YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — The winter storms that have pounded the state this week are blamed for killing about 1,600 dairy cows in the Yakima Valley.

The Yakima Valley Dairy Farmers Association blames cold temperatures and winds gusting to 80 miles per hour for the cow deaths.

Dairy farmers are preparing for more winter storms by adding extra bedding to insulate areas for cows to lie down, adding extra feed, and thawing water troughs with hot water.

Dairy farmer Alyssa Haak of Prosser, Washington, says they are stacking straw bales to create windbreaks for cows.