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LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- A northern Utah rancher is trying to round up 100 tons of hay for livestock producers whose range was destroyed in the state's largest wildfire.
Joe Fuhriman, president of the Cache Cattleman's Association, is pledging a ton and he wants 99 ranchers in Cache and Rich counties to do the same. The hay would be delivered in fall. "It's probably the least we can do," Fuhriman said. "I don't think a ton of hay will kill any of us.
"These are our neighbors even though they are in the southern part of the state. That's the way the world should be," he said. "Too many times things like that don't happen."
Nearly 300 cattle and calves were killed, 90 were injured and about 1,300 are missing after the Milford Flat fire, according to a federal survey of ranchers.
The fire burned more than 560 square miles in Beaver and Millard counties, much of it used for cattle grazing. "Those guys down there have had trouble this year. One day, our turn will come and we'll have trouble," said Clark Israelsen of Cache County Extension, which serves farmers.
Beaver County Extension agent Mark Nelson said Fuhriman is the only rancher who has contacted him about organizing a hay donation. "It's a great gesture," Nelson said. "Some producers got hit really hard. If they don't get some kind of assistance, it could completely put them out of business."
For more information on making a donation, call (435) 752-6263. ------
Information from: The Herald Journal
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
