Kennedy's Favorite Story of 2024
Kindness of Others Helped Texas Family Who Survived Smokehouse Creek Fire
Editor's Note:
As the year comes to a close, we've once again asked the DTN/Progressive Farmer reporting team to pick out the most significant, most fun, or otherwise their favorite, story of 2024. They range from solar events to seeing how seed corn is produced, political/policy coverage to wildfire impact, to including profiles of American farmers and ranchers who shared their marketing, production and even life choices with our writers. We hope you enjoy our writers' favorites, continuing the series with today's story by DTN Cash Basis Analyst Mary Kennedy.
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My favorite story of the year was the one I wrote about the Swenhaugen family in Canadian, Texas, who lost two rural homes and most of a swine operation when they were hit in late February by the largest fire in Texas history, the Smokehouse Creek Fire.
I interviewed Tatum Swenhaugen, who with her husband Shane, and their young son Bexton, live in the town of Canadian, Texas, and run a swine operation. I asked her to tell me what happened the day before the fire and the aftermath.
I was touched by her faith that she expressed during our interview and her strength at handling the sheer devastation from the fire at their farm and the two family members' homes that burned down.
We shared a few laughs and also some tears as her story unfolded. I was beyond inspired by her courage and assurance that they would rebuild as she stood amidst the ruins on her farm as pictured in the story.
"Our home is still standing, but my childhood home where my mom and brother live at the farm and my dad's home up the road are both gone. We lost the majority of all of our buildings at the farm along with part of our livestock," Tatum Swenhaugen told DTN on March 2.
Swenhaugen shared how much it meant to have people help her family out after the fire.
"Besides the help here cleaning up, we were given 8 tons of feed that will be kept at the feed store in Pampa or at White Deer until we get back on our feet. We also received offers of sows that were already bred and other replacement females to have when we get back up and running. I just cannot believe the outpouring of love we are experiencing.
"I have always believed that the livestock industry is incredible and especially when things happen, people reach out," she said.
Here is her story in full and I suspect you will feel the same emotions I felt as you read it: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com
Follow her on social platform X @MaryCKenn
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