The U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021 will soon begin receiving emergency relief payments totaling approximately $6 billion through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset crop yield and value losses.

USDA Emergency Relief Program News Release

2020 FSA-Emergency Relief Program Fact Sheet

2021 FSA-Emergency Relief Program Fact Sheet

Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2239 which creates a sales tax exemption for the purchase of necessary supplies to reconstruct or repair fencing for agricultural land damaged or destroyed by natural disaster, providing important tax relief to farmers and ranchers impacted by recent wildfires.

More information about HB 2239 can be found here.

In late March, wildfires tore through portions of Jewell and Pawnee counties, burning nearly 10,000 and 8,600 acres of pastureland, respectively. Hay, fence and some equipment also was lost.

A collection point for donated hay and fencing supplies for those impacted by the fire in Jewell County has been set up across the highway from 2920 Highway 128, Burr Oak, KS 66936. This is 7 miles north of Burr Oak or 2 miles south of the Kansas/Nebraska state line. For unloading assistance, call Jarett Yelken at (402) 746-0569.

The Kansas Livestock Foundation, KLA’s charitable arm, is accepting cash donations to assist those impacted by the fires. Those who would like to donate can do so by clicking here or sending a check, with “wildfire relief” written in the memo line, to 6031 S.W. 37th, Topeka, KS 66614.

Producers can apply for relief funds by clicking here and filling out the form, which asks about livestock, fence and structures lost, grazing acres burned and veterinary costs to treat sick or injured animals. Applications are due May 15. Applicants do not have to be KLA members. Relief fund checks will be mailed soon to producers who applied earlier this year.

Cost share funds are available for landowners who were affected by the wildfire in December 2021. The initiative will provide assistance to landowners for range planting, cover crops, forage and biomass planting, and more. Contact your conservation district for help. See more program guidance here:  Kansas Wildfire Cost Share Initiative

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

VIEW the USDA stakeholder notification designating two Kansas counties as a primary natural disaster areas due to wildfire.

Governor Laura Kelly has issued a State of Disaster Emergency Proclamation for the areas affected by the disaster.
State of Disaster Emergency Proclamation.

Governor Laura Kelly directed the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to waive fees for birth certificates, marriage certificates, and vehicle registration. These directives will provide much needed relief for Kansans who experienced loss of crops, cattle, and their homes due to the wildfires from December 15, 2021 in Ellis, Gove, Graham, Lane, Logan, Ness, Osborne, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Trego, and Wichita counties.

The Division of Vehicles will:

• Waive penalties associated with late vehicle registrations;
• Waive any fees associated with the reprint or replacement of vehicle registration documentation, printed vehicle certificate of titles, driver’s licenses, and/or identification cards;
• Issue a temporary driver's license to an applicant who cannot provide valid documentary evidence so long as the applicant provides compelling evidence proving current lawful presence. Any temporary license issued pursuant to this declaration shall be valid for one year.

In addition, Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart has waived fees that are typically applied to requests for tax documents from previous years for Kansans affected by the storms. Those requests can be made to Sarah Fulton, Kansas Department of Revenue’s records custodian, by email at Sarah.Fulton1@ks.gov.

Please find the KDOR directive here.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Office of Vital Statistics will:

• Waive fees for one-time replacement of Kansas birth certificates 
• Waive fees for one-time replacement of Kansas marriage certificates

Affected Kansans should contact the Office of Vital Statistics at 785-296-1400.

Please find the KDHE directive here.

The significant losses resulting these wildfires can be the cause of great trauma for the farmers and ranchers and their families. This is especially true for those who are facing death of livestock and other animals on their farms. KDA encourages anyone in need of support to reach out for help. Several options exists which can help.

KansasAgStress.org -- lists of many resources available to help, from mental health therapists (including telehealth options) to financial counseling.

