North Texas farmers, ranchers try to recover from severe storms
NORTH TEXAS – Todd Reiter doesn't want pity or woes for his loss. The husband and father of three would prefer the lens turn towards the resilience he said farmers and ranchers must embody.
"I've told myself several times quit being a baby. People lost their lives over this," he said. "We'll rebuild and be fine. You know there's a whole lot worse things in life."
The 46-year-old remembers the Saturday night of May 25. He describes it as chaotic. After rushing out the door to serve as a first responder with the Valley View Volunteer Fire Department at 10:45 p.m., he returned home before 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to Reiter, no training prepared him for the response. He recalled being focused on the devastated community.
"I get a phone call and says, 'Hey, you know you don't have any fences on such and such place,'" Reiter said.
He said Monday and Tuesday after the storm were emotionally challenging. His father, Randy, is his business partner for R & T Reiter Farms in Era. The destruction and cleanup seemed overwhelming.
Reiter said the family has farm and ranch land that spans 11-and-a-half acres. However, they've only been able to access two-thirds of the land, where they raise cattle and grow wheat, milo and corn.
"You know there's nothing I can do about it now," he said. "I mean the damage has been done. We'll go and assess that later."
While insurance will cover the crops, it means a break-even year with no profit.
The Reiters are not the only ranchers and farmers facing storm-battered land.
Wes Rapaport with the Texas Division of Emergency Management said that since April 26, the agency had received 550 submissions statewide. Farmers and ranchers are reporting agricultural damage to fences, crops, livestock, and equipment due to severe storms and flooding.
Rapaport urged victims who experienced property damage to report their damages utilizing our online Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey at damage.tdem.texas.gov.
In a statement, he said, "Reporting damage information to TDEM through the online survey will help officials connect impacted Texans with resources and services. Additionally, once those damages are reported to the state, officials can determine whether they meet the federally set thresholds for federal disaster assistance."
Cooke County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster said they did not have data categorized to distinguish between farm and residential properties. They are still in phase one of recovery mode.
Cooke County VOAD did reveal that the Memorial Day weekend tornado has impacted 678 homes to date, destroyed 328, and donated more than $200,000 in goods. They said over 700 volunteers have put in more than 3,700 hours of benevolence.
The Reiters are receiving support from family, friends and the community. Todd Reiter said political divisiveness has been put aside as neighbors start helping neighbors.
Now, he said, if only the rain would let up, they may be able to salvage some of their wheat. Quite a bit of the crop bird feed now. They plan to plow it up.
The fifth-generation farmer said the mindset of his industry is overcoming what some seasons may bring.
"And maybe tomorrow's not better. Maybe next week will be better, I don't know," Reiter said. "I mean, looking at this mess, it's gonna take some time. But it's gotta be better, right?"