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Rancher describes heartbreak after wildfire burns hundreds of thousands of acres in Nebraska – Brownfield Ag News
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Rancher describes heartbreak after wildfire burns hundreds of thousands of acres in Nebraska
A rancher in western Nebraska says she’s still processing the destruction of a large wildfire that raced across the area recently.
“Just a lot of heartbreak and a lot of chaos. It’s been pretty hard.”
Glenna Sherfey and her husband help manage a ranch near the village of Lisco. She says the fire ignited Thursday night and burned 900 acres of pasture. “Just looking across those hills, it just looks like a desert. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
She says the blaze was controlled in the first 24 hours before the winds shifted and reignited portions of it Friday night. Sherfrey says her home and outbuildings were not damaged.
And, she says, the 800-head cow herd is safe. “Driving up through the hills where you can see a football field size of grass, and it’s just black around it. There will be cattle standing there. They’re just fine.”
Sherfey tells Brownfield, “Our foreman had gone across the road yesterday morning to check things and he said the cattle are content. They’re laying around and chewing their cud. They’re not really wanting to move around.”
She says the next steps include assessing fencing losses, moving parts of the herd to different ranches and selling off animals due to loss of feed.
State fire officials estimate that more than 800,000 acres have been lost from four wildfires that started late last week.
- The Morrill County fire near Lake McConaughy has consumed more than 600,000 acres with about 10 percent contained.
- The Cottonwood Fire near Gothenburg has charred more than 100,000 acres.
- The Road 203 Fire near Halsey has burned more than 50,000 acres.
Following an aerial tour on Saturday, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen told reporters the damage was better than anticipated. “There were a number of ranch homes and corrals that were spared. Cattle were there. We saw lots of momma cows that were walking across burnt ground and going to water tanks. I’m not saying there’s no loss of livestock, but things were way better from that perspective than what I thought.”
Ag Director Sherry Vinton said if producers have immediate needs, they need to contact their local emergency management. “For recovery after the disaster, at that point in time, make sure your losses are documented and then FSA will have announcements forthcoming.”
Executive Vice President Laura Field with the Nebraska Cattlemen says their relief fund will accept donations starting Monday. “We’re going to try and coordinate hay needs, fence needs and livestock needs. I think it’s going to be pretty tough news coming out of these areas. We’ve heard from some people that the fires missed them. That’s good, but we know that there were evacuations in some pretty big agricultural areas.”
Visit https://www.nebraskacattlemen.org/ for more information.
Glenna Sherfey:
Audio credit of the Governor’s press conference to Brownfield affiliate KSID.
Nebraska Game and Parks is offering residents a chance to win prizes simply for getting outside and moving, as part of a challenge honoring America’s 250th birthday.
The Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge invites participants to log miles through activities like walking, running, kayaking, horseback riding and more using any fitness app. The goal is to reach 250 miles before the end of the year. Once completed, participants fill out a form on the Nebraska Game and Parks website to become eligible for prizes.
Mike Selman, a regular walker at Zorinsky Lake, said the challenge caught his attention.
“I think it’s great, as long as you put in the time and effort,” Selman said.
Selman said getting outdoors is already a big part of his routine.
“I absolutely love it, I love being outdoors, just the beauty, the nature, the trees, the water,” Selman said.
He said one of his favorite aspects of the challenge is the opportunity to explore Nebraska’s many outdoor spaces.
“Especially here, around Zorinsky, Standing Bear, Flanagan, you got great opportunities and great places to go,” Selman said.
When asked if he planned to submit his miles, Selman did not hesitate.
“I’ll definitely think about it, most definitely,” Selman said.
Between Memorial Day and the end of the year, logging just over 1 mile a day would be enough to reach the 250-mile goal and qualify for prizes.
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We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get into the Cowgirls’ Super Regional.
A rainy night in Lincoln meant the teams only managed to get four outs into the Super between Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The game is tied at 0. The weather delay lasted about two hours before they called it.
The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday and be televised on ESPN2. They will not play another game Friday, as Game 2 will now take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Nebraska football team added its third 2027 offensive line commitment and addition from the state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive lineman KD Jones officially announced his commitment to NU this week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jones picked the Huskers over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He visited Lincoln on May 6 and is scheduled to take his official visit to Nebraska on June 6.
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The Huskers first offered Jones in April, after offensive line coach Geep Wade had previously been recruiting him at Georgia Tech.
“Coach Wade called me and offered me today,” Jones told HuskerOnline on Apr. 25. “He has been on me for a long time, ever since he was at Tech. So his interest wasn’t anything new to me. He came to watch me train at school and was amazed. He offered the next day.”
Jones joins safety Corey Hadley from the state of Georgia in NU’s 2027 recruiting class.
“I knew nothing about Nebraska before the offer,” Jones said in April. But now that Coach Wade and Coach (Lonnie) Teasley are there, I know I can trust them.”
Jones had planned to take official visits to all the schools recruiting him, but his early commitment to NU appears to have shut down those visits.
He jones Omaha (Neb.) Millard North’s Matt Erickson and fellow Grayson product Jordan Agbanoma are the other offensive linemen in the Huskers’ 2027 recruiting class. He’s now the 10th commitment in Nebraska’s class of 2027.
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