In the Sandhills of Nebraska, some grazing pastures look more like the Sahara Desert. The Morrill Fire — the largest wildfire in Nebraska history — scorched vast stretches of land in mid-March.

Farmers and ranchers across western Nebraska are now trying to recover, but severe drought conditions are making matters worse.

“The wind was screaming, maybe 70 mph. They said in 10 minutes it traveled 14 miles,” said Joe Van Newkirk, owner of Van Newkirk Herefords Ranch. “We heard that there was a fire in Angora, which is about 50 miles north-west of our headquarters, we just kind of looked at the map and there was just no way that this place was not going to get burned.”  

The ranch, located in Oshkosh, Nebraska, has been in the Van Newkirk family for 140 years. The operation holds an annual bull sale, selling 250 to 300 bulls to ranches across the country.

Thankfully, the Van Newkirk home was spared. It sits miles away from grazing pastures that are now almost unrecognizable after the fire.

“We didn’t have any cattle on here, or any buildings to speak of. So we were very lucky in that respect,” said Van Newkirk. Around a third of his summer range burned in the fire. 

LARGEST WILDFIRE IN NEBRASKA HISTORY LEAVES 1 DEAD, SCORCHES OVER 640,000 ACRES AS CONDITIONS BEGIN TO EASE

There is still extensive cleanup work ahead. Livestock watering tanks are now completely filled with sand.

“We could probably come up here and shovel them out but who says it’s not going to blow right back in,” said Van Newkirk. “We’re gonna let this country heal, let the wind go down. Maybe next spring, winter, we’ll come up here and fix this stuff.” 

While surveying the ranch, Van Newkirk said he recently noticed the first signs of improvement since the fires erupted in March.

“This fire was the 13th, 14th of March, and by the 1st of May, it didn’t look a whole lot different up here. The grass hadn’t started,” he said. “But just since then, four or five days, it’s made a difference. We haven’t received any moisture to speak of.”

The Morill fire burned 642,029 acres, according to NOAA. Severe drought conditions are compounding the damage. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than 90% of Nebraska is experiencing drought, with growing portions of the state classified under severe, extreme and exceptional drought conditions.

But the Morrill Fire was not the only wildfire burning in Nebraska at the time.

“It burned down the shop, and my corrals, and all the hay in my yard ended up going,” said Owen Johnson, Operator of Bearded Lady LLC. 

The Cottonwood Fire also tore through Nebraska, scorching 129,253 acres. The blaze hit Bearded Lady Ranch in Brady, Nebraska, which raises registered quarter horses.

“I have a dozer at the house, and I tried to bulldoze a fire break on the north and west sides of the house,” Johnson said. “So that, essentially, once the fire hit that line, my hope was that it would save at least the house, the buildings around the house, the farmstead.”

“I actually dozed about 120 or 130 feet, but the wind was just too strong. It actually jumped that bare ground and burned up to the house,” he added.

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Although his home survived, Johnson said the ranch still faces major challenges.

“I know I need to rebuild my shop, so that I have somewhere to put the stuff that I need to make it through the days. But we just haven’t got any rain,” Johnson said. “We don’t have any fences. All my horses are in dry lots, which is not typically how I do things.”

Johnson also said he has noticed behavioral and reproductive changes in his horses since the fires and drought.

“I don’t know if it’s from the drought or the stress, but usually after they foal, they have a pretty routine cycle for when they come back into heat,” Johnson said. “You can start breeding those mares back again, and my mares just aren’t coming into heat.”

“So now you’re sitting here going, man, when are we gonna get the fencing done, and when’s it gonna rain? And even if everything else happens, if we don’t get mares to where they’re going to have us foals for next year, how are we going to make it through the next year?” he added.

Despite the hardship, Johnson said volunteers and donations from across the country have helped keep the ranch operating.

“The outreach from people, it almost gives you a different view of society,” Johnson said. “There were people coming from all over the United States.”

“There was hay from Georgia and Wisconsin, and I don’t even know all the states, but there were literally people driving 12 or 13 hours to bring hay out — not just to us, but to other neighbors and other people that were affected by the fires,” he added.

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Van Newkirk shared a similar sentiment about the support pouring into ranch country.

“You know, that’s where that really chokes me up, all the outpouring of people nationwide to help this cattle community. It’s a tight-knit community, our hometown,” said Van Newkirk. “The day of the fire, our fire department looked like a commissary. I mean there was just so much food, Gatorade, palettes of water. There was a bushel basket full of chapstick for these firemen.”

But both ranchers said recovery ultimately depends on rainfall.

“It’s just miles upon miles of drought and it’s affecting everybody. I would feel pretty confident to say there’s not very many farmers or ranchers right now that don’t have some sort of stress or concerns about the lack of precipe,” said Johnson. 

“This country’s dry, and we could use all the prayers that you could have us,” said Van Newkirk.  

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has requested that President Donald Trump issue a major disaster declaration related to the wildfires. The funding would assist with covering the cost of damage to public infrastructure.

Pillen said in a statement, “”As Nebraska faced historic wildfires, the people of our state came together to jumpstart the recovery process. I’m submitting my request for a disaster declaration to the White House and FEMA. We appreciate President Trump’s attention to this matter and his long-standing support of our state when we have requested disaster recovery funding.”

There are currently several relief funds and GoFundMe pages to help those impacted stay afloat. 

Six states hold primaries Tuesday testing President Trump’s grip on the GOP, with high-profile races in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

A former Virginia assistant principal is on trial on felony child neglect charges after prosecutors say she ignored warnings that a 6-year-old student had a loaded gun before the child shot his teacher in 2023.

Jury selection began Monday in Newport News in the trial of Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School. Parker, who has pleaded not guilty, faces eight felony child neglect charges tied to the shooting of first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, according to The Associated Press.

Prosecutors allege several school employees warned Parker that the student might have a gun, but she failed to take action before the shooting happened, the outlet reported.

Parker’s defense has argued she is being unfairly blamed for broader failures that preceded the shooting.

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Prosecutors brought one count for each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun. If convicted, Parker could face up to five years in prison for each count, AP reported.

The shooting happened on Jan. 6, 2023, when authorities said the 6-year-old student shot Zwerner while she was teaching. 

She was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and underwent six surgeries after the bullet narrowly missed her heart. She still has limited use of her left hand, according to the AP.

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In November 2025, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million in a civil lawsuit against Parker, alleging the former administrator dismissed concerns that the student may have brought a gun to school.

In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time, Zwerner’s legal team said the verdict marked a “major step forward in Abby’s long road of healing.”

During the earlier civil trial, Parker’s attorneys argued the shooting was “unforeseeable” and maintained she did not have a legal responsibility to protect Zwerner from the attack.

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Zwerner is expected to testify in the criminal trial, AP reported.

Authorities said the child got the gun from his mother’s purse after climbing onto a dresser. The student’s mother was previously sentenced to nearly four years in prison. 

Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.