Barber County ranchers to be reimbursed 75 percent to rebuild after fire

Ranchers and farmers in Barber County will be reimbursed 75 percent of their costs for rebuilding after the Anderson Creek fire, according to what they were told at an informational meeting Wednesday afternoon in Medicine Lodge.

This money will be essential for rebuilding, according to Robert Larson, whose family has more than 150 cattle just west of Medicine Lodge. He said it can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to rebuild a mile of fence and he estimates thousands of miles of fence will have to be rebuilt.

Some young ranchers are going to have to borrow money from the bank to rebuild their fences, Larson said, because those costs could still easily be $40,000 to $50,000.

His father, Bob Larson, said that right now their cows haven’t yet realized that they can wander out onto the highway because they are so used to having fences around. Bob Larson thinks they will have enough fence repaired by the end of the week to keep their cattle controlled.

In addition to fencing, farmers will be able to apply for assistance for lost cattle and lost feed, Robert Larson said.

Around 200 people packed the Heritage center in Medicine Lodge to hear from state and local officials more about the Farm Service Agency’s Emergency Conservation Program, Robert Larson said.

“There were a lot of somber faces in there because of the devastation and loss,” he said. “But I also think it was a very positive meeting, because you know the ranchers got their questions answered and they came out of this meeting knowing there is going to be assistance to help them.”

The fire swept across 3,000 of their 4,000 acres of land, and Bob Larson said he has noticed that about 10 to 15 percent of the grass is not coming back because, he thinks, in certain places the fire burned so hot it killed the grass underground as well.

Just as important as government assistance is the weather, Robert Larson said.

“If we don’t get springtime rains, we won’t have grass all summer,” he said. “This thing could affect us for 18 months if Mother Nature doesn’t help us with the rains.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Barber County ranchers to be reimbursed 75 percent to rebuild after fire."