Cruel summer: People not only ones suffering

By Dan Davis
First Posted: July 31, 2012 - 10:41 pm
Last Updated: July 31, 2012 - 10:42 pm

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Farmer Steve Wray empties a bucket of feed into his cattle's feeding trough. The drought has begun to affect the price of feed for livestock, making it harder to raise cows. PHOTO BY AARON PIPER

Chicken eggs are transported by conveyor belt from the production area at Rose Acre Farms to the packaging department. PHOTO BY AARON PIPER

Extreme heat killed about 300,000 laying hens over three days at Rose Acre Farms’ operations west of Seymour this summer.

And the drought — combined with the heat — is causing more problems for the Cortland-based egg producer.

“It’s affecting everything,” Chief Operating Officer Tony Wesner said. “It’s affecting soybeans and corn. We live and die by corn and soybeans.

“If you don’t have corn and beans, you don’t have feed for the chickens,” he added. “And unfortunately, egg markets don’t always rise and fall with grain prices. It follows it somewhat, but not at the same rate.”

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