Last year’s wildfire season was one of the worst in history for Oregon cattle producers.
Nearly 2 million acres burned, and the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association says they are still recovering.
According to Matt McElligott, “People are trying to rebuild fences. There are hundreds and hundreds of miles of fences to rebuild. In some areas, the fire was so hot that the wire literally melted. So, there are contractors on the ground building fences, and they have been for months, and they will for months in the future.”
McElligott says that many producers still feel lost, with some having to sell all of their animals after being burned out of their ranchland.
“People are picking up the pieces and moving forward. They either totally got out of the business, took their cattle and really reduced their numbers so that they could still stay in the business, but in a reduced fashion so that they could protect the range ground and then grow back into it again as the conditions reflect, whether we get good rains or a good snowpack and rebuild that way,” he adds.
