JEFFERSON COUNTY, Texas—Hurricane Ike swept away the pastures, the fences, the homes and the livestock in Chambers and Jefferson counties.  For weeks after the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, dead cows could be seen rotting on piles of debris.

In an effort called “Operation No Fences,” the Texas Department of Agriculture, AgriLife and Extension Service have been helping ranchers reclaim their animals and their land.  It’s not an easy task.  Cattle roamed for days after the hurricane, and without fences to keep them within boundaries, they just kept walking.

Harold Clubb, a 76-year-old rancher who had about 850 momma cows before the hurricane, said he now has no momma cows.  He’s struggling to make ends meet and stay in business.  About 180 of his cattle died, and another 400 calves also died. Others ended up in the slaughterhouse.

Clubb’s hay supply was also lost.  He brings in about 75 tons of feed every week, adding to his expenses.  He has another 800 head of cattle on a property he doesn’t own.  Harold pays $10-15 per animal, per month to the owner of the land where his livestock graze. 

Debris removal and fence repair is another expense.  Debris removal alone could cost up to $1,000 per acre.  Rebuilding fences could cost up to $13,000 a mile, and in Chambers and Jefferson counties alone, the Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas estimates 3,000 miles of fence need repair.

“Ranchers out here lost from 10 to 90 percent,” said H.A. “Peanut” Gilfillian, the president of the Texas Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas.

He also said that on top of all the hurricane related losses, the price of cattle has decreased 30 to 40 percent.

Even though Hurricane Ike changed the land in ranch country, it didn’t change the dedication of the hard-working ranchers who live there.

“I’m not gonna change,” said Clubb. 

Clubb has been in the ranching business all his life and said he plans to wait out this storm until the end.