Oklahoma Ag Officials Investigate Whether Feed Shipment Killed Rodeo Horses

State Ag officials in Oklahoma are coordinating with the Kansas Department of Agriculture investigating whether a feed shipment is responsible for the death of dozens of horses at one of the nation’s top rodeo stock providers.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry said in a statement that it is investigating whether the feed, which originated in Kansas, is responsible for the “tragic loss of horses” at Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. The Oklahoman reported that between 40 and 70 horses died at the Elk City business last week.

The agency said it was notified August 23 by a veterinarian of “a potential issue” related to a single bulk feed order. It sent an inspector to the business. The inspector collected a feed sample, which has been sent to two state-certified labs for analysis.

Officials did not identify the feed provider. However, they’re urging livestock owners to review the labels on feed and contact their veterinarian if they have any questions about the safety of the ingredients.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

This incident sounds eerily reminiscent of a feed related disaster that happened in Michigan back in the mid-seventies. In that situation, several bags of a fire-retardant were mistaken for a mineral ingredient often used in dairy feed. I, for one, will be keeping my fingers crossed that this latest situation is nothing like the one in Michigan. Yours truly was intimately familiar with that situation, which was a fiasco of the first order costing the state, insurance companies, and dairy farmers millions upon millions of dollars and left the industry scarred for many years. We will follow the Oklahoma situation and keep you informed. In the meantime, when you sell a truck to a farmer/rancher – be sure to let them know about CAD Protect – that way their ag use truck will be covered by warranty.