Thousands of cattle die in extreme heat, buried in landfill

As record heat hits parts of the United States, Reuters reported a June heat wave killed so many cattle that some cows had to be disposed at a Kansas landfill. The cows were flattened by loader machines and mixed with trash.

“After you run them over they’ll go flat, but they’re gonna sponge back up,” Seward County Kansas Landfill Director Brock Theiner told Reuters. “You get a mass of ’em and you get on it, and it’s like running a piece of equipment on top of a water bed. It moves.”

Other cows were buried in unlined graves. Neither method is typical for cattle disposal. However, since so many cattle died in such a small amount of time, facilities that normally convert carcasses into pet food and fertilizer products were overwhelmed.

According to state records, at least 2,117 cattle died after humidity levels spiked, winds disappeared and temperatures topped 100 degrees in southwestern Kansas during the weekend of June 11. Theiner estimated the landfill alone took in roughly 1,850 to 2,000 dead cattle.

The mass deaths and subsequent scramble to deal with decaying bodies sparked a push for changes in the meat industry in Kansas, the third-largest U.S. cattle state. Although state officials authorized companies to dispose of cattle carcasses at the landfill, officials are now considering alternatives to decrease the risks for foul smells and other problems if more deaths occur due to the excessive heat.

The exclusive report came as a week-long heat Northwest heat wave was expected to peak Tuesday. Temperatures were expected to top 100 degrees in Portland. Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heat waves following last summer’s deadly “heat dome” weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths.

Tuesday’s Reuters report is another damning sign of how difficult it currently is to raise cattle. Many ranchers are selling off cattle in record numbers in the South.

The heat is just one factor, causing dry conditions and limiting water and grass supply. Inflation has also increased the cost of fertilizer, gas, equipment and feed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.