Governor Mark Gordon has formally requested a Secretarial disaster designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in response to wildfires that have burned more than 629,000 acres across Wyoming. In his letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Governor Gordon emphasized that a significant portion of the affected land is privately owned and used for agricultural production, making the fires particularly damaging to the state’s agricultural sector.
As wildfire season continues, notable fires such as the Short Draw fire on the Montana/Wyoming border and the Fish Creek Fire on Togwotee Pass have each scorched over 30,000 acres. To support farmers and ranchers impacted by the fires, Governor Gordon has extended his Executive Order, easing restrictions on transporting livestock feed and livestock.
The disaster designation, if approved, would provide critical relief to Wyoming’s agricultural producers and help them recover from the ongoing wildfire damage.
