Nebraska Fires: The Widespread Damage and the Inspiration to Help

First came the fast-moving wildfires, damage, and agony. Then came the help from fellow farmers who always seem to rise to the moment to help another farmer in need.

High winds and dry conditions fueled some of the worst fires in the history of Nebraska this month, burning more than 800,000 acres and reshaping the outlook for farmers and ranchers heading into the growing season.

At the center of the devastation was the Morrill Fire. That fire scorched more than 640,000 acres across the Nebraska Panhandle, the largest wildfire ever recorded in the state.

That fire alone would have sparked worry in Nebraska and beyond. But other fires, including the Cottonwood Fire, destroyed rangeland, cropland, and rural infrastructure.

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R – Nebraska) sponsored a bill to get aid to affected rural residents more quickly.

“It’s important that we start to address this immediately,” Fischer told RFD NEWS. “So, I had a bill that would get disaster aid out to aid producers when they’re hit by disaster. I’ve had this [idea] for a few years now, and it’s been included in other bills.”

Nebraska fires strike cattle country

For agriculture, the damage has been especially severe in Nebraska’s cattle sector. The fires wiped out vast stretches of grazing land at a critical time of year, leaving ranchers scrambling to feed herds during calving season.

One of the most troubling outcomes was that more than 40,000 head of cattle lost access to pasture.

That loss of forage has ripple effects beyond individual operations. Industry analysts warn the fires could delay efforts to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd, already at historically low levels.

The grasslands destruction not only provides an immediate feed crisis for cattle, but it could also remove a necessary feed source for the future as ranchers look to expand at a time when cattle herds are at their lowest since the 1950s.

Farmers helping farmers

Some of the most immediate relief hasn’t come from Washington; it has come from neighbors. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture reported that a line of 20 trucks delivered emergency supplies of hay bales.

“They just want to try to help out any way they can, and they understand they’re hurting bad,” said Jacob Dexter, an organizer from Central City, told Lincoln television station KOLN-TV. 

Joe Wahlgren, a farmer from Lincoln County, delayed planting on his corn and soybean farm, so that he could help ranchers who lost pastureland for their cattle.

“We will figure out a way for them to survive and not have to liquidate their herd, not have to ship it off out of state,” Wahlgren told KNOP-TV in North Platte. 

Government response ramps up

State and federal officials are also mobilizing to support recovery. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen issued an emergency order to speed the delivery of feed and supplies by easing transportation regulations, emphasizing the urgency of getting resources to livestock producers.

Pillen also suspended burn permits in the hopes that no new fires would further damage the state’s valued agricultural fields.

RELATED: A longtime Nebraska land broker told American Farmland Owner that CRP may be too low.