'Cattle are somewhat still struggling,' Barnhardt said. Hot, humid air gave the animals the feeling they were suffocating, Barnhardt said.įor cattle that survived, some are eating in unusual patterns that can diminish their ability to gain weight, veterinarians said.

Kansas allows unlined burials near Cattle Empire because the groundwater is deep down, Barnhardt said.Īll told, at least 617 cattle were buried by Cattle Empire, Friona Industries, NextGen Cattle and Clark County Feeders, state documents show. The company is not considering other steps like adding shade, he said, because the mass deaths were rare.Ĭattle Empire, a feedyard in Satanta, Kansas that supplies Tyson Foods (TSN.N), put carcasses in landfills and buried others in unlined pits with the mineral lime to break down the bodies faster, veterinarian Tera Barnhardt said.īurying cattle in unlined pits is one of the riskiest disposal methods because waste can seep into groundwater, said Hannah Connor, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. Moving forward, Five Rivers will feed cattle less grain, a high-energy ingredient, and more hay and silage when temperatures rise to minimize their internal heat, McDonald said. Grant County Feeders in Ulysses, Kansas, shipped carcasses to the landfill because rendering plants were full, said Tom McDonald, an executive with owner Five Rivers Cattle Feeding - the world's largest such company which counts meatpacker JBS SA (JBSS3.SA) among its customers.Ĭows that die of heat stress are not processed into meat for human consumption but can normally be converted into animal food, fertilizer and other products. The companies, which fatten cows on grain before slaughter, had no comment. fed cattle, sent carcasses to the dump, as did Cobalt Cattle, Meade County Feeders and Irsik & Doll's Sunbelt Feed Yard, department records show. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment did not respond to questions.Ĭactus Feeders, which says it handles 4% of U.S.

Kansas officials are exploring whether more cattle could be composted at feedlots instead, he said.

Landfills are the last resort for carcasses because of complications with smells, animals digging in trash, and difficulties covering the bodies immediately, Theiner said. 'I have a couple operators that have iron guts.' The carcasses had a putrid smell up close, he added. Kansas temporarily suspended requirements that carcasses be covered by at least six inches (15.24 cm) of dirt or trash each day due to the unexpected deaths, Theiner said.

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