Weather 
HALE COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – Alabama farmers are coming to the rescue to help their counterparts in Texas after wildfires destroyed hay and cattle. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries spearheaded a relief effort that included Alabama cattlemen donating much-needed hay for farmers affected by the wildfires.
In Hale County, Cattleman Keith Glover gave up 16 bales of hay for his fellow cattlemen in the Texas panhandle. Glover says once he heard the call for help, there was no way he could pass up the chance to do just that.
“Those guys are doing the same things we’re doing and it’s a generation kind of loss out there. They’ve lost cattle as well as infrastructure,” said Glover.
The fires stated in late February and impacted northeast Texas and western Oklahoma. What makes this a troubling situation is that 85% of the state’s cattle population is located in the Texas panhandle, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
– Continue reading below –
WBRC LATEST VIDEO
“It’s a brotherhood,” said Brenda Glover.
Brenda Glover shudders at what the cattlemen are suffering through right now. It’s not just the loss of hay and cattle but catastrophic financial losses in some cases.
“We’re all in this together. We are very few in number of cattlemen across the country and if we don’t help each other in time of need then we won’t be around long.”
“They won’t have any grass until they recover from the fires,” said Keith Glover.
Alabama agriculture leaders say they’ve trucked 21 loads of hay to Texas so far with each bale weighing around 1,200.
“Neighbors helping neighbors,” said Keith Glover.
According to state ag leaders, three major Alabama trucking companies have carried the hay to Texas, delivering the hay in a matter of days.
Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.
Copyright 2024 WBRC. All rights reserved.
Read the full article here
