Central Nebraska rancher donates feed, fencing for fire victims 

CHAPPELL – The Morrill Fire has scorched more than 500,000 acres since Thursday. The fire is impacting cattle ranchers with the loss of grazing. 

A farmer and rancher Monday delivered supplies to help ranchers facing loss. Federal Crop Agency is helping to coordinate the donations. Tina Davis, Ben Rand and Nicholle Renshaw met after the donation was delivered Monday. 

“So, Laura Farms came out came out and donated some round bales and some fencing for those impacted by the fire. They came out around noon today (Monday), drove out from Aurora and made a really, really generous to the farmers in this area,” said Renshaw. 

Rand said the donation is partly due to knowing the Laura Farms and LEAAD Farms family. 

“So, I just found out Cale was a good friend of mine – her father – and he reached out on Sunday, and he asked if there was anything he could do to help. He’d like to donate some stuff. He said let’s try and find a place, get it coordinated close enough to the fire where families didn’t have to travel a long way to get it but far enough away we wouldn’t have to worry about something starting on fire again. Found a place to put everything and Cale was out of town. Then after I talked to Cale (Carlson), his daughter Laura of Laura Farms texted me and she wanted to do the same thing,” Rand said. 

The donations were dropped off at Larry and Kevin Flohr’s farm northeast of Chappell. 

To learn more about the donations, contact the Federal Crop Agency office in Chappell. 

Rand says the donation shows the character of the Carlson family. 

“From a personal level, I think Cale, if anybody knows Cale, and his family, they are absolute salt of the earth. I’ve known them for a long time. To see them be the first ones to step up and want to do something is not surprising. If I have one thing to say, it’s just thank you to Cale and, and his family for everything they do and Laura and Grant. They did it all on their own time on $5 diesel and hauled it all out here,” he said. 

He also thanked the Flohrs for the use of equipment to off-load the round bales and fencing.