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HELENA, MT – Governor Greg Gianforte recently requested a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretarial Disaster Declaration from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in response to significant damages in Big Horn, Rosebud, and Powder River counties caused by the Remington Fire.
“The impacts on agriculture have been significant as over 95% of the total acres of all land burned within the described counties are used for agricultural production,” Gov. Gianforte wrote. “Early estimates project a loss of more than 1,000 miles of fencing, numerous stock tanks and water supply lines, livestock grazing and hay, and several agriculture-related buildings.”
The governor continued, “Sadly, livestock loss estimates have exceeded 1,000 animals so far. As winter approaches, building back capacity and getting the infrastructure back in place for livestock management is critical.”
On August 20, the Remington Fire started in Sheridan County, Wyoming, and crossed into Powder River County on the evening of August 21. Due to fire conditions and dry fuels, the fire quickly spread overnight and grew from approximately 25,000 acres to 160,000 acres, spanning Powder River, Big Horn, and Rosebud counties.
On September 5, Gov. Gianforte held a roundtable at the Broadus Community Center to hear from producers and local officials on the impact of the Remington Fire and discuss steps forward for recovery. After the discussion, the governor spoke with a third-generation rancher from Powder River County who lost nearly 200 head of cattle and one dwelling on their property and another who lost hundreds of miles of fencing.
Stressing the devastating impact of the fire on fencing, the governor requested additional flexibility from USDA to speed up repair efforts, writing, “Due to the amount of fencing lost in Montana this year, I respectfully request a waiver for the in-person inspection requirement for damaged fencing and any other streamlined review processes to expedite rebuilding of lost fences.”
The governor’s letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack may be found here.