Wildfires

The third round of disaster aid payments through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program is the largest amount appropriated by Congress. USDA Deputy Undersecretary Brooke Appleton says those payments are being prepared now.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, fielding questions on everything from USDA’s bold budget cuts and frozen funding to the fate of the nearly $21 billion in disaster aid.

Areas in the upper Midwest, Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic are being impacted. The American Veterinary Medical Association says to monitor animals as well as people and take precautions to keep everyone safe.

Western wildfires continue to rage in the west, as California’s biggest wildfire is leading to widespread evacuations of livestock. And now there are efforts underway to care for animals left behind.

Oregon wheat farmers acted quickly during last year’s Substation Fire in Oregon that burned 78,425 acres.

Early in March, a massive wildfire swept across the Southern Plains states, burning 1.5 million acres of grassland, and affecting farmers and ranchers in three states--Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The human cost was significant--the rapidly moving fire killed seven people, either trying to save cattle or flee their homes. While the economic cost is still being tallied, we do know that at least 20,000 head of cattle and hogs were killed and an estimated 18,000 miles of fencing was destroyed.

A new collaborative resource draws on experience and expertise of veterinarians and industry professionals who have worked on the front lines in cattle emergencies.

Firefighters are battling dozens of wildfires in Kansas and Nebraska that have erupted since the weekend, even as calmer winds on Wednesday helped contain or extinguish most of them.