TEXAS, USA — The Texas Panhandle fires have been affecting nearly every aspect of life.
One of the aspects have been cattle ranchers and their cattle.
Normally, cattle ranchers are aware of when a fire is coming and have methods in place to prepare for it.
According to Monty Dozier, a disaster assessment program director for the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, these usually involve moving their cattle and equipment to different areas to keep them safe.
“They start looking for ways to move those cattle if they have time to get them moved through open gates and move on into places that are safe refuge," Dozier said. "They also try to move equipment so they can protect that equipment.”
However, even if they had advance prep time, cattle ranchers have been feeling the effects of the fires.
"It takes out the grass and the native grass that serves as the food source for livestock and for wildlife," Dozier said. "It also takes away cover that wildlife use for protection when they lose that grass that is covered in the landscape.”
While the animals are losing out on a key food supply, ranchers feel the effects in their wallets. With the fire taking away the grass, ranchers now have to go buy more to replace it.
“With the loss of that grazing potential, it's also going to put pressure on the ranchers to find new sources to supplement the loss of their grazing potential from that range land until they have time for that ground to recover,” Dozier said.
With the fires still raging, Dozier said it's going to be difficult to predict when exactly ranchers will be able to get back to a normal routine.
“We're just now getting to the point of kind of being able to do some damage assessments and see what the impact of the fires truly are," Dozier said. "We're gonna have to look at the soil levels and fertility. What does it look like from the standpoint of what vegetation is still available."
Dozier also said it is still too early to determine whether or not the fires will have an impact on beef prices at the grocery store.
West Texans have been donating feed, hay and money to ranchers to help them stay on their feet.
For more information on how to help out a rancher effected by the fires, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension website has more details on where ranchers have been effected and what supplies are needed.