MILLS COUNTY, Iowa (KMTV) — In Mills County, Iowa just north of Malvern, farmers including Bob Schuler drove three hours from Story County in semis to donate fresh feed to southwest Iowa farmers.
"We decided that we all raise cattle too," Schuler said. "So it would be a good place to help these people out."
Some Iowa farmers unfortunately don't have a dry field, which is problematic when it comes to feeding livestock.
Scott Shehan is with Lusco Farms Rescue, a group that's saved animals in this month's flood. He's helped create the Southwest Iowa Hay Recovery Foundation, which coordinated the trip that brought 32 round barrels of hay each weighing around 1,000 pounds, as well as dozens of bundles of corn stalk.
Shehan says it's help that flooded farmers desperately need.
"Their fields are covered with silt and sand," Shehan said. "That grass isn't going to grow back this year. It may not grow back next year."
All this hay could be saving you at the grocery store.
"If [farmers] don't have pasture, they have to buy dry hay which goes into the cost of raising cattle," Shehan said. "For us as consumers, it's going to raise the price of beef and anything else in this area because it's going to cost more to feed [animals]."
His effort brought out Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, who hopes for more donations like this one on Thursday.
"This is not something that gets fixed tomorrow, this need doesn't go away next week," Naig said. "There will be issues with getting feed for the long run for weeks and months."
Donations can be made by contacting Lusco Farm Rescue's Facebook page.
You can also contact volunteer Mitch Hyde: (402)-841-4432.
If you don't have hay, Lusco Farms Rescue encourages donors to offer monetary donations.
