Agricultural News
OSU's Dr. Biggs says Dry, Windy and Warm Weather Calls for Having an Emergency Wildfire Plan
Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:12:34 CDT
With dry conditions and windy, warm weather, the fire danger has been extreme lately. Farm Director, KC Sheperd visits with Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, Director of Continuing Education for the College of Veterinary Medicine at OSU about fire danger prevention.
Biggs said in the springtime, there is always talk about emergency preparedness. Unfortunately, this year, Biggs said, wildfire is one of the emergency possibilities.
Preparing for a wildfire or a tornado, Biggs said, is not as easy as preparing for winter weather emergencies. There are many different factors to plan for in these situations, she added.
"We want to have a plan," Biggs said. "We talk a lot about that for our personal family, but we want to be thinking about how we are going to deal with that emergency."
Biggs said in these circumstances people need to plan out how they would transport animals and have extra feed and hay available if needed. Electricity is another factor to plan for, she added, in case you have to go without.
Being calving season, Biggs said many people are busy, but it is important to take the time to think of a plan.
"One of the things you can run into is problems as a producer, if you are having to deal with that, is having verifiable animal records," Biggs said.
An example of records, Biggs said, could be a veterinary record saying how many cows you came to get preg-checked.
"Although I talk a lot about cows, I deal with other species too," Biggs said. "Having been a responder during tornadoes, I would encourage you to have a plan, of course, but also have animal identification on those animals."
Biggs said identification is a large problem, particularly in horses.
Knowing how or where you will move your livestock is an important part of the plan as well, Biggs said. If you lose a pasture, it's important to know what your capabilities are for holding cattle in a certain situation and how long you can do it.
During an emergency, community such as volunteer firefighters are critical for some. It is important to support those people, Biggs said.
"We will continue to pray for rain," Biggs said.
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