Up In Smoke: Wildfires Gut Texas Agriculture

The latest wildfires to sweep across parts of Texas are more bad news for the state's agriculture industry, already facing fertilizer and supply pressures from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Preliminary economic losses from this spring's wildfires in the Lone Star State already total $23.1 million, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Those fires over the last two months in the Eastland Complex, parts of the Panhandle and Coryell County have covered some 433,000 acres. "The cost includes loss of livestock, loss of grazing potential, loss of feed and hay storage, and a big loss will be the cost to go in and repair fencing that burned down," says Monty Dozier, Director of Disaster Assessment and Recovery for A&M AgriLife Extension.

AgriLife estimates those losses could rise with the ongoing threat of more wildfires due to dry, windy conditions and the onset of the hottest season of the year. "Not only the heat, but we also run into the problem of wind," says Dozier. "So as we get an increase in wind with a reduction in humidity, that adds to potential fire risk across the state."

This year's fires didn't wait for the hot weather. During a seven-day span in late March, crews responded to 192 wildfires that destroyed more than 173,000 acres. The U.S. Small Business Administration approved a federal disaster declaration for the Eastland Complex Fire, which opens up federal aid and loans for those impacted by the blaze. Nonetheless, there will be negative fallout for Texas agriculture production. "Anytime there is a major disruption, whether it be a natural disaster or a man-made event, is does cause disruption in the supply chain," Dozier tells KTRH. "We hope that by helping producers, we can keep the supply chain from being disrupted for very long."

With the calendar only reading May, the bigger hope is that this is the worst of this year's fire season. "We know that Texas is suffering through drought conditions, especially on the west side of I-35 and up to the Panhandle," says Dozier. "So we have to ask people to be vigilant and careful about your outdoor activities...because we don't want to have a human interaction that causes a wildfire."