By Jacqueline Derobertis
The Advocate
As Tangipahoa Parish residents sheltered in place as Hurricane Ida hit, Susie and Harrell Sharkey were fretting over their cows.
The Sharkeys have been in the dairy farming business for more than 40 years — one of a dwindling number of milk providers in the state. Their 110 dairy cows need to be milked twice a day, and as the 2 a.m. feeding approached during the storm, a piece of their pump broke.
There was no way for the serviceman to reach them because of the many trees that had fallen near their Kentwood area farm, so Darrell ended up traveling the 10 miles to get the part himself.
Still, the cows weren't milked until almost noon, increasing their stress levels and affecting their milk supply. All told, by the end of the day, Susie estimates they lost 1,000 lbs of milk.