Wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornados – when natural disasters hit cattle country, it hurts. Lives and livelihoods are changed, sometimes in mere seconds. Today’s guests, Callie Carson of Laurel Springs, N.C., and Steve Herbst, Salmon, Idaho, talk about the hope that exists in those spaces. From everybody saddling up horses to evacuate ahead of a fire to the donations that poured in after Hurricane Helene, this episode covers some of the similar threads in stories across the United States. It also touches on everything from practical preparations to mental health implications. This conversation will leave you with plenty to think about, whether you’ve experienced disaster, been there to help, or sent cash and prayers across the miles.

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully

GUESTS: Callie Carson and Steve Herbst

Callie Carson of Laurel Springs, N.C., and her husband raise Angus cattle on a forage-based operation in northwest North Carolina. She also works as a field representative for the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation. She is currently serving her second term as president of the North Carolina Angus Association, and, in addition to experiencing the effects on their own farm, has been actively involved in Hurricane Helene Relief efforts. 

Steve Herbst operates Nelson Angus Ranch with his family near Salmon, Idaho. His father-in-law, Clyde Nelson, started the registered Angus herd, and they’ve had annual sales every year since 1966. They were early adopters of genomics and have extensive experience in PAP testing. Herbst is known as a leader in the region and often serves as a voting delegate for the American Angus Association annual meeting. 

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