
[00:03:19.690]And, and uh, with two back-to-back,
[00:03:22.827]really tough storms,
[00:03:25.310]it- it was uh,
[00:03:27.420]the trees that were here on this ranch were crucial
[00:03:30.330]in saving multiple lives.
[00:03:33.420]The Strasburger family owns 75 hundred acres
[00:03:36.106]and operates close to 10 thousand,
[00:03:38.630]with 525 cow-calf pairs.
[00:03:41.646]His losses during the storm though,
[00:03:43.550]were minimal.
[00:03:44.630]He chalks that up to his wind breaks,
[00:03:46.760]and a family tradition.
[00:03:48.910]My grandfather was a tree planter,
[00:03:50.970]my dad was a tree planter, and uh,
[00:03:54.076]it helped the wild life,
[00:03:55.700]and it- it just,
[00:03:56.947]it adds tremendous value to your operation.
[00:04:00.760]The things you do now,
[00:04:02.059]maybe you don't think a lot about,
[00:04:04.800]but someday, you know,
[00:04:06.260]the next generation will say,
[00:04:07.527]"you know what?
[00:04:08.888]I'm so thankful for what he did."
[00:04:12.207]Even years after the dust bowl of the 1930's
[00:04:15.762]or the blizzards of the late 40's,
[00:04:17.913]the benefits of wind breaks continue on.
[00:04:21.082]As the number of extreme weather events
[00:04:23.420]in Nebraska increases,
[00:04:25.310]the Nebraska Forest Service recommends regulators
[00:04:27.880]and producers revisit the role of wind breaks
[00:04:30.850]and shelter belts in cattle operations.
[00:04:34.350]For more information,
[00:04:35.361]visit NFS.UNL.EDU

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Shelterbelt Benefits During Ulmer

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