Wildfires Leave Lasting Impact on Nebraska Ranches: ‘You Have to Have an Unwavering Amount of Optimism’

A Nebraska rancher says his land may not support cattle this year after 2,000 acres were burned in recent devastating wildfires across the state.

FRONTIER COUNTY, NEBRASKA (RFD News) — Wildfires in Nebraska have left behind significant damage, with ranchers now facing the aftermath.

Collin Thompson, a rancher and Frontier County Farm Bureau member, says about 2,000 acres of his land were scorched as the flames spread.

“I’ve never been to war, but if I could describe a war zone, it would look like what it looks like up here,” Thompson said. “There are areas where you see nothing but tree skeletons, and charred grass and charred hillsides.”

Thompson says the experience was surreal and that the damage could impact his operation moving forward. He does not expect the land to support grazing this year due to a lack of moisture.

Despite the loss, he says support from others in the community has made a difference.

“I guess that’s part of being in ag,” Thompson said. “You have to have an unwavering amount of optimism that the future is going to be better than what it is today.”

Those looking to help can donate to the Nebraska Farm Bureau’s disaster relief fund through its website.

Related Stories
Trinity Barth and Liliann Tjaden-Duff joined us on Market Day Report to express their concerns about the future of the program that has, for 50 years, given students of all backgrounds a path to agriculture careers.
Agricultural irrigation return flow exemption and “Maui factors” are the topics of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV ag tax and legal expert Roger McEowen with Kansas’ Washburn School of Law.

Knoxville native Neal Burnette-Irwin is a graduate from MTSU where he majored in Journalism and Entertainment Studies. He works as a digital content producer with RFD News and is represented by multiple talent agencies in Nashville and Chicago.


LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The USDA is working with 14 different states, including Georgia, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.
The decline in production marks the second consecutive year of contraction in the U.S. turkey industry.
“Those could’ve easily been our beans going over there. It goes to show that if that opportunity is there, China would be willing to buy.”
We caught up with Karen Braun, Chief Market Analyst at Zaner Ag Hedge, at the Women in Agribusiness to discuss the data behind commodity trading.
Weston Brown joined us on Monday in the RFD-TV Studios in Nashville to share how he is preparing for the upcoming National FFA Convention & Expo.
Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn joined us Monday to share highlights from Secretary Brooke Rollins’ visit and her perspective on USDA’s new initiatives.