Emergency Team’s Board of Directors and small group
of volunteers in an effort to develop future operations for
individuals around the county who need help with their
livestock during a natural disaster. What Buchanan has
created is a nonprofit organization that provides transportation
to private (people who own livestock for recreational
purposes) and business (people who operate livestock-
oriented businesses) owners prior to or during a natural
disaster. They provide pasture areas and livestock facilities
for relocation through the Livestock Emergency Team’s
Patron list and perform muck out operations for farms and
ranches affected by natural disasters.
The Livestock Emergency Team solely operates on grants
and the generosity of donors. The team also relies heavily
on volunteers to carry out their emergency response
operations. Volunteers range from experienced livestock
handlers from all areas of the livestock industry: large
animal veterinarians, animal lovers and people who just
simply want to help. When it comes to these important
volunteers, the Livestock Emergency Team likes to
consider itself as an all-inclusive organization. This means
there is a position for everyone to play on the team.
Volunteer roles vary from those who can ride and rope, to
those who can load and unload livestock, drive livestock
trailers, veterinarians who are able to help assess livestock
injuries, volunteers who request to be listed as a Patron,
volunteers who can help train and teach education
material for new volunteers and explain evacuation plans
to farms and ranches, to those who are capable of helping
with muck out operations to help farms and ranches get
back on their feet after a natural disaster. The volunteers
who have signed on as Patrons are volunteers who have
notified the Livestock Emergency Team that they are
willing to provide available space at their livestock facility
to host those displaced by a natural disaster. Having these
Patrons are a crucial part in operations for the Livestock
Emergency Team in the midst of an operation.
The livestock industry contributes millions of dollars in
revenue every year to the US economy as well as jobs
that have a huge impact on our everyday way of life. It is
imperative that there is something in place to protect the
livestock involved in this industry. With 2017’s historical
mark on natural disasters, there has yet to be an accurate
count on the livestock that have died and the insurance
claims that climbed well into the hundreds of thousands of
dollars. This is why the Livestock Emergency Team will
Rodeo LIFE 26