BINGHAM, Neb. — Months after the Morrill Fire burned across his entire 11,000-acre ranch, Mike Wintz is still working through a recovery that he expects will take years.
Wintz, who ranches south of Bingham, said the fire first approached his operation in March after a shift in the wind. He and others fought the flames into the early morning and initially believed the immediate danger had passed.
“The wind switched again Saturday morning, and that time it switched to come and pretty much got the whole ranch, all the grass on the ranch, and then all my hay also,” Wintz said.
The fire forced Wintz to quickly find another place for his cattle. A friend north of Ashby offered to take his cows, while another neighbor provided a place for his yearlings.
Local truck owners then helped move 370 head in a single day. The cows were eventually relocated north of Atkinson, while Wintz worked to avoid selling much of the herd he had built.
“If it wasn’t for my neighbors, I probably would have had to sell most of my herd,” he said.
Wintz lost an estimated four calves in the fire. The rest of the main cow herd survived after gathering in an overflow area near a pond. Some yearlings suffered burn marks from flying embers, while several bulls were singed as they rode out the fire.
By May, new grass growth had Wintz feeling optimistic about bringing the cattle home in the fall. Hot, dry conditions in July changed those expectations, although recent rainfall has provided some improvement.
His current plan is to move the cows to cornstalks after his existing grass arrangement ends, keep them there until approximately February and then return them to the ranch in time for calving. Whether the recovering ranch can support the cows and their new calves will determine if he must find additional grass.
“I imagine it’ll affect the ranch for the next three years at least,” Wintz said.
The recovery effort has extended far beyond the immediate area. Wintz received donated hay from Iowa, eastern Nebraska and South Dakota. One donor called from South Carolina asking for directions to deliver a load.
“The support from the neighbors and the community – that helps a bunch,” Wintz said. “It was just overwhelming to see the hay coming.”
Listen to the full conversation with Mike Wintz as he discusses the Morrill Fire, the effort to keep his herd together and the long road ahead for his Sandhills ranch.
