Hurricane Florence caused extensive damage across the state two weeks ago
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Members of the U.S. ag community are coming together to support producers affected by a devastating storm.
Hurricane Florence is responsible for the loss of about 3.4 million chickens and turkeys, and about 5,500 hogs since it made landfall on North Carolina two weeks ago. Early estimates suggest total damage to the ag sector could be in the billions of dollars.
Farmers from other parts of North Carolina, as well as producers from outside of the state, are collecting and delivering donations to fellow growers to help them through this difficult time.
Three members of the Stokes Rockingham Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers in North Carolina helped collect thousands of dollars-worth of important donations.
Robert Knight, Ryan Clark and Wesley Brown gathered about US$14,000 worth of monetary donations, hay, feed and other supplies. The group organized transportation to deliver the goods to an emergency distribution site in Pink Hill, N.C., which is almost four hours away from Stokes County.
“We’re not a trucking company and this and that, we just saw the need and we went after it and (did) whatever it took to get (the supplies) there, that’s what we did,” Robert Knight, a member of the Stokes Rockingham Farm Bureau’ Young Farmers and Ranchers in North Carolina, told Fox8 Friday.
Representatives from the Alexander County Cattlemen’s Association and the County Cooperative Extension are also helping with relief efforts.
The groups collected about US$4,000 worth of goods, which included two trailers of hay, feed, fuel, fencing, water and other supplies destined for the distribution center in Pink Hill.
“We want those farmers down east to know we support them and we want to help during this difficult time,” Allison Brown, an Alexander County livestock and row crops extension agent, told The Taylorsville Times yesterday.
Growers from West Virginia are lending a hand, too.
On Thursday, Jeff Taylor, a resident of Strasburg, W. Va., delivered 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to Wilmington, N.C. He plans to transport another 8,000 pounds of food from Shenandoah Valley farmers this week, The Winchester Star reported today.
Farmers in South Carolina may also require assistance.
The South Carolina Farm Bureau has set up the SCFB Agricultural Aid Foundation for anyone interested in helping.
Donations can be sent to:
SCFB Agricultural Aid Foundation
Attn: Rob Quesiberry
PO Box 574
Columbia, SC
29202
Members of the Alexander County Cattlemen’s Association and the County Cooperative Extension in front of a hay donation.
Taylorsville Times photo