Two Texas GOP lawmakers are proposing legislation to compensate ranchers who lose unborn calves during a disaster, such as the recent Panhandle wildfires, the Texas Standard reported. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson — both Republicans — are sponsoring the legislation.
Approximately 15,000 cattle, including pregnant cows, died during the Panhandle wildfires.
The proposal expands a program that is part of the farm bill called the Livestock Indemnity Program, according to David Anderson, a professor and extension specialist in livestock and food product marketing at TexasA&M. As now structured, the program is not set up to compensate ranchers for the loss of unborn calves, he said.
“We have record high cattle prices right now,” he said. “So, you got some help on the value of the cow, but not on this calf that you were going to sell in the fall for a record high amount of money.”
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com