Helping ’Huskers

’Huskers could use some help from Hoosiers.

Large swaths of Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa have been decimated by flooding that began with a winter storm late last week. Levies have been compromised, leaving homes filled with water, livestock swept away and pastures covered in silt.

Jay County native Megan Taylor serves one of the hard-hit sections as an extension agronomist for the University of Nebraska and is looking to her Indiana home for help.

Her area of Platte, Boone and Nance counties includes the location where the Platte and Loup rivers meet just southeast of Columbus, Nebraska.

Over the past week, farmers in the area have dealt not only with flood waters but also large chunks of ice that came floating out of the rivers as well.

“That was the initial crest. From there, the water covered many houses. Many of our people who live close to Duncan and right near the river were evacuated. Cattle displaced,” said Taylor, a 2011 Jay County High School graduate. “There are cattle that drowned that we can’t get to. There are cattle that are shoulder deep in mud that we can’t get to …”

The result has been devastating.

In a news release Tuesday, Nebraska Gov. Pete Rickets said there have been disasters with greater loss of life but "I don't think there's ever been a disaster this widespread in Nebraska." He added that a state of emergency has been declared in 65 of the state’s 93 counties.

Some cattle herds were wiped out by the flooding. Some livestock is alive but stranded.

Crops — corn and soybeans are the top two, just as they are in Indiana — will be planted late, if at all.

Sediment deposited by the flood waters is as deep as 6 inches over areas that previously were pastures.

Nebraska Farm Bureau president Steve Nelson estimates farm losses could reach $1 billion between crops and livestock.

The landscape is littered with debris like propane tanks.

“They’re just scattered like candy,” Taylor said. 

Jay County is no stranger to flooding, with the most severe recent issues coming in late February and early March 2011 and with three incidents in June and July 2015. During the last of three floods during summer 2015, then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence visited Portland to survey the damage. On Tuesday, Vice President Pence made his way to communities in Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa to do the same.

Seeking help, Taylor reached out to Larry Temple of Jay County’s Purdue Extension Office. He turned to Mark Valentine of Valentine Feed and Supply on the north edge of Portland. Both will now be accepting donations.

Valentine’s store will take donations of supplies, the most important of which, Taylor said, are t-posts, fencing of any kind and gloves for workers. Other items of need include razor wire, corner posts, staples and t-post clips.

Already by Tuesday evening, several boxes of fence staples had been donated. And Valentine planned to contribute 1.5 miles of barbed wire.

“I’m all about helping ranchers and farmers — anything we can do that is feasible to help them,” said Valentine. “I’ve been involved in the livestock business my whole life. Things like this are tough.”

Those interested in making donations of money or gift cards can contact Temple at (260) 726-4707.

Once donations have been collected, Taylor’s father, Dave, plans to make the approximately 750-mile trip to deliver them.

The ability to get help to the affected areas of Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa is one of the current challenges as flood waters are still receding. Bridges and roads have been washed away, with long stretches of U.S. 30 closed in eastern Nebraska.

Taylor has served in her post for the University of Nebraska Extension Service for about eight months after earning her doctorate from Purdue University last spring. She works with farmers dealing with questions about new hybrids, nitrogen applications, grazing and farm management. She is also involved in on-farm research to test new farming methods.

Her focus now is on helping those in her new home — she describes it as “Really similar to Indiana, just not as much rainfall, rolling hills and they root for the ’Huskers” — as they begin the process of putting their lives back together.

“Any support right now to boost morale in the area is really huge,” said Taylor, adding that news Tuesday about a donation of seven rolls of barbed wire was cause for celebration. “It’s just a really emotional time. … I just hope that people know that this is not a short-term thing. It’s a long-term problem. …

“It’s just going to be a long haul. But the people here are resilient. They’re tough, just like Indiana farmers.”