Kentucky’s agriculture community is reconciling its losses after a devastating and lethal tornado outbreak earlier this month damaged or destroyed poultry hatcheries and grain bins, killed livestock and destroyed a university research center in western Kentucky.
One of the demolished tobacco curing barns in Caldwell County. Courtesy of Andy Bailey.
Republican Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said he predicts the outbreak will be the biggest agricultural loss due to a natural disaster in the state’s history, though it would be a few weeks before the full extent of agriculture-related damage is known.
“We actually have cattle deaths and barns down as far east as Spencer and Shelby County, going all the way out to the most western reaches of Kentucky,” Quarles said. “You have swaths of Kentucky farmland without fences anymore. Right now, we're trying to focus on getting cattle and horses and other livestock back to their owners and making sure that they're healthy as well.”
Quarles said he’s specifically heard reports of about 20 to 30 chicken barns have collapsed in the state, some without chickens inside. He said the poultry industry has been hit especially hard, with hatcheries run by Pilgrim’s Pride in Graves County being destroyed.
He also said making available mental health resources is crucial in the weeks ahead for farmers and the wider community because of this disaster. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture was awarded a $500,000 grant in November to work with universities in the state in expanding mental health resources in rural parts of the state. Quarles in particular mentioned using the National Suicide Prevention Hotline for those who are struggling.
“Whether they're a farmer or not, they're affected by the storm. You know, give them a phone call. Check in with them,” Quarles said. “The mental health aspect of this storm is just now starting to set in because the recovery effort is going to take not just months but probably years.”
Quarles said farmers in the region are needing a variety of supplies, ranging from gloves and overalls to fencing and cattle feed. Two farming equipment locations in Graves County and Christian County are currently collecting supplies for farmers. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture also has a statewide relief fund for farmers, which has raised more than $65,000 as of Friday.
For Clint Harris, the potential supply-chain issues created by the storm are top of mind. He’s a Graves County poultry farmer whose operation for Tyson Foods was relatively unharmed by the tornado outbreak, overseeing about 126,000 chickens in four chicken houses. But he worries about potential for substantial money lost for other local poultry producers contracted with Pilgrim’s Pride whose hatcheries were destroyed in the county.
He said with the hatcheries getting destroyed, other poultry farmers in the county may not receive many flocks of chickens for their operations in the near future, leading to less income.
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