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A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 36F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..
A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 36F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: December 2, 2021 @ 10:34 pm
A flood blocks roads Nov. 15 in Whatcom County, Wash. A feed mill and rail line have reopened, restoring the flow of feed to dairies.
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A flood blocks roads Nov. 15 in Whatcom County, Wash. A feed mill and rail line have reopened, restoring the flow of feed to dairies.
A Whatcom County, Wash., feed mill and rail line, both knocked out of service by recent floods, have reopened, helping restore the flow of feed to dairies.
Farms must repair fields, equipment and buildings, but cows are being fed, Washington State Dairy Federation director Dan Wood said Wednesday.
The dairy federation warned soon after the worst of the flooding on Nov. 14 and 15 that breaks in the feed supply-chain could impact dairies throughout Western Washington.
“So far, we’re not aware of any farm that actually ran out of feed for any length of time,” Wood said. “It’s been almost miraculous.”
Record-setting rains preceded widespread flooding in Whatcom County. The flood displaced at least 500 people at its peak, according to the sheriff’s office.
EPL Feed in Sumas, near the Canadian border, and the BNSF Railway track from Sumas to Burlington in Skagit County were closed temporarily.
EPL Feed CEO Jason Hoekstra said Wednesday the mill was fully operational after being down for a week.
The plant can distribute its products and was even able to send soybean meal north to help farmers in harder-hit British Columbia, he said.
The plant could have problems getting ingredients from Canada and the Upper Midwest, but is currently mixing the usual feed for dairy cows, as well as for poultry and swine, he said.
“It’s just going to be trial-and-error for a number of weeks,” Hoekstra said. “We made the best of a terrible situation, but it worked out pretty well, as well as being down for a week can be.”
In British Columbia, rail lines remain damaged. The Canadian National Railway said Wednesday it hoped to reopen a line through the province to Vancouver by this weekend.
Ferndale-area dairy farmer Rich Appel estimated that he’s spending $200 to $300 more per day to have canola grown in Alberta trucked from Eastern Washington.
Besides higher transportation costs, canola on the spot market costs more, Appel said. Higher feed prices and other flood-related costs will cut profit margins, he said.
“It’s not good. I think the farms will survive, but there’s an expense to all this stuff,” Appel said.
Gov. Jay Inslee toured Whatcom County cities swamped by the Nooksack River on Nov. 17 and said residents can expect more floods because of climate change.
“We are in a permanent state of attack in our state by the forces of climate change,” he said.
Whatcom Family Farmers executive director Fred Likkel said officials concerned about future flooding should look at sediment building up in the river.
“Long term we’re going to have to discuss how to manage our rivers more effectively,” he said. “We need to work on getting better capacity within our river system.”
Appel said the problem has been developing for decades. “I think the frustration of doing nothing for 30, 40 years is building up,” he said.
The dairy federation has set up a fund to help flood-damaged dairies. Donations may be mailed to: Washington State Dairy Federation, P.O. Box 1768, Elma, WA 98541.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and a lot of resources to help people recover,” Wood said.
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