When asked “How severe was the winter of 2014 on your cattle operation” just over 64 percent said “Extremely harsh – Freezing temperatures and heavy snow took a toll."

Cooper david
Managing Editor / Progressive Cattle

Another 25 percent said winter was “About the usual – Winter was about the same this year.”

Only 10 percent called the winter “Pretty mild – It felt like an early spring in our parts.”

The winter season had a heavy and drastic start for many beef producers in the upper Midwest states of South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming, when the Atlas blizzard stormed through the first weekend of October, killing tens of thousands of cattle.

A report from weather.com showed several cities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan breaking records for days of snowfall, consecutive days of freezing temperatures and temperatures below 0.

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But with the cold came a lot of snowfall, alleviating some of the drought that has hit the Midwest since 2011.

Be sure to vote in the latest poll, asking whether cattlemen signed up for health care on the Affordable Care Act exchange.  end mark

How severe was the winter of 2014 on your cattle operation?

  • Extremely harsh – Freezing temperatures and heavy snow took a toll: 64.4%

  • About the usual – Winter was about the same this year: 25.3%

  • Pretty mild – It felt like an early spring in our parts: 10.3%