Angus cattle gather around the cows that died from the lightning strike. (Supplied: Lisa Martin)
In short:
Five Angus stud cows have been killed during a storm at Tenterfield in northern NSW.
The storm delivered a welcome 12mm of rain to the property, but cattle seeking shelter under a tree died from a lightning strike.
What’s next?
The cows have been buried and the breeder will select replacements for their annual female sale next month.
A storm that swept through Lisa Martin and Colin Keevers’ Angus stud at Tenterfield this week brought much-needed rain but left five stud cows dead.
Warning: This story contains images of dead cattle that some readers may find distressing.
“We were pleased to see the storm coming, but unfortunately along with the welcome 12mm of rain we actually lost five preg-tested and in-calf stud cows that were sheltering under a large gum tree,” she said.
“You’ve heard the saying never stand under a tree.
“Unfortunately sometimes cattle, horses, and sheep elect to do that and it’s not to their advantage, of course.”
It was a significant loss, but Ms Martin reasoned it could have been worse.
“We’re farmers and you’ve got to take the good with the bad, and on the bright side the rest of their mates that were in the paddock with them didn’t decide to stand under that particular tree at the same time,” she said.
The cows were worth a considerable amount of money. (Supplied: Lisa Martin)
“We’ve been breeding our stud cattle since the mid-80s and, touch wood, these are the first ones we’ve ever lost to a lightning strike.
“It doesn’t happen often, but when it happens you know it’s pretty quick for those animals involved.
“It’s a loss you really can’t do much about.”
Angus cattle gather around the cows that died from the lightning strike. (Supplied: Lisa Martin)
The incident took Ms Martin by surprise.
“We thought we’d just lost a branch or blown a bit of the top out of the tree but when we got closer we could see that they weren’t the granite boulders that we normally have around the place,” she said.
“Unfortunately, they were black cows lying on the ground.”
A dead cow with a granite boulder in the background. (Supplied: Lisa Martin)
The pregnant cows had been earmarked for their Alumy Creek Angus Stud female sale next month.
“They were … in calf to Deep Creek Square Deal and Basin True Grit, which are two bulls that have had progeny starting to sell in the US for some reasonable dollars,” she said.
“One of the females was a half-sister to our $52,000 bull, so we were hoping she had some value.
“It’s unfortunately a bit of natural selection in action, but it’s one that hurts when they’re in their prime.”
Colin Keevers and Lisa Martin say it could have been worse. (file photo) (ABC Rural: Kim Honan)
