His phone went off at 5:45 a.m. on the Saturday that winter storm Xanto was pushing across Wisconsin. Pat Truttmann, a Rural Mutual Insurance agent in Green Bay, went into action. Action that hasn’t slowed since that morning.
In an interview with Pam Jahnke, Truttmann says that right now he’s dealing with at least 2 dozen dairies and farms that suffered damage because of the heavy, wet snow and ice that landed on N.E. Wisconsin barns. Roof’s collapsing, entire buildings going down and cattle killed are just a few elements he’s had to help deal with. That’s just in his trade area.
“Skies the limit. Fortunately we were able to supplement for some of the milk loss on these farms. We’ve had to coordinate cattle hauling and help to try and move animals. We’ve had to find open barns that could house cattle.” Truttmann explains. Finding facilities that are not only available, but operational and functioning for milking chores has been particularly tricky. He says one of his partners posted a notice on Facebook asking for suggestions, and that’s helped with the situation.
Truttmann says it’s too early to estimate the real financial losses suffered by these farms. “Some are still working with a veterinarian to see if some animals will survive,” he says. He estimates it will be months before the true financial toll is revealed.
