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Losses from a collapsed irrigation tunnel are insurable for agricultural producers, the U.S. secretary of agriculture announced Friday.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said the agency has determined that because the collapse was due to a natural cause — unusually high precipitation — producers can submit claims for their losses.
Absent that federal determination, the Nebraska Panhandle and eastern Wyoming could have seen $89 million in losses.
That’s according to an economic impact analysis done by the University of Wyoming Extension and University of Nebraska Extension services.
For these reasons and more, members of the congressional delegations of the two states this week asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rule that the catastrophe is an insurable event under federal crop insurance rules.
Senators from the two states and congressional representatives of the affected area wrote a joint letter to Perdue.
“We request you make an expedited determination based on the ongoing lack of adequate water supply and its damaging effects on growth and maturity,” says the Aug. 21 letter signed by Sens. Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Mike Enzi and John Barrasso of Wyoming, as well as Reps. Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Liz Cheney of Wyoming. All are Republicans.
Midday Friday, Fischer and Sasse issued statements thanking Perdue and the agency for its determination and for giving producers certainty.
“The USDA did the right thing by covering this loss and preventing a bunch of bankruptcies in the Panhandle. It’s the honest thing to do,” Sasse said.
The irrigation system affected by the collapsed tunnel supplies water to more than 100,000 acres along the Nebraska-Wyoming border. Affected crops include corn, sugar beets, dry edible beans and alfalfa.
The $89 million estimate assumes a total loss of corn, beans and sugar beets and a one-third reduction in alfalfa production. It also factors in the multiplier effect of those losses as they ripple through the regional economy.
The Nebraska and Wyoming Farm Bureaus also urged the USDA to make an expedited decision in favor of providing federal crop insurance. In the meantime, donations are being collected to help both farmers and repair workers.
The tunnel collapse is in a remote location, so the Goshen County, Wyoming, Farm Bureau is collecting money to help cover daily food costs for tunnel repair workers, which ranges from $500 to $600 per day.
Checks can be made to the Goshen County Farm Bureau and mailed to Lori Schafer, 5858 Road 33, Veteran, WY 82243.
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In terms of the larger relief funds:
In Nebraska, donations can be made through a website established by Platte Valley Bank and the Oregon Trail Foundation. Donations made to pvbank.com/give will go toward the effort to restore water and support affected agriculture families.
In Wyoming, a donation account has been established at First State Bank. The money will be directed to the Goshen Irrigation District to support its work in repairing the tunnel and the canal damage.
Donations can be sent to First State Bank, P.O. Box 1098, Torrington, WY 82240. Checks should be made out to Goshen Irrigation District Donation Account.
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Rain clouds and a bit of a rainbow roll over the Millard, Nebraska, sky on Aug. 16, 2016.
Wheat, ready for the combine, is silhouetted by the setting sun as the wheat harvest on the Lagler farm near Grant, Nebraska, was in full swing on July 7, 2005.
The moon rises over the northern cross of the St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha on Feb. 10, 2017. On this night, there was a full moon, a lunar eclipse and comet 45P passed by the earth.
As the sun sets, sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the Platte River at the Rowe Sanctuary & Iain Nicholson Audubon Center south of Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 12, 2008.
A pair of sandhill cranes pass in front of the moon shortly after sunrise at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. Sandhill cranes, which mate for life, can live between 20 and 40 years.
An early November storm system rolls through the Great Plains, but Omaha only receives rain, which collected on freshly-fallen leaves on Nov. 11, 2015.
Cattle head up to a well to get a drink at the end of the day near Sparks, Nebraska, on Aug. 21, 2015. Smoke from the wildfires in the western states created a haze.
Two riders help round up part of the 750 head of cattle branded at the Lute Family Ranch, located south of Hyannis, Nebraska, on May 12, 2005. Mick Knott, who runs the ranch, owns about half the cattle, and the Lute Foundation owns the rest. The work started about dawn and finished about noon.
The rising sun illuminates a tree and a windmill in a snow-covered field located on U.S. Highway 20 between Rushville and Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.
The College Home Run Derby was held at TD Ameritrade Park and was highlighted by The World-Herald's annual Independence Day fireworks display on July 2, 2015.
Nearly 45 minutes after sunset, an orange and blue glow is seen setting behind the Omaha skyline flanked between trees in Council Bluffs on Jan. 11, 2018.
Ralph Kohler, 94, keeps his eyes to the sky for ducks and geese as the sun rises over his hunting pond east of Tekamah, Nebraska, on Nov. 30, 2011. Kohler has been a professional guide for most of his life, and he is preparing for the spring season.
