After an October South Dakota Blizzard killed thousands of livestock, two 20-foot-deep disposal pits were opened Monday in western South Dakota for disposal of cattle carcasses, CS Monitor reported Oct. 14.
An early October South Dakota Blizzard reportedly killed at least 10,000 to 20,000 head of livestock after 4 feet of snow fell in the Black Hills area, authorities said.
According to the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association as estimated 5 percent of cattle, raised for beef, has been lost due to the blizzard, regarded as the worst economic loss in the history of the $7 billion livestock industry, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Today, authorities announced that state ranchers can now dispose their livestock carcasses in the pits in Pennington County, dug following state Animal Industry Board guidelines, Emergency Operations Center officer in the county Alexa White said.
"Some people might decide to bury their losses right where they are," White announced.
Recent reports stated that the number of dead cattle is yet to be finalized since more losses are being documented as of late.
Executive Director of the Stockgrowers Association Silvia Christen said ranchers found it difficult to traverse the vast terrain this week after last week's heavy rain added moisture to the vast pastures where snow is quickly melting.
"The priority right now is taking care of the livestock that made it through the storm," Christen said. "Once it dries up, ranchers will focus on the disposal."
Meanwhile, an incoming snow storm is seen as a possible threat as officials said that it might bring up to a foot of snow, which will likely complicate the move to dispose the cattle carcasses.
According to the Animal Industry Board rules livestock carcasses should be burned and buried to a depth of 4 feet following 36 hours of death. Disposing the dead animals by a licensed rendering plant is also allowed. However, South Dakota Gov. Dennis has recognized the difficulty of the current situation, waiving the standard timeframe for local ranchers.
The South Dakota Blizzard pits are located in eastern Pennington County, a nearby access to Interstate 9 but a 100-mile-plus drive for Buffalo County ranchers.
The said pits were made as health safety precaution by providing proper areas of disposal that should be at least 1,000 feet from surface water, rivers, floodplains, as well as public and private drinking wells.
CS Monitor reported that 139 animals have been picked up over the weekend from the roadside ditches and were dumped into the pits, 20 feet deep and 60 feet wide.
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