By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
In the face of devastating wildfires in the Panhandle, Texans are working together to support their fellow Texans.
“When the fires took off, I unfortunately knew the drill,” Dane Elliott, a rancher from Pawnee, said. “We’ve done this previously. Back when the fires broke out in 2017, we put stuff together to take up there, and that’s what we’re doing again this year.”
After several years of drought conditions, South Texas doesn’t have much hay to spare. But Elliott said locals decided to focus on livestock feed donations.
Within 48 hours of soliciting donations on social media, he had a truckload of livestock feed ready to be dispatched to Panhandle ranchers.
A local trucking company—Rush Logistics—donated trucking to help with the relief effort.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, Lyssy & Eckel Feeds stepped in to match every bag of feed donated. The gesture effectively doubled the impact of donations, demonstrating the power of Texas and the agricultural community coming together in times of crisis.
“It’s one of those deals where Texans help Texans,” Elliott said. “We’ve done it for the fires in the past, and we’ve done it during the hurricanes along the coast. And so, it’s kind of second nature to all of us, and we’re just glad to help.”
The generosity displayed by Elliott, Lyssy & Eckel Feeds and the countless individuals who have donated demonstrates the unity of agriculture and support from Texans. “Agriculture just has that community mentality to help out their neighbors, whether that’s half a mile down the road or three-quarters of the way across the state,” Elliott said.
As donations continue to pour in, the impact of this collective effort is nothing short of remarkable. As of March 5, 10,560 bags of feed were donated, which is the equivalent of 12 truckloads. Lyssy & Eckel Feeds will match 100% of the donation, making that a total of 24 truckloads of feed being delivered to the Panhandle.
“We just hope and pray for our fellow farmers and ranchers in the Panhandle and everything they’re going through,” Elliott said. “It’s a dire situation that no one wants to be in. We pray for those folks and hope there is enough left that they can put together once they get through this.”
The donation drive for feed is temporarily on hold to manage the delivery of 21,120 bags.
Elliott noted local 4-H members and leaders assisted with the effort, too.
“Seeing that next generation jump up and help on one of these large donation efforts, that means a lot,” he said. “They’re our future leaders, and it’s good to see them willing to help where needed.”
These efforts highlight the steadfast Texan spirit of aiding one another and a testament to the resilience and compassion of the Lone Star State.
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