After one of the driest falls and coldest Decembers on record the weather is starting to take its toll on cattle ranchers. Because of the cold cattle are struggling to keep on weight especially the nursing mothers. The more the cattle eat the more expensive it is to raise the cows and the dry weather is making things even worse. Most ranchers plant rye in October to feed their cattle in the winter months. This year they had to wait until December to plant the rye because of drought and now it is barely growing because of the cold and that means higher costs to feed the cattle. This fall consumers could see a slight increase in beef prices but mainly ranchers will have to swallow the loss. If rain returns in the spring, cattle will likely gain back the weight they lost in the extreme cold.