Disaster Relief Fund

Click to jump: 

• Eligibility to apply
• Documentation to apply
• What to expect when applying
• Wildfire Resources
• NCDRF Donations Update
• Donate

The Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund (NCDRF) will close and stop accepting monetary donations and relief applications on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. 

Apply for Relief

For any questions, please contact the Nebraska Cattlemen office at (402) 475-2333 or email [email protected].

Applications should be postmarked by Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Please mail your check for donation or relief application to the following address:

Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund
4611 Cattle Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521-4309

Eligibility

Membership in Nebraska Cattlemen is not required for applicants to receive relief. 100% of the donations will be distributed to producers who experienced property loss or damage in areas where a fire was reported through the Nebraska Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Watch Center. As of July 28, 2026, the following counties have been reported through the NEMA Watch Center:

• Arthur Co. (Morrill, Vasa fires)
• Blaine Co. (Road 203 Fire)
• Buffalo Co. (Elm Creek & Odessa fires)
• Cherry Co. (Ashby, Anderson Bridge fires)
• Custer Co. (Pressey Fire)
• Dawes Co. (Ash Pole, Clay Creek fires)
• Dawson Co. (Cottonwood Fire)
• Fillmore Co.
• Frontier Co. (Cottonwood Fire)
• Gage Co.
• Garden Co. (Morrill, Minor fires)
• Grant Co. (Ashby, Minor fires)
• Holt Co. (Peterson Fire)
• Jefferson Co
• Keith Co. (Morrill Fire)
• Lincoln Co.
• McPherson Co. (Daly Fire)
• Morrill Co. (Morrill Fire)
• Nemaha Co. (Peru Fire)
• Richardson Co.
• Saline Co.
• Seward Co.
• Sheridan Co. (Ashby Fire)
• Sioux Co. (South Fork, Log Road fires)
• Thomas Co. (Road 203 Fire)

Documentation

Applicants may submit documentation for agriculture-related expenses not paid for by insurance or other governmental sources related to fencing, pens, agricultural structure repair, feed, livestock removal, or other necessary agricultural-related costs directly related to rebuilding from the natural disaster. Applicants must demonstrate expenses and losses incurred were related to agriculture production and directly caused by recent wildfires in the state of Nebraska. Applications must be completed and have all required documentation to be considered. Documentation can include copies of receipts for purchases of supplies, invoices for repairs, photos of the damage, and more. Please include losses of livestock, fence - miles or feet, land damage – specify grazing, crop, or haying loss, veterinary costs, feed costs/feed loss, and more in the description of impacts and loss to operation. If you need additional space to list damages, please include your additional list with the application.

What to Expect

Once the fund is closed, applications will be reviewed by a committee convened by the NCDRF and eligibility of expenses will be determined on a case-by-case basis. The committee and the committee process is confidential. Funds are not distributed until the applications period closes and all applications are reviewed. Decisions will be made in a timely manner and financial awards will be sent to selected applicants no later than 90 days after September 1, 2026. 

Resources

Please visit the Wildfire Resource page on our website if you are needing resources.  

NCDRF Donations Update

Because of your incredible generosity, the Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund has received more than $2.1 million from 2,555+ donors across Nebraska, 48 states, and five countries.

Donate

To donate online, you can click the donate button below to give to our PayPal account. Funds donated to our PayPal account will be transferred into the Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund. Please note, a convenience fee for online donations may apply. The fund will close for donations on Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2026.