Nearly $460,000 Distributed to Oklahoma Wildfire Victims
Ranchers in Northwest Oklahoma who were impacted by wildfires this spring are getting some relief in the form of monetary donations.
The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Foundation Fire Relief Fund distributed a total of $459,971 in donated funds to 69 beef producers who applied for relief aid.
A series of wildfires broke out in the state during April with much of the damage occurring in Northwest Oklahoma. Two fires combined to burn nearly 350,000 acres:
- 34 Complex in Woodward County burned 62,432 acres
- Rhea Fire in Dewey County burned 286,196 acres
The wildfires claimed the lives of two people and killed an estimated 1,500 cattle.
The donations to the relief fund were made possible through the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Foundation, a charitable arm of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.
“Creating the relief fund and facilitating the distribution process most assuredly contributes to the Foundation’s goal of preserving the beef business here in Oklahoma,” says Weston Givens, President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.
Donations will be used to help producers with the loss of livestock, fencing, equipment and feed.
“Thank you to the tremendous support and compassion from others, the recovery process for the affected cattlemen in the fire-stricken areas is underway,” Givens says.
Following the wildfires hay, feed and fencing materials were donated to producers in the region.
