09/06/2026
Let's stop and talk for a second.
I've talked about hot weather before. I've talked about what you should be doing in it, how to prepare, and how to help your animals through it.
But I haven't talked about what happens when you're doing everything... and somehow, it still isn't enough.
Reality. Not all animals can come inside when it's hot. It doesn't matter the species or the size. We simply aren't set up for every animal to come inside.
So we diligently spend hours every day making sure everyone has fresh water. Making sure everyone has ample access to shade. Making sure fans are running and air is moving. For the rabbits, we use frozen water bottles and ceramic tiles that have been sitting in the freezer overnight. We rotate them constantly with fresh ones. We hose off the roof of the hutches multiple times a day. We do everything we know to do.
And sometimes...
It's still not enough.
This heat is deadly.
To humans and animals alike.
Arkansas is experiencing an extraordinary stretch of heat and drought that has extended well into September, with no clear end in sight. Local water sources are under strain. Springs and ponds that haven't dried up in decades are disappearing. Our governor has declared a state of emergency in response to wildfires.
A large part of the state has been in consistent drought since late summer of last year. We had a low precipitation winter, followed by an odd spring, and now a summer that seems to have stress and loss painted all over it.
Most producers have been feeding for weeks, if not months, because their pastures simply aren't producing what they normally would.
This weather is devastating. And because I won't shy away from the real truth...This weather is scary.
When you raise livestock, you learn very quickly that loving them isn't always enough to protect them from things outside your control. We can prepare. We can work. We can monitor. We can spend hours trying to make them comfortable. We can do everything right.
And sometimes, Mother Nature still asks more of us than we have to give.
So if you get a chance...
Send a prayer up for us.
And while you're at it, think about and pray for all the other producers facing this right now.
Because for so many of us, these animals aren't just animals. They are our livelihood. They are our investment. They are our future. And the loss of even one is too many. October is just around the corner. This heat wave cannot stick around forever.
Until then, we're going to keep showing up, keep working, keep doing everything we can, and keep praying for cooler days and much needed rain.
Thinking of and praying for every producer, every family, and every animal trying to make it through this. 🙏🏻