High Plains Mental Health Center -- Serving the residents of Northwest Kansas with mental health services. To speak to a mental health professional right away, please call the 24/7 crisis hotline at (800) 432-0333. If you are not in crisis but would like to access mental health services, please call (785) 628-2871 during business hours. 

If you have been affected by the fire on Dec 15 and have agriculture needs, please contact one of the following individuals in your respective area.

Paradise   
Jill Gonzalez: 785-445-9717
Dan Hoisington: 785-735-4556

Waldo/Luray 
Kasey Knowles-Ulrich: 785-643-1951

Natoma/Fairport 
Iva Maier: 785-885-4404

Plainville/Ellis County
Brandon Hamel: 785-434-6280

If you need food, water, clothing and household items, there are many things available at the Paradise Methodist Church. Contact Kim Hoisington at 785-821-1074.

HitchPin is an online platform that connects producers with products they need. During this disaster, the team at HitchPin has stepped up to add an option on their platform to allow disaster victims with specific needs to post those needs and get connected with members of the community who can provide and/or donate those products and services. Here is the message from HitchPin: 

Recent fires and high winds in the Midwest have hurt our community. Some producers have lost their homes, barns, livestock, fence, equipment, hay, and many other critical items. What they have not lost is support from their neighbors. Many people want to help and the team at Kansas-based HitchPin feels the same way. HitchPin provides a secure and direct platform to connect those who are in need with those who can provide and/or donate products and services. On your mobile device, or desktop, follow these simple steps to get started. You can trust our technology to get products and services delivered exactly where you need them and, while we wish we didn’t live in a world where people use events like this to conduct scams, our platform allows you to communicate securely using chat and call features. 

Click here to go to HitchPin.

If you need help, our team is available 7 days a week to assist members of the community. Contact Emilie Fink at emilie@hitchpin.com or call 785-522-4278. 

Kansas Fence Law

Kansas Fence Statutes

Kansas Fence Law article from Kansas Farm Bureau

A few other things to know:

• Supply chain disruptions have created hiccups in fencing supplies.
• Producers need to be very cautious about accepting donated fencing supplies; after other recent wildfires, this impacted the ability to secure federal funds. We're not sure yet whether this has been changed this year.
• Fencing supplies must be a very specific quality/strength/length/durability. Not every post you can buy at local supply stores will qualify.

Cattle, horses, and other livestock will need follow-up care over the next few weeks to monitor their health and welfare as they recover from exposure to the fire and smoke from the wildfire. Area specialists have shared several resources to provide guidance:

Follow-up care following grass fires, prepared by Kansas veterinarians

Feeding and Watering Beef Cattle During Disasters, by Justin Waggoner and K.C. Olson

Interview with K-State veterinarian AJ Tarpoff recorded in 2017 following Kansas wildfires

Farmers or ranchers who are faced with the disposal/burial of livestock as a result of the wildfires should reach out to Dan Wells with KDHE for help as they make a plan for that disposal process. Dan is the NW District Environmental Administrator, and can help provide emergency assistance.

Contact Dan Wells at: 785-261-6101 or Danial.Wells@ks.gov

News Release from USDA about efforts to help Kansas Wildfire/Drought.

Contact your local USDA-FSA office to notify them of the damage as soon as possible. This will help your county office obtain access to relief funding. Farm Service Agency programs: (link to Kansas FSA)

In addition, you are reminded that documentation is key: save receipts, write down loss details, take photos, etc. 

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and programs to assist you in your recovery efforts following wildfires or other qualifying natural disasters:

• Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) — offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather. Producers are reminded to document all livestock deaths and/or euthanizations due to the wildfire by taking pictures and providing them to the FSA office. Producers must file a Notice of Loss within 30 days of the loss becoming apparent, and then file an application for payment within 60 days after the calendar year when loss occurred. 
  LIP Fact Sheet
  LIP Acceptable Documentation
  

• Emergency Assistance for Livestock (ELAP) — provides emergency relief for losses due to feed shortages. Producers who have lost feed bales are encouraged to document the number of bales lost and take pictures of the damage. Producers must file a Notice of Loss within 30 days of the loss becoming apparent.
  ELAP Fact Sheet

• Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) — provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate land severely damaged by natural disasters, including fence loss. Please let the FSA office know of the miles of fence loss that occurred due to the wildfire.

