Frigid concerns for Kansas cattle and wheat GARDEN CITY, KAN. (hppr) - The massive blizzard that upended the country this week also brought negative 40-degree wind chills to parts of Kansas. And that has raised concerns for the cattle and farming industries.

Brian Price, manager of Brookover Feed Yards in Garden City, Kan., said the cattle about to go to market won't be as full as usual.

"When it gets this cold they really can't eat enough calories to gain any weight so they're maintaining themselves as best they can," Price said.

The cattle have trouble adjusting to the continuing flux in temperatures, Price said. The lack of snow in Western Kansas, though, has helped keep them dry and meant less work at Brookover.

Extreme winds are a concern for wheat crops in western Kansas. Abnormally dry conditions are compounded by increased wind gusts. Kansas Wheat's Bill Spiegel said little can be done now to protect the crop.

"They've put the seed in the ground, they've fertilized it, and basically we rely on mother nature to take care of it from here on out," Spiegel said.

Wheat prices rose Feb. 2 on worries that the extreme cold could damage crops. Spiegel said they won't know the full extent of the damage until the crop breaks its dormancy in March. © Copyright 2012, hppr