USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in Wyoming Impacted by Wildfire
Casper, Wyoming, Aug. 21, 2024 – Agricultural operations in Wyoming have been significantly impacted by recent wildfires. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.
USDA Disaster Assistance
Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality or sell injured livestock at a reduced price may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). To participate in LIP, producers will have to provide acceptable documentation of death losses or evidence of reduced sales resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) no later than the annual program payment application date, which is 60 calendar days following the calendar year in which the loss occurred.The LIP payment application and notice of loss deadline is March 3, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses. Livestock producers who experience losses related to wildfire should check with their local FSA office for LIP eligibility criteria.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides eligible producers with compensation for feed and grazing losses, transportation of feed to livestock, and hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres. For ELAP, producers are required to complete a notice of loss and a payment application to their local FSA office no later than the annual program application deadline, Jan. 30, 2025, for 2024 calendar year losses.
Additionally, eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers may be eligible for cost-share assistance through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes or vines. TAP complements the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases. For TAP, a program application must be filed within 90 days of the disaster event or the date when the loss of the trees, bushes or vines is apparent.
“Based on your reported losses or damages, our local Farm Service Agency county office staff are ready to help connect you with the programs best suited to meet your wildfire recovery needs” said Bill Bunce, State Executive Director for FSA in Wyoming. “Our staff will do our best to work with the loss documentation you have available. We understand that these are trying times, and you’re pulled in many directions, so when you’re able, please get in touch with us to begin the reporting process. The sooner we have the information, the sooner we can get county committee action on your requests for assistance. Examples of loss documentation include but are not limited to farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses.”
FSA also offers a variety of direct and guaranteedfarm loans, including operating and emergency farm loans, to producers unable to secure commercial financing. Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low interestemergency loansto help them recover from production and physical losses. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs.
Additionally, FSA offers several loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.
The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) provides low-interest financing so producers can build, repair, replace or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Loan terms vary from three to 12 years. Producers who incurred damage to or loss of their equipment or infrastructure funded by the FSFL program should contact their insurance agent and their local USDA Service Center. Producers in need of on-farm storage should also contact USDA.
Risk Management
Producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance or FSA’s NAP should report crop damage to their crop insurance agent or FSA office, respectively. If they have crop insurance, producers should provide a notice of loss to their agent within 72 hours of initial discovery of damage and follow up in writing within 15 days.
For NAP covered crops, aNotice of Loss (CCC-576) must be filed within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.
“Because there is always the possibility of losses from wildfires and other natural disasters, USDA offers crop insurance and risk management to help producers mitigate the financial impact of losses resulting from disaster events, like these, that are beyond their control,” said Eric Bashore, Director of RMA’s Regional Office that covers Wyoming. “Times of disaster can be a trying time for producers, and they should stay in close contact with their crop insurance agent. Producers can be assured that the Approved Insurance Providers, loss adjusters, and agents are experienced and well-trained in handling these types of events. “
Conservation
Outside of theprimary nesting season,emergency and non-emergency haying and grazing ofConservation Reserve Program(CRP) acres may be authorized to provide relief to livestock producers in areas affected by a severe drought or similar natural disasters. Producers interested in haying or grazing of CRP acres should contact their county FSA office to determine eligibility.
FSA’sEmergency Conservation Program(ECP) can assist landowners with financial and technical assistance to remove debris from farmland such as woody material, sand, rock and materials from collapsed hoop houses/high tunnels on cropland or pastureland. Through the program, FSA can provide assistance toward the restoration or replacement of fences including livestock cross fences, boundary fences, cattle gates or wildlife exclusion fences on agricultural land.
Additionally, theEmergency Forest Restoration Program(EFRP) can assist eligible owners of nonindustrial private forestland to also restore the land by removing debris, repairing forestland roads, and replacing fence. For both programs, farmers and ranchers should check with theirlocal FSA officeto find out about sign-up periods, which are set by the FSA County Committee.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is always available to provide technical assistance during the recovery process by assisting producers to plan and implement conservation practices on farms, ranches and working forests impacted by natural disasters. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) can help producers plan and implement conservation practices on land impacted by natural disasters.
“At USDA, we serve as a partner to help landowners with their resiliency and recovery efforts,” said Jackie Byam, NRCS State Conservationist in Wyoming. “Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.”
Assistance for Communities
Additional NRCS programs include the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which assists local government sponsors with the cost of addressing watershed impairments or hazards such as debris removal and streambank stabilization.
The EWP Program is a recovery effort aimed at relieving imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural disasters. All projects must have an eligible project sponsor. NRCS may bear up to 75% of the eligible construction cost of emergency measures (90% within county-wide limited-resource areas as identified by the U.S. Census data). The remaining costs must come from local sources and can be in the form of cash or in-kind services.
EWP is designed for installation of recovery measures to safeguard life and property as a result of a natural disaster. Threats that the EWP Program addresses are termed watershed impairments. These include, but are not limited to:
- Debris-clogged waterways.
- Unstable streambanks.
- Severe erosion jeopardizing public infrastructure.
- Wind-borne debris removal.
Eligible sponsors include cities, counties, towns or any federally recognized Native American tribe or tribal organization. Sponsors must submit a formal request (by mail or email) to the NRCS state conservationist for assistance within 60 days of the natural disaster occurrence or 60 days from the date when access to the sites become available. For more information, please contact your local NRCS office.
