Swickard: Issues of water and slaughter go hand in hand

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - So why are horses looking bad these days? Start with the question: why did many New Mexico ranchers take most of their cattle to market last summer? It was the price of feed. The normal price of alfalfa was about six dollar a bale. Suddenly it went up and up until today that price now is around $22 a bale. Why sell herds of animals? Because it is too hard to feed the livestock and remain profitable when feed goes up 400 percent. And feed them the producers must because New Mexico is in an extended hard drought. That does not excuse mistreatment of any animal, but we need to soften our hearts a bit and understand the dynamics at work. First, why is feed up 400 percent? It is entirely connected to lack of water for New Mexico farmers. Growing alfalfa requires lots of water. Rain alone will not do it in New Mexico. When the snowpack is much less than abundant and the allocation of water to farmers is cut, the farmers must concentrate their slender water resources on growing fewer fields to have enough water for their crops. Read column

Swickard: Issues of water and slaughter go hand in hand