ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A Phillipsburg-area farmer who went out to check on his cattle has died after being struck by lightning.

Laclede County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Ayres said the farmer was hit by lightning around 9:30 a.m. Thursday during a storm. The man's family didn't realize there was a problem until around 11 a.m. when the farmer didn't come inside. The man's name and age have not yet been released.

A cow also was killed in the lightning strike. The region is about 175 miles southwest of St. Louis.