Hot! Drought Causes Shortage In Wis - The Sacramento Bee - Cow Chip Throw

The drought possesses caused a general shortage associated with flattened, dried cow manure - or cow debris - to the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and also Festival, which usually draws related to 300 throwers along with 40,000 spectators to Prairie du Sac, Wis.

"This can be my own 24th throw, in addition to it is really in no way already been this tough to find chips," said Marietta Reuter, exactly who facilitates plan the festival that operates Friday in addition to Saturday.

They develop casino chips from the neighborhood meat cattle herd that typically feeds grass, as the diet program allows hold the particular debris lustrous in addition to strong.

The hot, dry summer - which will possesses induced crop, water level and other complications surrounding the nation - induced the particular grass to brown lightly along with livestock to stay in close proximity to their particular barn to get meal and also to hold cool. That suggests this manure in the pasture wasn't capable of dry out along with compress in the sun.

The committee this goes the event commonly runs out when around July to spade this manure and allow it to needlessly dried up in wagons while in the sun. But this year they was mandated to omit that due to that inadequate quality.

Instead, a couple of organizers journeyed released sporadically and accumulated about your third of the typical amount - 200 or 300. Every year some people preserve the great types this will not separate - in order that they will dip straight into that one hundred and fifty to two hundred around pre-book barrels with this year's competition.

When trying to find chips, they will hunt for these always be concerning the type on the ping pong paddle.

"If them appears to be it has air bubbles for the top, it really is negative chip," Reuter said. "It defintely won't be worth every penny mainly because it's going to be light and also airy. But in case it is really heavy and sound in addition to grassy, it's really a good chip."

Once they dry, that regarding definitely foul odor anymore.

"A lots of persons are frightened to select them up," claimed Terry Slotty, who seem to operates that toss just about every year. "They evaluate it, and it appears exactly what it is however if they effect it they notice that it can be quite dry."

The mens track record has been proceed 1991 with 248 feet. The woman's document is actually from 2006 with 157.5 feet, Reuter said. The festival gives the very best finishers $200 each and every toward some sort of trip for the World Championship Cow Chip Throw throughout Beaver, Okla., should these people choose to go, Slotty said.

Reuter's brother, Russ Ballweg, that is the festival's coffee grounds chair, mentioned they're just witout a doubt thinking of a burn approach intended for following year.

"We are likely going to have to continue often along with choose thus we could get our reserve save somewhat bit," he said.