Historic wildfires, drought make recovery difficult for Nebraska ranchers

BRADY, Nebraska – Some grasslands in Nebraska’s Sandhills look more like the Sahara Desert. The Morrill Fire, the largest wildfire in Nebraska history, consumed large areas of land in mid-March.

Farmers and ranchers in western Nebraska are currently trying to recover, but severe drought conditions make the situation worse.

“The wind was screaming, maybe 70 mph. They said it covered 14 miles in 10 minutes,” said Joe Van Newkirk, owner of Van Newkirk Herefords Farm. “We heard about a fire in Angora, about 50 miles northwest of our headquarters, we looked at the map and there was no way this place wasn’t going to burn.”

Located in Oshkosh, Nebraska, the farm has belonged to the Van Newkirk family for 140 years. The operation holds an annual bull sale, selling 250 to 300 bulls to farms across the country.

Fortunately, the Van Newkirk house was spared. It is located miles away from pastures that are now almost unrecognizable after the fire.

“We didn’t have any cattle here or a building to speak of, so we were very lucky in that respect,” Van Newkirk said. Approximately one-third of the summer land burned in the fire.

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We still have extensive cleanup work ahead of us. Animal watering tanks are now completely filled with sand.

“We could probably come in here and shovel them out, but who’s to say it won’t blow right back up,” Van Newkirk said. “We’re going to let this country heal, we’re going to let the wind die down. Maybe next spring, winter, we’ll come here and fix this situation.”

While inspecting the farm, Van Newkirk said he had recently noticed the first signs of recovery since the fires broke out in March.

“This fire was on March 13, 14, and it didn’t look much different here as of May 1. The grass hadn’t started,” he said. “But since then, four or five days later, it’s made a difference. We haven’t had any moisture worth mentioning.”

The irrigation tanks on the Van Newkirk Herefords’ pastures are filled with sand. (Kailey Schuyler)

Morill fire destroyed 642,029 decares of landAccording to NOAA. Severe drought conditions increase the damage. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than 90% of Nebraska is experiencing drought, with growing portions of the state classified under severe, extreme and exceptional drought conditions.

But the Morrill Fire wasn’t the only wildfire burning in Nebraska at the time.

“It burned down the store, my pens, and all the hay in my yard was reduced to ashes,” said Owen Johnson, Operator of Bearded Lady LLC.

The Cottonwood Fire also devastated Nebraska, scorching 129,253 acres. The fire struck the Bearded Lady Ranch in Brady, Nebraska, which raises registered quarter horses.

Before and After the Cottonwood Fire at Bearded Lady LLC (Bearded Lady LLC)

“I have a bulldozer at the house and I tried to bulldoze the fire barriers on the north and west sides of the house,” Johnson said. “So when the fire got to that line, I was hoping that it would at least save the house, the buildings around the house, and the farm.”

“I actually dozed off at about 120 or 130 feet, but the wind was so strong. It actually jumped off the bare ground and burned the house down,” he added.

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Although his home survived, the farm still faces major challenges, Johnson said.

“I know I need to rebuild my store so I have a place to put the things I need to get through the days. But it hasn’t rained at all,” Johnson said. “We don’t have fences. All my horses are on dry land, so I don’t usually do things that way.”

Johnson said she has also noticed behavioral and breeding changes in her horses since the fires and drought.

“I don’t know if it’s drought or stress, but they generally have a pretty routine cycle where they go into estrus again after foaling,” Johnson said. “You can start breeding those mares again and my mares won’t start going into heat.”

“Now you’re sitting here saying, man, when are we going to get the fences done and when is it going to rain? Even if everything happens, how are we going to get through next year if we can’t get the mares to where they’re going to foal next year?” he added.

Despite the challenges, volunteers and donations from across the country have helped keep the farm running, Johnson said.

“The support of people almost gives you a different perspective on society,” Johnson said. “We had people coming from all over the United States.”

“We had hay coming in from Georgia and Wisconsin, and I don’t even know all the states, but we literally had people driving for 12 or 13 hours to bring hay not only to us, but to other neighbors and other people affected by the fire,” he added.

Bearded Lady LLC is trying to keep the Blues Kingfisher and Ruano Rojo Blue Valentine series alive. (Kailey Schuyler)

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Van Newkirk shared a similar sentiment about the support flowing into farm country.

“You know, that’s where it really gets to me that people from across the country are flocking to help this cattle community. This is a close-knit community, it’s our hometown,” Van Newkirk said. “The day of the fire, our fire department looked like a commissary. I mean, there was so much food, Gatorade, pallets of water. There was a bushel basket of lipstick for these firefighters.”

However, both farmers said the recovery ultimately depends on rainfall.

“There’s a drought going on for miles, and it’s affecting everyone. I can safely say right now that there aren’t many farmers or ranchers who don’t have some stress or concern about the lack of a cliff,” Johnson said.

“This country is dry and we could use all the prayers you have for us,” Van Newkirk said.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen requested President Donald Trump issue a major disaster declaration regarding the wildfires. The fund will help cover the cost of damage to public infrastructure.

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“As Nebraska faced historic wildfires, the people of our state came together to jumpstart the recovery process,” Pillen said in a statement. “I am forwarding my disaster declaration request to the White House and FEMA. We appreciate President Trump’s attention to this issue and his long-standing support of our state when we requested disaster recovery funding.”

There are currently various relief funds and GoFundMe pages to help those affected stay afloat.