Cranes walk through the shallow water of the Platte River shortly before sunset near The Crane Trust, which is close to Wood River, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. The river provides cranes with a safe place from predators for rest at night.
Members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association hold their hats as 2013 Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger passes by during the opening ceremonies on July 27, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Hunsperger said.
A break in the clouds highlights downtown Omaha as seen from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, as severe storms passed through the Omaha Metro area on June 5, 2014.
A red tail hawk perches on a light stanchion backed by the moon and overlooking the property near the Indian Creek development in Omaha on Feb. 27, 2018.
A woman walks with two dogs in Memorial Park near Dodge Street as many sledders go down the hill in Omaha, Nebraska, on Feb. 2, 2016. MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
As the sun sets, cattails and trees are highlighted at Island Lake, a popular hunting area at the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Garden County, Nebraska, on Nov. 17, 2013.
Check out some of the most beautiful images of Nebraska.
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Rain clouds and a bit of a rainbow roll over the Millard, Nebraska, sky on Aug. 16, 2016.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind a center pivot located north of Red Cloud, Nebraska, on Thursday, July 27, 2006.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Storm clouds hide the sun as it sets over Nebraska's Sand Hills on July 7, 2009, near Thedord, Nebraska.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A summer storm passes north of Rose, Nebraska, on Sunday, June 10, 2007.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
A rainbow forms over U.S. Highway 12, just east of Valentine, Nebraska, as storms roll over the area on July 25, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind an approaching storm as a car heads west on U.S. Highway 34 near Union, Nebraska, on April 24, 2016.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Icicles form on vines in downtown Omaha on Feb. 24, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Railroad tracks are illuminated by the setting sun on May 3, 2017, east of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind Chimney Rock on May 3, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Members of the Boats, Bikes, Boots & Brews group head to shore as the sun sets after an evening out on Lake Zorinsky on April 22, 2015.
REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
Icicles hang from the horse carriage parking sign in the Old Market on Jan. 15, 2017.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Wheat, ready for the combine, is silhouetted by the setting sun as the wheat harvest on the Lagler farm near Grant, Nebraska, was in full swing on July 7, 2005.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A layer of fog covers the Missouri River near the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Feb. 5, 2015.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A setting sun creates a pink haze on a windmill and the Sand Hills southwest of Rushville, Nebraska, on Sept. 22, 2007.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Pigeons scatter at sunset as the St. John's steeple is silhouetted against the Woodmen tower in downtown Omaha on Oct. 3, 2014.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun bursts behind the clouds over the North Platte River east of Bridgeport, Nebraska, on July 26, 2006.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Steve Jobman, a farmer south of Minatare, Nebraska, cuts alfalfa after sunset on June 2, 2004.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Wheat waves in the wind in a field west of Dalton, Nebraska, on July 18, 2001.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The moon rises over the northern cross of the St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha on Feb. 10, 2017. On this night, there was a full moon, a lunar eclipse and comet 45P passed by the earth.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
As the wind speed picks up, a woman holds onto her hood while crossing 16th Street along Dodge Street in Omaha on Feb. 24, 2017.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
From left: Melody Borcherding, Kseniya Burgoon and Michael Beltz scoop out a vehicle on Jan. 23, 2018, in Norfolk.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jeff Bachman harvests soybeans and prepares to transfer them as the sun sets on a field near Ayr, Nebraska, on Oct. 19, 2008.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
As the sun sets, sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the Platte River at the Rowe Sanctuary & Iain Nicholson Audubon Center south of Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 12, 2008.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A pair of sandhill cranes pass in front of the moon shortly after sunrise at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. Sandhill cranes, which mate for life, can live between 20 and 40 years.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
A windmill is dwarfed by storm clouds near Crawford, Nebraska, on May 3, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
An early November storm system rolls through the Great Plains, but Omaha only receives rain, which collected on freshly-fallen leaves on Nov. 11, 2015.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Cattle head up to a well to get a drink at the end of the day near Sparks, Nebraska, on Aug. 21, 2015. Smoke from the wildfires in the western states created a haze.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
The moon rises above the corn as farmers harvest the last of their fields in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on Nov. 5, 2014.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Two riders help round up part of the 750 head of cattle branded at the Lute Family Ranch, located south of Hyannis, Nebraska, on May 12, 2005. Mick Knott, who runs the ranch, owns about half the cattle, and the Lute Foundation owns the rest. The work started about dawn and finished about noon.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
The rising sun illuminates a tree and a windmill in a snow-covered field located on U.S. Highway 20 between Rushville and Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The College Home Run Derby was held at TD Ameritrade Park and was highlighted by The World-Herald's annual Independence Day fireworks display on July 2, 2015.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Fog rises from the Missouri River and covers the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Jan. 5, 2010.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD HERALD
The weekend's perfect weather colored the clouds at sunset south of Wymore, Nebraska, on Oct. 23, 2004.