In addition to EWP, Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) is another valuable service that NRCS can provide following a wildfire. NRCS technical assistance can help fire victims with planning cost-effective post fire restoration practices.
–Fire
Editor’s note: This story is current as of noon, Aug. 23, 2024. It’s likely the situation will continue to change rapidly over the next hours and days.
Unstable weather in Wyoming on Wednesday, August 21 carried storm clouds and lightning through the northeastern part of the state.
Sparking multiple new fires, the House Draw Fire, one of the largest between Clearmont and Kaycee, and Southeast of Buffalo, (running along the East side of I-25, and crossing I-90) is at zero percent containment, very rapidly tripled in size and has burned around 200,000 acres of grassland and sagebrush covering Campbell, Johnson and Sheridan counties. The Johnson County Department of Emergency Management reported numerous homes and structures in its path, along with miles of fence line and wildlife.
Being threatened with the changing winds, WYDOT announced the closure of I-90 between Buffalo and Gillette, but as of Thursday evening, it is reported on the Watch Duty app, as open. Many evacuation orders are in place and county fire departments are advising to be prepared as fires may move and change direction without much warning.
Wednesday night flames burned too close for comfort to the Dennis and Kendel Hepp home. With flames 200 yards from their fence and property line, they evacuated. Many people knowing Kendel and her mother were at home alone this time of year (Dennis was guiding a hunt near Douglas, Wyoming) rushed to their place to help evacuate 30 head of horses, both mamas and babies, and to help secure the property. The Buffalo COOP bought rooms in town at the Hampton Inn and Suites for evacuees. Dennis got home about 11:30 that night to help get horses out, and he began trenching a fire line around their property.Thankfully the wind shifted that night in their favor, and they were able to go home the next morning. Kendel is hoping to have the horses home in another day or two. Text messages keep coming in from friends, checking on them. Neighbors over by the Schoonover fire (a 100 acre fire burning east of The House Draw Fire, off I-90 as well) are telling Hepps that things are bad over that way. They’re trying to get a portable corral system in to their cows to safely load and relocate cattle. Kendel says everyone is coming together, keeping in touch and helping where they can as the wind changes its course. “The more people that know, the more help will be available to rebuild later.”
The Lutterman Family has lost 5-6 thousand acres of their winter grazing already, and Amy can’t help wondering what’s in store for the future. Their home remains safe as of now – they have many fire lines cut that they’re praying hold the fire at bay. They moved 18 head of horses and their dogs to an uncle’s place for the night Wednesday, and they stayed at the home of a family member in Buffalo. The family is back home as of now and hoping they’ll be able to stay. Neighbors kept showing up ready to help in any way possible. Amy’s brother and family live on the other side of the ranch. His wife took their horses and dogs to her parents while he stayed home to keep water on their place, until the power went out and the wells quit. She says, “You feel helpless, nothing you can do. You don’t even know what to grab!”
“The Indian Creek fire is really starting to blaze now, and there are a lot of houses there.”
Ian and Megan Welles have been up fighting fire through the night, running on little to no sleep, cutting fire trails to save any part of their property they can. Their ranch, (which the Crazy Woman Creek runs through) is on the South side of I-90. The House Draw Fire jumped the Interstate just west of the Welles’ place.
Megan says the amount of support from this community gives her goosebumps. “Folks in Johnson County just started showing up!” A friend took her kids to town with their dogs so she could stay and help evacuate the horses to the fairgrounds. Her dad, Dave Belus, “has lost pretty much everything,” she says, and they’ve already had 30,000 acres of their own burned, (along with one horse shed) which is about 85 percent of their ranch. They are fighting with all their might to save the house and the arena and barns as the fire burned right up to their front lawn. A plane carrying slurry unloaded right over the arena, so they are hoping it will be safe. “My husband is out right now, trying to find more of our cows.” “I’m not sure what we’re going to do now, we might have to sell some of our horses because we don’t have grass.”
Less than 30 miles to the West of the House Draw Fire, the City of Gillette is being threatened by the Constitution Fire, and the Flat Rock Fire raging in the North and West in the Campbell County areas. A little farther south, The Hwy 259 Fire shut down a portion of I-25 Thursday from Douglas to Casper, burning in the Glenrock/Natural Bridge vicinities. Smoke fills the air all over the state of Wyoming as winds blow into Nebraska and even into the Front Range of Colorado. It has people all over social media questioning and praying and reaching out. Spreading the word and setting up donations and fire recovery programs to those affected. Fires are burning all over the country, especially in this hot, dry time of the year. But Wyoming isn’t the only one being hit hard as Southeast Montana is being charred as well.
The Remington Fire, reported Aug. 22, 2024, blazing the dry land in the very northeastern corner of Wyoming, in the Rosebud, Big Horn, Sheridan and Powder River Counties, is closing up on 20,000 acres, jumping the Montana State Line and continuing to burn into the North. More fires are burning in that same area: Barber Draw Fire – almost 7,000 acres, Bull Fire – 700 acres, Chalky Point Fire – 500 acres, Cub Fire – 50 acres, Nutter Fire – 5 acres threatening at all times of merging. Area schools have had two hour delays, or have been closed. The CamPlex Event Center in Gillette and many different fairgrounds and facilities are open to take in animals. Residents are losing cellular service and are losing their ability to receive important alerts. Roads closing and making it hard to travel, people having to take back roads or picking their way through pastures, air tankers dropping retardant. Gillette resident Jenn Marquiss conveys, “It’s just like a war zone.”
