DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A hard freeze expected overnight Friday in Colorado is presenting different challenges for ranchers and farmers.
Located 12 miles south of Castle Rock, Anderson Cattle owner John Anderson is preparing his 9,000-acre ranch for the weather during calving season. He is making sure the cattle are fed and unhooking hoses so the water supply does not freeze.
"Cattle, it's nothing to them. They don't mind at all," Anderson said.
Anderson noted the cattle are resilient and only high winds would require him to move the herd.
"If there's any calves born tonight, when it's that cold, they'll be fine. It’s the wind," Anderson said.
Preparation is paramount for the rancher.
"It’s your lifeline. You got to know what's going to come," Anderson said.
While Anderson focuses on his animals, other farmers are worried about their crops.
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Chad Franke said wheat is at the highest risk of damage from a hard freeze — and farmers may not know the true extent of the damage for weeks.
"The people who have planted their gardens, they can go out and they can throw plastic over it, they can throw some blankets over the stuff that's growing outside," Franke explained. "But when you're talking square miles of wheat, it's out of your hands."
Back at the ranch, Anderson is ready to weather whatever comes their way.
"It'll come and go, and we'll be all right," Anderson said.
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