Nebraska wildfire response: New legislation and USDA emergency forage measures

In response to recent devastating wildfires, new legislative and administrative measures are being implemented to support agricultural communities and improve firefighting readiness.

Senator Pete Ricketts has introduced the Pilot for Regional Emergency Prepositioning of Aerial Resources and Equipment (PREPARE) Act. This proposed pilot program aims to establish prepositioned aerial firefighting resources during early-season conditions to reduce response times. The legislation, endorsed by the Nebraska Forest Service, would apply to five states, including Nebraska, to better protect farms, ranches, and communities from extreme fire weather.

Simultaneously, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency has expanded emergency haying and grazing authority for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This allows CRP participants in several states—including Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas—to donate grazing rights or haying authority to livestock producers affected by wildfires. Under this provision, landowners with CRP contracts will not have their payments reduced for allowing emergency access to forage on eligible acres.