Saturday began like any other for Springfield dairy farmer Jared Blackwelder and his wife, Misty. They started their day feeding their herd of cows. However, a passing thunderstorm later that afternoon took a devastating turn. When Jared went to bring the cows in for evening milking, he was met with a heartbreaking sight—32 lifeless cows lying in a heap on the pasture mulch.
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| Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau |
Stan Coday, president of the Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau, told CBS News that while it’s not uncommon for lightning strikes to kill livestock, the scale of this tragedy is extraordinary. A local veterinarian confirmed lightning as the cause, speculating that the cows had huddled together under trees for shelter during the storm, inadvertently putting themselves in harm’s way.
“You’re at the mercy of mother nature,” Coday said, recalling his own experience of losing a cow to lightning years ago.
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| Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau |
For Blackwelder, the loss is both personal and professional. “It’s not like they are pets, but the ones I’m milking, I’ve raised every one of them,” he told the Springfield News-Leader. Dairy farmers like Blackwelder form a close bond with their animals through daily care, making such a loss particularly heartbreaking.
The financial impact is equally severe. Blackwelder estimated the value of his certified organic cows at $2,000 to $2,500 each, amounting to a loss of nearly $60,000. While he has insurance, he is unsure if it will cover the damages. According to Coday, many farmers face this uncertainty as insurance policies often exclude livestock losses caused by natural disasters.
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| Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau |
Some neighbors suggested salvaging the meat from the deceased cows, but Coday explained it wasn’t feasible. “Those animals had been there for hours and were not fit for human consumption,” he said.
This tragedy highlights the challenges of farming in Missouri. The region’s milder climate means many farmers don’t invest in barns or other structures to shelter cattle, leaving them vulnerable to severe weather. For Blackwelder, the loss is a harsh reminder of the unpredictable and sometimes devastating nature of farming.
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