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Nebraska farmer still faces long road of recovery from 2022 wildfire

A Southwest Nebraska farmer is still recovering from a 2022 wildfire.

Jan TenBensel tells Brownfield the fire damage is unlike anything he’s ever seen. “That fire burned so hot it did something to the makeup of the ground and we’re really struggling to get that that fixed.”

In April of 2022, a massive wildfire scorched nearly 50,000 acres in Gosper and Furnas Counties, making it one of the largest fires in state history. TenBensel says he lost nearly 2,000 acres of his property while other producers lost everything.

TenBensel says in the immediate aftermath of the fire, soil experts believed it would take five years to restore nutrients. “I don’t know if we’ll hit that five-year mark. I’ve had some agronomists say it (might) be closer to the 5-to-10-year mark to recover those fields. We’re getting better, but we’re not fixed yet.”

He says he’s been trying to improve soil health by using biologicals, manure and other methods, but yields have been significantly below average.“It’s been a struggle to get any production.”

TenBensel says the area has been in drought for nearly five years, but conditions have slightly improved with some winter moisture.