(WGHP) — The hurricane that slammed into our mountains damaged countless businesses and homes. It also left a lot of farms with major damage. While they are slowly starting to rebuild, Brad Jones found they’re getting a lot of help from other farmers that are Made in North Carolina.
Mike Rumley and a group of friends worked to bale and load large round bales of hay, preparing it for the long trip to the mountains. They’ve already sent one load up, and this one will go to farms in West Jefferson that were devastated by the storm.
The state extension office has also set up other drop-off points in communities like Marion, Newland, Lenoir, Mill Spring and Canton. That’s where volunteers can take donations of hay, along with fencing supplies and water troughs.
Counties in our state affected by the hurricane normally produce around 2.6 billion dollars of crops and livestock annually. Now much of that has been lost, and rebuilding will mean more than just building a herd or planting another crop.
The farmers are waiting for roads and power lines to be repaired. But their animals can’t wait for food, and that’s why this lifeline of hay is so important.
Rumley told us, “It’s like when 9-11 hit – I felt weak when it happened. But we pulled together; that’s what Americans do. They pull together and that’s what we’re doing now”.
The effort to help these family farms and their livestock will continue in the months ahead. The NC Department of Agriculture has set up a web page to coordinate deliveries. It has an updated list of items and services that are needed by farmers in the disaster zone.
Source: Fox 8 Made in North Carolina
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