CRAIG CHANDLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Deer chill out at Chalco Hills Recreation Area on Feb. 22, 2018.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A leaf is covered in a dusting of snow near 138th and Hickory Streets on Dec. 18, 2014, in Millard.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A runner emerges from the edge of the rising sun on Sept. 11, 2015, at Zorinsky Lake Park and Recreation Area in Omaha.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nearly 45 minutes after sunset, an orange and blue glow is seen setting behind the Omaha skyline flanked between trees in Council Bluffs on Jan. 11, 2018.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Rain drops collect on a flower following early showers on May 10, 2017, in Millard.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The promise of rain is fleeting for the seven windmills on the Watson Ranch north of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on U.S. 71 on May 16, 2004.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A crescent moon sets behind the UNO bell tower on Nov. 6, 2013.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Ralph Remmert is depicted in the mural "Fertile Ground" near 13th and Mike Fahey Streets in north downtown Omaha on June 19, 2017.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Ralph Kohler, 94, keeps his eyes to the sky for ducks and geese as the sun rises over his hunting pond east of Tekamah, Nebraska, on Nov. 30, 2011. Kohler has been a professional guide for most of his life, and he is preparing for the spring season.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun rises over St. Paul Lutheran Church, located three miles north of Republican City, Nebraska, in March of 2004.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Geese are silhouetted in the color and clouds as the sun sets at Zorinsky Lake on Feb. 21, 2016.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun rises on Chimney Rock on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014, near McGrew, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Cranes walk through the shallow water of the Platte River shortly before sunset near The Crane Trust, which is close to Wood River, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. The river provides cranes with a safe place from predators for rest at night.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
A bespangled vest awaits a rider during Nebraska's Big Rodeo on July 25, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
Horses stand in the snow on Feb. 22, 2018.
SARAH HOFFMAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Residents of the Nebraska Panhandle enjoyed unseasonably mild temperatures and cloud cover on Aug. 12, 2004.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association hold their hats as 2013 Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger passes by during the opening ceremonies on July 27, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Hunsperger said.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
A break in the clouds highlights downtown Omaha as seen from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, as severe storms passed through the Omaha Metro area on June 5, 2014.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
John Wanief waits for the bus in a shelter at 120th Street and West Center Road as cold rain pours down in Millard on Nov. 11, 2015.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Flocks of waterfowl fill the sky as the sun rises over Ponca, Nebraska, on March 3, 2018.
REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
A red tail hawk perches on a light stanchion backed by the moon and overlooking the property near the Indian Creek development in Omaha on Feb. 27, 2018.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A woman walks with two dogs in Memorial Park near Dodge Street as many sledders go down the hill in Omaha, Nebraska, on Feb. 2, 2016. MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
MATT MILLER
The sun sets over Sidney, Nebraska, on June 2, 2015.
SARAH HOFFMAN/OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
The rising sun shines on a snow-covered hill located north of Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Storm clouds are illuminated by the setting sun as people exit a football camp in Lincoln on Friday, June 16, 2017.
MATT DIXON/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sharon Vencil walks her dogs, Blackie and Whitie, along the Field Club Trail on March 6, 2018, in Omaha.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The morning sun burns off a layer of fog just north of the Chimney Rock.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun rises behind one of seven wind generators as a windmill pumps water for cattle just northwest of Kimball, Nebraska, on Sept. 17, 2002.
BILL BATSON/THE WORLD-HERALD
A slightly less than full moon known as a waning gibbous is seen near the colorful Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on June 22, 2016.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A combine fills a truck with corn during harvest near Wahoo, Nebraska, on Oct. 22, 2015.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Birds take flight at Ponca State Park on March 3, 2018.
REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
Michael Martin of Chadron, Nebraska, fishes for pike at the Chadron Reservoir on May 2, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The headlights and taillights on vehicles pass by water droplets on a windshield of a car as high winds, hail and rain hit Omaha on March 23, 2016.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun silhouettes Cecilia Cathedral as it shines through the rain clouds hanging around Omaha on Aug. 12, 2016.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A bird takes flight in the early morning fog at Zorinsky Lake on Feb. 6, 2017, in Omaha.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Three horses graze at sunset in a pasture east of Valentine, Nebraska, along U.S. Highway 12 on July 8, 2014.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
As the sun sets, cattails and trees are highlighted at Island Lake, a popular hunting area at the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Garden County, Nebraska, on Nov. 17, 2013.