Aid Group Delivering Cattle to South Dakota

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana-led effort to help replace cattle lost by South Dakota ranchers during a strange fall snowstorm is getting ready to deliver replacement animals.

Ty Linger of Heifers for South Dakota tells The Associated Press, the group has offers of 500 head of cattle to be delivered to ranchers in western South Dakota. Linger says some cattle from Nebraska are scheduled to be delivered to a family in Hermosa, S.D., on Friday.

The Oct. 4-5 snowstorm dumped up to 4 feet of snow in some parts of South Dakota, trapping cattle on their summer range. State officials have estimated that between 15,000 and 30,000 cattle were lost.

Linger says the effort won't replace all the lost cattle, but will at least give ranchers some cattle to sell next fall.