Meanwhile, back at the ranch
Sen. Hoeven visits Max ranch, speaks to ranchers about relief assistance
BY JAMES C. FALCON
james@nordaknorth.com
Surrounded by cows and standing in a field moist with rain, snow and cow dung, Senator John Hoeven heard and saw first-hand how the recent winter weather that slammed the North Dakota countryside affected ranchers.
Hoeven arrived in Max early Friday afternoon, where his first stop was at the home of Paul Jacobson, who ranches west of Max with his wife Jackie. Living next door, their son and daughter-in-law, Jake and Kacey Jacobson, are also a part of the ranching operation. The pasture between their homes contains several cows, many with young calves. Between the Jacobsons, they have “too many everyday, except sale day,” Paul said.
The past few weeks were not kind to the Jacobsons, along with many other ranchers in the community. A blizzard which struck North Dakota mid-April was followed by another snowstorm on Easter Sunday – which Jacobson guessed brought in six to eight more inches of snow – and then a storm of icy rain which knocked out power for most of McLean County. For the Jacobsons, they were without power from April 22 to last Thursday afternoon, a total of six days.
Paul reckons that between the storms, they had about two and a half feet of snow, most of which had melted by the time of Hoeven’s visit. There were some patches still visible along the hillsides of the Jacobsons’ pasture last Friday.
