Some farmers lost animals in the dairy barn collapses, while others are scrambling to keep their livestock healthy, the Minnesota Public Radio reported.
Laura Alberts, a sixth-generation dairy farmer near Pine Island, watched the family barn’s roof cave in a few days ago after the snow was made heavier by recent rains. The barn is completely destroyed and Alberts is waiting to figure out how much insurance money they will receive to rebuild.
She said her family is lucky because not one calf was lost during the collapse, and 125 animals are being moved to two different sites.
Several of Alberts’ neighbors lost livestock to buckling barn structures. Jason Reber said he lost six milk cows when a barn he was renting collapsed recently, and he expects to have to put eight more down because of injuries.
Reber said the losses could cost him about $14,000, and he’s still looking for places to house his surviving cattle.