For more information on these programs and to let the FSA know of any damage sustained, please contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/disaster. With the short turnaround for application of payment for these programs, we urge producers to contact us as soon as possible.

*Your point of contact for all of these programs will be your local FSA office.

The USDA National Resources Conservation Service will work to help farmers and ranchers obtain technical and financial assistance to assist in properly disposing of livestock mortality. Emergency Livestock Mortality Management Fact Sheet

Read more here: NRCS Emergency Livestock Mortality Initiative

The Farm Rescue organization is available to provide assistance to some farmers and ranchers who are in need. Contact them at FarmRescue.org to seek help.

Farm Rescue is a nonprofit that helps farmers and ranchers who have experienced a major illness, injury or natural disaster by providing the necessary equipment and volunteer workforce to plant, hay or harvest their crop. Livestock feeding assistance is also available to ranchers. 

Documentation of any disposal of animal carcasses or building debris may require documentation to qualify for FEMA reimbursement for costs. KDHE district office personnel or County Emergency Managers can provide appropriate forms and assist with their completion.  

To request forms or assistance completing forms, contact the county KDHE district office, county Emergency Manager or the KDHE Bureau of Waste Management at 785-296-1600.

Links to some common forms used to dispose of disaster debris can be found on the KDHE website.

If you're a specialty crop farmer who has lost equipment, infrastructure or crops due to storms, please reach out to your local USDA-FSA office to report your losses. In addition, document your losses (photos, lists, receipts).

Some of the established resources don't refer to specialty crops specifically, but some relief may be available at some point. KDA is looking into what resources might become available.

Are you moving large loads of hay and supplies to help in relief efforts? These helpful flyers from Kansas Highway Patrol can help you ensure you're safe and within regulations on the roads, including size/weight laws, exemptions, warning sign/flag requirements, etc. NOTE: driving oversize loads after dark is not permissible, regardless of load/vehicle size.

Moving within Kansas? Intrastate Farming Operations (wholly within Kansas)

Moving to/from another state? Interstate Farming Operations (crossing state lines)

The K-State Research and Extension Post Rock District shares these helpful tips:

As a reminder, producers needing to bury livestock that were lost in the wildfires that took place December 15 should call Kansas 811 before digging. Kansas 811 is the underground utility notification center for the state of Kansas. Using their services, you can notify underground utility operators of proposed excavation and request that their facilities are marked before you dig. For more information, click here. go to https://kansas811.com/

You can view the Crisis Support portion of the December 29 town hall meeting HERE.

Statewide resources and hotline available at KansasAgStress.org

High Plains Mental Health Center presentation by Kaley Conner

You can view the Livestock Indemnity and Emergency Livestock Assistance Program portion of the December 29 town hall meeting HERE.

Livestock Indemnity Program presentation by Todd Barrows

LIP Fact Sheet

Emergency Livestock Assistance Program presentation by Todd Barrows

ELAP Fact Sheet

You can view the Farm Loan Programs portion of the December 29 town hall meeting HERE.

Farm Loan Programs presentation by Josh Ridder

You can view the Emergency Conservation Program portion of the December 29 town hall meeting HERE.

Emergency Conservation Program presentation by Carla Wikoff

ECP Fact Sheet

You can view the NRCS Fence Standards, Grass Recovery and EQIP portion of the December 29 town hall meeting HERE.

Fence Technical Standards presentation by Dean Krehbiel

General Grass Recovery presentation by Dean Krehbiel

Emergency Animal Mortality EQIP presentation by Joel Willhoft

Application for Paradise United Methodist Church Relief Funds

Application for Kansas Livestock Foundation Relief Funds