Barn Fire Rallies New Partnerships

 

No farmer ever expects tragedy to strike their operation. When it does, many may not be prepared with what steps to take next after devastation occurs. In mid-August of last year, Manitowoc County dairy farmers, father and son William and Todd Schroeder, were milking cows inside their barn when a fire broke out inexplicably. With little time to react, as the one-story structure filled with smoke and flames, the Schroeder’s lost over 50 dairy cows and 2 calves in the barn fire. Early the following morning, Matt Rataczak, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Manitowoc County District Conservationist, received a phone call from the Francis Creek Fire Department Chief notifying the agency of the deceased animals and seeking advice on proper handling.

Matt contacted Jae Sutherland, Northeast Area NRCS Agricultural Engineer, and Kathy Turner, Northeast Area NRCS Re-source Soil Scientist, to recruit their assistance on the Schroeder farm. Neither William or Todd had worked with the agency before, but by late morning, NRCS staff, including two Major Land Resource Area soil scientists, were on-site to complete soils investigations. The investigation would ensure that the soil met the criteria to bury the deceased cattle properly. The agency staff also ensured the site met the specifications of the NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 3_6_8_—Emergency Animal Mortality Management—Burial. The Schroeder’s were eager to lay their lost animals to rest as the summer temperatures lingered in the 90s. Matt assured William and Todd that the staff was working to devise a proper burial plan that would meet the standards and specifications for their unique farm situation and confirm that all protocols were being followed for proper buri-al. While agency staff were still on-site, Matt initiated an early start waiver for Practice 368; funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). With the help of several NRCS agency units, including the coordination of Engineering, Soils, Resources, Area and State Office staff, the waiver was approved within hours and the soils investigation resulted in a proper burial plan.

“I’m so thankful for my nuclear drill training and all the NRCS trainings I have participated in regularly over the years to pre-pare me for a situation like this; my training certainly came in handy. As soon as I received that phone call, I jumped into action. I knew NRCS could help out the Schroeder farm during such a catastrophic event; that’s what NRCS is here for—to help farmers in need and make a positive difference,” explained Matt.

In addition to having a suitable soil type, an initial 12-inch layer of straw was required to be placed in the bottom of the ap-proved shallow burial trench. Knowing the Schroeder’s had lost most of their hay storage in the barn fire, a neighboring farm soon arrived with a wagonload of straw and the burial process began. By that evening, the family’s lost dairy cattle had been laid to rest through the help of partnerships and cooperation of the community and multiple agency staff.

Before the barn fire, the Schroeder family had discussed retiring from the dairy farm business. In the wake of their loss, they decided to cease all operations going forward. William and Todd have applied for EQIP funding and are in consideration to receive some financial relief compensation.