Locals work to save livestock
People such as the husband and wife team of Ryan and
The couple are among close to 50 livestock owners in this region who are donating hay to help livestock in
The hay the couple donated weighed about four tons and was worth between
"We had some extra hay and we could either sell it or give it away,"
Tsiatsos spent about 90 minutes helping Emergency Equipment Solutions load the hay onto trailers early Sunday afternoon before it was taken immediately to
"We delivered two tons of hay to one rancher (about a week ago), and he literally broke down and cried," said Valerie O'Dai, senior disaster relief coordinator for Emergency Equipment Solutions.
The hay EES is delivering is helping stave off starvation for more than a thousand farm animals. O'Dai fears though many others are at risk. She explained many farm animals ran to higher ground outside their owners' land when the flood hit. Some were able to escape because floodwaters tore down fences and others were set free by landowners who opened gates to let their animals run to safety. Unfortunately a number of animals have not returned, and their status is uncertain.
"Many are unaccounted for," said O'Dai, a
She fears some, including horses, may be suffering from poor nutrition while on their own. O'Dai said horses normally eat 15-20 pounds of hay a day and the grasses they are eating in its place would not fill the void.
"There are not enough nutrients in the grasses," O'Dai said.
Some of the farmers and ranchers receiving hay thought they were in good shape in terms of their hay stock in the week following the flood. Then much of their hay became moldy, making it a threat to horses and sheep. O'Dai said mold can quickly kill horses and sheep, but is not nearly as big a threat to cows and goats.
Mold in hay surfaced as an issue two weeks ago, O'Dai said, when there was a temperature spike in
Today, 100 tons of hay is needed to make sure livestock owners do not lose any animals to starvation. O'Dai explained this amount would get livestock owners to the month of May when hay will be more plentiful after first cuttings and farmers and ranchers have had enough time to develop alternatives means of getting hay.
"We want to sustain them until then," O'Dai said.
People who want to make donations of hay or funds can contact Emergency Equipment Solutions via email at [email protected]. EES also has donation accounts at
EES volunteers are helping livestock owners with fencing issues by trying to salvage the fencing they lost to the flood. New fencing is being purchased when old fencing cannot be salvaged.
O'Dai oversaw and helped organize the hay pick-up Sunday in
"It proves our humanity," Stratton said. "When there is a need, people respond."
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