Wildfires have burned more than 8,000 square miles across the U.S. so far this year; that’s roughly the size of New Jersey. 

Across cattle country, those fires are moving faster and hitting harder than ranchers have seen — turning generational operations into a race against flames. The choices are impossible. And the fallout stretches from a rural Utah valley all the way to your grocery store.

(MORE: Washington firefighters race into danger)

When the fire hits home

Utah rancher Trevor Barnson was 2,000 miles from home, sitting in an American Farm Bureau meeting in New York City, when the Cottonwood Fire tore into the Fishlake National Forest where his cows graze.  

By the time he could survey the damage, he'd lost about 30 pairs of cows and calves. "I'm not an emotional guy. But when you see that kind of stuff, it really hits you hard," Barnson said. "I think they're getting hit by smoke inhalation before they ever get hit by heat … you just find them in clumps.”

The Straight Arrow Ranch in Piute County has been in his family for 30 years. He estimates that they lost about $180,000 in a single day, but it’s not just about lost revenue: “There is the emotional side of that, particularly for our cows that run on the mountain … these animals are ones we've raised.”

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It’s a loss repeated for hundreds of ranchers.

(MORE: Much of the West had warmest winter on record)

The impossible choices

The moment the fire is close, ranchers have minutes — sometimes seconds — to decide. Move the herd. Cut the fences. Or stay and fight.

“There are times when the fire happens so quickly that the best that a cattle rancher can do is to try to drive cattle out, and then let them fend for themselves. And nobody likes to do that," says James Pritchett, Vice President for Engagement and Extension at Colorado State University, whose office supports ranchers across the state.

“Mother Nature is undefeated,” says Monty Dozier, who is the director of the Disaster Assessment and Recovery Program at Texas A&M AgriLife.

One of his field agents, Ryan Martin, a volunteer firefighter and rancher himself, agreed, "When it becomes a large fire like that, you can't really stop it. You just have to get out of the way and get life out of the way. And that's always been our rule. Number one is life, number two is property."

Ranchers are often making these tough choices while also trying to ensure the safety of their own families, Barnson says, “That stress and emotion just, it's hard on us. There's multiple nights where my wife, after the kids go to bed (she’s) in tears cause she's like, how long are we gonna have to deal with this?”

What’s lost

The loss keeps going long after the fire has been extinguished. Ranchers lose miles of fencing, in addition to barns, wells, corrals and their stocks of hay.  

"To lose bulls or to lose cows is a setback for the genetics of the herd," explains Pritchett, who says it can take seven to 14 years to regenerate.

The animals that survive often have burns, hoof damage and respiratory injuries. Barnson was still closely monitoring some of his cows to see if they would pull through.

Then there’s the mountain itself; it can take two to three years for the burned land to recover and be good for grazing again, and when monsoon season hits, flooding becomes a new concern.

Why it matters to you

“Those herds are those people's 401k’s. And those herds are also what those little rural communities rely on to keep the school open, to keep the local grocery store open," says Dozier.

Pritchett points out that U.S. cattle numbers are also at their lowest in many years. Widespread wildfires plus drought conditions mean fewer cattle processed into beef, which can lead to higher prices for you at the grocery store.

(MORE: Lake Mead nears all-time low as West's drought worsens)

Longer, more intense fire seasons

More intense heat is leading to more drought across the country, compared to the 1970s. 

This is leading to longer and more intense fire seasons, especially across the West, explains Weather.com meteorologist Jennifer Gray, “Hotter temperatures allow fuels to ignite more easily, and dry conditions allow for easy fire spread. Some areas in the West are seeing more than 50 additional fire weather days, compared to 50 years ago.” 

Ranchers like Barnson work hard to prepare and hopefully prevent wildfires across their land: “The reason this mountain can take care of us during the bad times is because we have to take care of it during the good times … it’s part of us.”