Cattle ranchers rise early during heat wave to make sure the herd has plenty of water, shade
By Devin Fehely
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SUNOL, California (KOVR) — The ranchers at Koopmann Ranch in Sunol are bracing for a weeklong heat wave that will be especially hard on the most vulnerable members of their herd — expectant mothers and newborn calves.
“My first thought is the care and treatment of my animals. I make sure they’ve all got water and shade. That’s my number one priority,” says rancher Clayton Koopmann.
Temperatures soared to a blistering 108 degrees by midday on the ranch as Clayton and his wife Natalie checked on their cattle.
“These cows would go out and have a calf — give birth — in the sunshine. And unfortunately, that doesn’t always turn out real good for the calves,” Koopmann said.
Koopmann says their cattle should be survive the heat as long as they have shade and a reliable supply of water.
The ranchers say in preparation for the heat they checked the fences and sources of water of their various grazing lands.
“If there’s anything that has to be done when it’s really hot like this, we take the appropriate measures and we start really, really early. We might be saddled at three or four o’clock in the morning,” says Natalie Koopmann.
The Koopmann Ranch has been in the family for 104 years — five generations and counting.
During the heatwave, they say the days are often as long as they are hot.
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