Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Ice, Snow Storm Damage Extensive Across County

While the numbers are far from final, those in give a grim description of losses suffered by farmers and ranchers from the Dec. 25 ice storm.

However, unlike the blizzard of Jan. 2000, no chicken houses fell in from the ice.

According to Rex Dollar, with the Nevada County Extension Service, the Arkansas Forestry Commission estimates 67 landowners in the county had 3,500 acres of trees damaged, with the value placed at $1,679,500. The cost to replace the trees, he said, would be $875,000.

These numbers, Dollar said, don't include the timber companies.

More than 100 head of cattle died because of the storm, he said, along with about 50,000 chickens.

But, he said, there is no way of telling how many houses were involved with the loss of chickens, or if it included all the poultry producing companies in the county or not.

The problem, Dollar said, is the numbers are all estimations, as exact figures aren't known. There were people who didn't bother to turn in their loss of cattle or chickens to any agency.

David Whisenhunt, with the Farm Services Agency, said the FSA has a program where the agency will pay on cattle lost in the storm, but not poultry unless the chickens were privately owned.

The program, he said, is mostly for livestock, except horses, unless it can be shown the horses were used for work and not pleasure.

Those needing to apply to the program will have to provide some type of verifiable evidence of their losses. This can come from veterinarians, people who helped bury the animals or a certified review.

Whisenhunt said no chicken houses were lost this time, with most being newly built from the January 2000 blizzard which destroyed several houses.

As yet, he said, no deadline has been set for farmers or ranchers to apply for this program, but a deadline is expected soon.

Those who suffered such losses from the Christmas Day ice storm should call the FSA at 870-777-8800.