Agricultural officials on Monday estimated the Rhea and 34 Complex wildfires burning in Dewey and Woodward counties have killed about 1,100 head of cattle so far. Jim Reese, Oklahoma's secretary of agriculture, said Monday that's fewer cattle than Oklahoma ranchers lost in a series of wildfires in six western and Panhandle counties just more than a year ago, although he added he expects more ranchers are being hurt by this year's fires. As for the estimated cattle losses so far this year, Reese said it could be worse. He said there was a greater availability of cultivated wheat pastures in areas near this year's fires that ranchers could use as temporary sanctuaries for their animals, compared to a year ago. Last year's wildfires burned 318,025 acres across parts of Beaver, Ellis, Harper, Roger Mills, Woodward and Woods counties, according to information recently released by Oklahoma's Forestry Services division. Oklahoma ranchers reportedly lost about 3,000 head of cattle to those fires. While state agricultural statistics data shows there were more than a half million acres of wheat planted in those six counties, those acres were planted across a much larger area. This year's fires, in contrast, so far have consumed about 350,000 acres primarily in Woodward and Dewey counties. Data shows 87,000 acres of wheat was harvested from Woodward County in 2016, and that 112,000 acres of the crop was grown in Dewey County in 2017. Current estimates of planted wheat in those counties and across the entire state are expected to be released later this month. "It is different this year, as opposed to a year ago, because the 2017 fires impacted mostly all grass lands," Reese said. "In this fire, there is a lot more wheat interspersed" into the landscape, he continued. "Stocker cattle already were on wheat, in many cases, so that was a factor in saving some of those head." Reese said some farmers who had planted their wheat in no-till fields this year likely saw their crops burn. But he also said it appeared the fire either turned back from or jumped growing fields of wheat in other locations. Often, ranchers simply cut fences to give cattle the ability to move away from the flames into greener pastures, he noted. "Getting to a wheat pasture for livestock is a safe haven in a wildfire," Reese said. More help from wheat The wheat crop in areas where the Rhea and 34 Complex fires have been burning has been hampered by the area's ongoing drought. However, enough of it was out there to both provide livestock with some sanctuary and to help curtail the fire's spread in certain areas, said Michael Kelsey, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. Kelsey added these wheat fields were a help regardless of their current state of growth. "Number one, these fields don't provide nearly enough fuel for the fire, so even though it may not have been as lush as what we might consider optimum, the fire still wouldn't have been able to use those fields," he said. "Number two, it provided ranchers with places where they could put livestock to not only escape the fire, but also give their herds some limited grazing pasture. "At the very least, it provided an opportunity for cattle to have a little bit of quick safety." Kelsey was on the road Monday, headed to meetings with association members who had been affected by this year's fires. Secretary Reese also was in the area Monday, as Gov. Mary Fallin, U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Bill Northey, U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas and other state and federal officials toured the affected areas. Kelsey cautioned the number of lost cattle ultimately could increase. Source - http://newsok.com