The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation has closed its wildfire disaster relief fund after distributing $435,000 to 87 farm and ranch households affected by this year’s wildfires in western Nebraska.
The fund provided direct financial assistance to producers facing immediate expenses following the fires, including replacing lost grazing opportunities, transporting livestock and maintaining cattle nutrition.
Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, said the organization focused on getting money into producers’ hands while they waited for other assistance programs.
“We thought what we could do in our little niche is to try and really get some relief out to people as quickly as possible to cover some of those gaps before perhaps government assistance could provide some help, or some of the larger funds that were taking a little more time,” Schafer said.
Lost pasture creates lasting challenges
Although the fires occurred several months ago, Schafer said their impact extended well beyond the initial damage.
Producers lost access to both owned and leased pasture, forcing many to find alternative grazing arrangements and pay additional transportation costs.
The disruption also created concerns about cattle condition and reproductive performance, as ranchers worked to maintain adequate nutrition and get cows rebred.
“Most of it was nutrition for cattle and trucking to get them into the places that they they needed to be, because the pasture that they counted on wasn’t available this year,” Schafer said of how families used the relief money.
Donations came from 34 states
The foundation received contributions from across Nebraska and 33 other states, reflecting widespread support for producers affected by the fires.
Schafer said many donors were motivated by their own experiences receiving help during difficult times and wanted to return that generosity.
The foundation has now closed the fund to both donations and distributions after applications stopped coming in. Nebraska Farm Bureau contributed an additional amount to ensure every eligible applicant received assistance.
All $435,000 raised has been distributed to affected farm and ranch households.
‘We’re not alone in this’
Beyond the financial assistance, Schafer said the foundation received thank-you notes describing the emotional impact of the donations.
“We just are so grateful for the donors. And we would love to share with those that did contribute that we received so many thank you notes that just said your support reminded us, we’re not alone in this,” Schafer said.
She acknowledged the assistance would not cover every expense families face, but said it could help producers take another step toward recovery while reminding them that others continue to support them.
The foundation hopes the disaster relief fund will not need to be activated again anytime soon.
More information about the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is available at nefbfoundation.org.