Wildfires burned across the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado in early March, leaving behind human losses, charred land and dead or injured livestock.
Nearly half a million acres have burned this week, costing some residents their lives, livestock and homes.
In an effort to help farmers and ranchers impacted, Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) established the Panhandle Wildfire Relief Fund.
“Texas Farm Bureau members have always stepped up to help their neighbors in times of need,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “It will require years for some of those affected by this disaster to fully recover.”
The program will collect and distribute monetary contributions only.
An application for assistance and more information on tax deductible donations to the Wildfire Relief Fund can be found at https://texasfarmbureau.org/panhandle-wildfire-relief-fund/.
Other efforts are ongoing by various organizations, and livestock supply points have been established.
One supply point for those impacted in Ochiltree, Lipscomb, Hemphill and Roberts counties will be located at 202 W. Main St., Lipscomb. The point of contact is J.R. Sprague, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent in Lipscomb County, who can be contacted at 806-862-4601, office, or 806-202-5288, cell.
A second supply point serving ranchers in Gray, Wheeler and Roberts counties will be at 301 Bull Barn Drive, Clyde Carruth Expo Center, Pampa. Mike Jeffcoat, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent in Gray County, is the point of contact and can be reached at 806-669-8033, office, or 580-467-0753, cell.
A third supply point has been established at 100 Hackberry Trail, Canadian. Andy Holloway, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent, is the point of contact and can be reached at 806-323-9114.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Lipscomb is accepting cash, hay, fencing supplies and bag feed. If you find cattle or other livestock with official identification, document the number, location of the animal(s) and call the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) at 512-719-0733 or 806-354-9335. TAHC will contact the owner.
If you find stray cattle that have a brand, call Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at 817-332-7064 for brand identification.
If cattle have strayed onto your property, you must report them to the sheriff’s office in the county you are located in within five days of discovery to be eligible for reasonable payment for maintenance of or damages caused by the estray livestock.
The Livestock Indemnity Program is authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide benefits to farmers and ranchers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or disasters. For more details, contact your local FSA office or visit bitly.com/FSAdisaster.
The Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) Hay Hotline helps farmers and ranchers locate forage and hay supplies for sale.
The State of Texas Agriculture Relief (STAR) Fund, managed by TDA, provides emergency assistance to rebuild fences, restore operations and pay for other agricultural disaster relief. Contact TDA at 512-463-6695 for more information.
For questions about carcass disposal, call the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) at 800-832-8224.