Document Livestock Losses Due to Wildfire Before Disposal

“Livestock losses are often an unfortunate part of wildfires. Prior to any carcass disposal action documentation of loss is critical,” says Mary Keena, North Dakota State University Extension livestock environmental management specialist at the Carrington Research Extension Center.

To support recovery efforts due to the recent wildfires in western North Dakota, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) has current information detailing the disaster assistance programs available to ranchers specific to livestock death. The full overview can be found at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAFARMERS/bulletins/3ba80c9.

The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather such as wildfires. To participate in LIP, producers will be required to provide acceptable documentation of beginning inventory and of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event such as wildfire, and you must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA by the application deadline, March 1, 2025. Producers should record all pertinent information regarding livestock losses due to the eligible adverse weather or loss condition. Examples of documentation can include:

• Verifiable or contemporaneous documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock that have died, supplemented, if possible, by photographs or video, records of ownership and records of losses
• Quantity of normal mortality losses for those losses not associated with disaster
• Rendering truck receipts by kind, type and weight - important to document prior to disposal
• Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings, purchase receipts, or contemporaneous records
• Documentation from Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of Agricultural, Veterinarian, or other sources to substantiate eligible death losses due to an eligible loss condition
• Contract grower’s contracts and grazing land leases
• Documentation that livestock were removed from grazing pastures due to an eligible adverse weather or loss condition
• Costs of transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock, such as receipts for equipment rental fees for hay lifts and snow removed
• Feed purchase receipts if feed supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed
• Harvest records or feed purchase records, along with documented loss quantities.
• Number of gallons of water transported to livestock due to water shortages.

“LIP permits the use of contemporaneous records for proof of producer’s inventory and death losses which is a great opportunity for those producers who keep a running record, journal or cattle book on hand throughout the year,” says Beau Peterson, Agricultural Program Director and State Environmental Coordinator with USDA FSA. “FSA offices and farm lenders throughout the state provide example cattle record books that are useful and can be used as evidence for your LIP applications.”

“If you experienced livestock deaths due to the recent wildfires, disposing of those carcasses will be one of your top priorities in the coming days,” says Keena. “In North Dakota, animals that die for any reason must be disposed of in an approved method within 36 hours of death. Burial, composting, landfilling, incineration and rendering are all approved methods of carcass disposal. Burning is also an approved method in certain situations but should be used as a method of last resort.”

Burying, composting or landfilling may be the easiest options for carcass disposal.

“If you are going to bury, be sure carcasses are placed 4 feet above the water table with 4 feet of cover, and avoid surface water such as streams or wetlands,” says Keena. “If possible, bury livestock in clay soils.” 

If the disposal of carcasses exceeds the producer’s typical carcass management resources, or for large numbers of carcasses, contact the Department of Environmental Quality for technical assistance selecting an appropriate disposal site.

Dispose of carcasses at an approved municipal solid waste landfill. Search “DEQ ND municipal solid waste landfills” to find an approved landfill visit https://deq.nd.gov/foia/SolidWaste/ActiveSWLandfillsMSWLF.aspx. Contact the landfill to determine if they will accept the carcasses and what their specific disposal protocols are.

Composting is an above ground burial process that uses resources already on your operation.

The materials you will need include:

• Base material: straw, old hay, coarse crop residues (corn stalks), sunflower hulls
• Bulking material: manure or spoiled fermented feedstuffs
• Cover material: straw, old hay, sawdust

To compost:

1. Place 2 feet of base material in pile or long row, depending on number of dead livestock to be composted.
2. Lay dead livestock on top of base. Have at least 1 foot of base material between perimeter of dead livestock and edge of base.
3. Cover dead livestock with 8 to 10 inches of bulking material.
4. Cover the entire pile or long row with 2 feet of cover material.

Things to remember:

• Small-sized dead livestock (livestock you can lift by hand) can be layered next to or stacked on top of one another, given there is bulking material between them so they are not touching.
• If composting ruminants, puncture the rumen to prevent it from exploding.
• Make sure the pile always has sufficient cover material to keep bulking material and dead livestock covered.
• Aerate the compost every six months from early spring to late fall. To accelerate composting, aerate it every two months from early spring to late fall.
• Existing compost can be used to cover new piles or long rows.

A video containing livestock disposal information can be found on the NDSU Extension YouTube channel by searching “livestock disaster mortality disposal methods.” If there are questions about site selection for carcass disposal, please contact North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality at https://deq.nd.gov/Contactus.aspx.   

“Adverse events like a devastating wildfire increase stress levels, which can have a negative effect on your physical and mental health,” says Sean Brotherson, NDSU Extension family science specialist. “Your health is your most important asset as a farmer and rancher. We encourage you to seek help if recent events are taking a toll on your outlook. If you are struggling and need immediate emotional support, text or call 9-8-8 to connect with a caring counselor that is ready to help.”

NDSU Extension has farm stress resources available at ndsu.ag/farm-stress.

For more information about disposing of dead livestock and managing stress, contact your county NDSU Extension agent at ndsu.ag/countyoffice. You can find your closest FSA office at https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery. For more information visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster.