Nebraska Farmers Face Major Wildfires in 4 Devastating Locations

Wildfires have burned more than 800,000 acres across Nebraska since March 12, leaving devastated farmland and ranchers facing staggering losses as crews work to contain the state’s largest wildfire surge on record. Of the fires, the Morrill Fire was the largest, burning 642,029 acres before it was listed as contained on March 24. The Cottonwood Fire burned 129,000 acres and was contained on March 27. The Road 203 Fire burned nearly 36,000 acres and was listed as contained on March 25.

Farmers At A Loss

Some of the smoke is finally lifting. Farmers are now looking at calculating their losses as they watch the smoldering remains of their homes and ranch buildings, left in the wake of wildfires that have raged on for over 2 weeks. They are now beginning to piece together just how much damage has been wrought. It will take some time for them to do a full count of livestock lost during this tragedy.

At this point, Minor Fire and Ashby Fire are still active. So far, Ashby is at 36,000 acres and only 51% contained, with Minor having consumed 14,082 acres and 85% containment, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). These two fires began on March 26, 2026. As of Monday morning, March 30, 2026, another fire broke out in western Phelps County, burning 550 acres.

There have been donations of hay rolling in to assist with the extensive forage losses in the area. It has been reported that help is on the way, as numerous entities are sending aid.

A Somber Visit From USDA Secretary

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins was in Ogallala, Nebraska, the county seat of Keith County, on March 19, expressing concern regarding the circumstances of her visit. Many ranchers had already lost a great deal in the 7 days since the fire started. She was joined by Senator Deb Fisher, Senator Pete Ricketts, Representative Adrian Smith, and the director for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Sherry Vinton, along with Governor Jim Pillen, as they had a sky view of the area savagely devoured by the wildfires.

“All of America stands with our Cornhusker country. You can’t absorb how massive it is until you’ve seen it from the air. These are some of the top beef-producing counties in the country, and it comes at a time when the national cow herd is at the lowest, supply is at the lowest, and demand is at the highest, so this offers additional layers of challenges,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Her hope, in the face of this tragic ordeal, is for federal, state, and local agencies to help the community. The entire farming community of Nebraska needs active hands-on deck and resources as they look to rebuild, but it’s not just about the farmers, individual residents, and small communities affected, too.

Assistance With Disaster Relief

To get federal disaster relief assistance, they must start by contacting their local USDA Office. They have a collection of programs to offer support to farmers and ranchers as they manage their losses from disaster to help them rebuild. Farm Production and Conservation undersecretary Richard Fordyce, who joined Rollins as they visited Nebraska, encouraged those affected by the wildfires to contact their USDA service center, take inventory of their losses, and report them to learn which program options are available to them. 

There is a livestock indemnity program (LIP) targeted to help ranchers and farmers who face more than normal livestock deaths, or livestock that are injured and being sold at a reduced price. In addition to the LIP, there is the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) that helps with compensation regarding feed and grazing losses.

Both of these programs require documentation and notice of loss, impact and application deadlines to their local Farm Service Agency for help recovering by March 1, 2027, to cover 2026 calendar-year losses.

Current Situation in Nebraska

State officials say recovery will take months, and ranchers are still assessing livestock losses and damage to grazing land. The Nebraska National Guard is actively assisting firefighters to contain the remaining fires. For many in Nebraska’s farming communities, the flames may be dying down — but the long process of rebuilding is only beginning.