ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY)– During this extremely hot and dry summer, cattle producers had to manage with the grass shortages, which meant less for for their cattle.

Jacob Comeaux has a cattle farm in Erath and explained some of the daily tasks he does there, including, one of his favorite things to do: working and spending time with the cows.

“The most enjoyable part is probably hanging out with the cows and working them, but we do everything from hauling, buying, selling, and hauling them to the sale barn. It just all depends on the day,” Comeaux said.

Jacob Comeaux said he started his herd in 2016 but has always been around cattle since the age of 9. He shared how he has been dealing with a shortage of grass.

“Just recently got some rain, but for most of the summer, we were dealing with grass shortages,” he said. “We graze all of our cattle. We don’t feed too much. If it doesn’t rain, the grass doesn’t grow, so we have a shortage of feed and food for the cows.”

Comeaux said another issue is saltwater coming to his pasture.

“We’re in a marsh area here, so this salt water has been pushing its pasture, which, if they drink it, it kind of affects their health,” Comeaux said.

Comeaux said around this time of the year, he wanted his herd to weigh over 500 pounds. Unfortunately, he said he is not getting the desired result.

“Typically, right now, I have at least half of my calves over 500 pounds,” Comeaux said. “We worked them two weeks ago, and I had two over 500 pounds, so again, the grass shortage and the saltwater intrusion have impacted the calves’ herd for sure.”

Comeaux said with winter nearby, he will be monitoring the grass. He said if there is a shortage, he is ready to take action.

“If we run out, we have to buy some hay and feed hay,” he said. “We typically don’t feed hay, but this winter, we possibly would have to.”

Comeaux said with the recent rain he received, the grass is growing, and he is hoping his cattle weight will pick back up.