A look at the cost of the Texas Panhandle wildfires. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economists project the Panhandle wildfires caused $123 million in preliminary agricultural losses, making it the costliest on record. The wildfires began on February 26 and burned 1.2 million acres, making it the largest wildfire in Texas history.
“The recovery process will be ongoing, and we’ll continue to provide support,” says Rick Avery, AgriLife Extension Director.
The losses include more than 12,000 dead cattle, lost grazing values, and fence repair costs, according to economists. The initial loss estimates span from February through mid-March. Other estimates include $68.7 million lost in ranch infrastructure, fences, barns, corrals, well pump motors, windmills, and stocks of hay or feed. They estimate $26 million lost in long-term grazing in fire-damaged pastures and range and short-term emergency feeding costs. Producers lost an estimated $27 million worth of cattle, which includes both cattle and estimated losses of this season’s calf crop.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land Of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.