Farmers are picking up the pieces from a recent derecho that tore through the western Corn Belt.
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls shared this video saying 80 plus mile per hour winds were recorded. The video shows just how dark the area got from the dust.
One farmer was in the middle of spring planting when it came through. He says it hit quick and it was so black outside that he could not see 20 feet in front of his tractor. The fast-moving wind started in southern Nebraska and moved all the way to Minnesota, destroying structures, trees, and grain storage.
A viewer in the heart of the storm sent in a photo, showing the damage done after the storm blew through Dell Rapids, South Dakota. The picture shows debris and sides of a building up in the limbs of a tree, but the farmer’s house is thankfully intact in the background.
Farmers in the Corn Husker State are also in recovery mode after recent wildfires. Row crop producers are repairing or even replacing center pivot systems and dealing with the loss of topsoil. Livestock producers have lost animals, fences, and means of forage. In Nebraska, almost 150,000 acres have been burned so far this year and conditions are still favorable for more.
Nebraska’s National Guard shared this photo on Twitter, showing firefighters putting out flames from the air. The caption reads, “Grit and determination. Readiness to help at a moment’s notice. Willingness to work long and hard. Steadfastness in the face of difficulty. These are the qualities that define us as Nebraskans and we saw them on full display as our state battled the worse fires in a decade.”
Related:
Answering the call of those impacted by last year’s derecho
It has been an early start to the wildfire season
Wildfires take a toll on farmland in the western Corn Belt
