The Texas dairy business took a big hit from Goliath — the deadly storm system that wreaked havoc in several states near the end of 2015.
The storm resulted in the loss of “hundreds of loads of milk” that were ready to be processed and many milk-producing cows weren’t milked daily, according to Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen.
“When a dairy cow goes that long without being milked, her milk supply starts to dry up,” Turley said in a statement. “That means the dairy cows in this region will give less milk for months to come. Less milk going to market will be felt by consumers, as well as by dairy farmers.”
Half of the state’s biggest milk producing counties are located in the region that was affected by the storm. Since thousands of the region’s mature cows died in the storm, further strain will be placed on the state’s future milk supply.
Turley said farmers are now struggling to dispose of the dead animals and deal with lost profits.
The association is working to help these farmers secure financial assistance from the government.
CNN’s Leslie Holland and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.