Clifton Livestock Commission accepting livestock displaced by flooding free of charge
CLIFTON, Texas (KWTX) - A local sale barn with a near 80-year history in Central Texas has started accepting livestock displaced by the weekend flooding for free.
The Clifton Livestock Commission made a Facebook post Sunday offering free storage of livestock and the post was shared more than 600 times in the first 24 hours.
“Our facility has both pens and traps available for anyone needing to place cattle due to flooding,” the post reads.
Clifton was one of the hardest hit areas from flooding that left buildings submerged and roads closed both in and out of the city.
The Bosque County Sherrif’s Office described the aftermath by saying, “Clifton is an island, with water all around it.”
Andy Lella is one of the owners of Clifton Livestock Commission and found himself searching for his livestock after the heavy downpours near his home near Gatesville.
He said offering the free storage of livestock for those affected by the flooding is simply doing the right thing.
“It’s one of the things that we do as family owners of Clifton Livestock in trying to help support our local cattlemen and ranchers and community,” he said.
Lella is one of three local cattlemen who purchased the Clifton Livestock Commission and reopened it in April 2023.
Other owners include Billy Jack Cowart and Jared Hunt along with their families.
“We are reaching out to families who may have been devastated with the flood and their livestock, specifically cattle,” Lella said. “We feel it’s very important since our facility is on 70 plus acres with stalls, pens, traps, that we can help folks store their cattle if they need a place to store them.”
Andy’s wife, Varonika, told KWTX that around 40 cattle were dropped off quickly following the post, but many others who need the help have had a hard time accessing the barn because of flooding and closed roads.
Owners say the barn will be open every day to receive displaced cattle. They will also receive and hold cattle in grass traps for anyone needing to deliver cattle for the May 15th sale day.
Copyright 2024 KWTX. All rights reserved.
