FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN FARMERS, INTERNATIONAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SUPER TUESDAY TORNADOES RELIEF CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

“Cleaning Up Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky Farms following February 5^{th Tornadoes”}

Lexington, Illinois( April 28, 2008) The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International is announcing, today, its ongoing campaign to help farmers and ranchers in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky clean-up and re-build following the February 5^th  “Super Tuesday Tornadoes”. The National Weather Service reported 68 tornadoes touched down in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama during the evening hours of February 5^th.  The Fellowship of Christian Farmers is organizing its relief effort for Tennessee counties, (Macon, Sumner and Trousdale) and in Arkansas counties, (Baxter, Fuller, Sharp, Izard and Van Buren). Downed trees need to be cleared and temporary repairs need to be made on homes.  The tornadoes spread trash all across fields and hay ground that will need to be removed ahead of the spring planting.  Electric fences and high tensile fences being used in pastures for cattle grazing were destroyed and need to be re-built. Farmer led groups within driving distance can pick up enough trash in a day to allow cows to safely graze. Collegiate Agriculture students are invited to organize a post final exam week in Lafayette, Tennessee and Sharp County Arkansas where lodging and meals has been procured for the duration of their stay. 

The Super Tuesday Tornado Clean-up Campaign has been slowed by several snowstorms and rainfall totaling 400% above normal rainfall. Eastern Arkansas rice farmers have yet to plant the 2008 rice crop, due to heavy rainfall. 

   Over 550 volunteers from 12 states responded to the need to re-build South Louisiana farms following Hurricane Rita in September 2005 and in the four counties surrounding Greensburg , Kansas in May of 2007. 

Mark Freed, FCFI Rapid Response Coordinator will be organizing work projects and assessing what types of equipment will need to be shipped to Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky for the clean-up campaign. Retired Trousdale County Extension Director, Mark Beeler, is the on site coordinator for FCFI in Macon County Tennessee. Contact John Adams, Mark Freed or the FCFI Home office for details.

The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International is a 501(3)(C) non-profit organization headquartered in Lexington, Illinois. 

The Fellowship at work!

The initial Super Tuesday Tornado Cleanup Campaign members came from the Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch in Lampe, Missouri on February 12^th. Samaritan’s Purse contacted the FCFI Home Office and asked for help on three farms and rural Pee Dee Baptist Church in Clinton, Arkansas. Shown, left to right, are Red Pierce, LUC Ranch Staff, Andrew Gingerich, Ty Wasson, Craig Johnson, Tyler Williams, and Ken Groves, FCFI Rapid Response Coordinator. Winter weather following the February 5^th tornadoes has delayed the recovery effort. Volunteer groups are needed in Sharp and Izard Counties in Arkansas to clear pastures and fix fences.

Scott Cothron, left, Terry Hoffman, center, and Don Westerman set the electric fence posts on Cothron’s farm. The February 5^th tornado that hit Macon County Tennessee was ¾ mile wide and 22.3 miles long as measured using satellite photography by the Macon County Office of Emergency Preparedness. Huge trees in fencelines were uprooted and would drag the fencelines with them as they fell back to the ground. The tornado hit at 10:00 pm. 14 people were killed in Macon County.

The first group of Super Tuesday Cleanup workers in Macon County Tennessee came from Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Kentucky. Shown, left to right, are front row, Terry Hoffman and Mark Beeler. Back row, Don Westerman, Ruth Ann & Le Roy Wilson, Norma Nichols, Terry Horn, Scott Cothron, Jerry Kuykendall and Ralph Cothron seated on the tractor. Mark Beeler is a retired Trousdale County Extension Agent and has been coordinating the volunteer effort in Sumner, Trousdale and Macon Counties. This group worked on Scott Cothron’s farm clearing debris from fields and helped build temporary electric fences.

Don Westerman, Decatur, Illinois, hammers an electric fence post into the ground to make a temporary repair to a damaged fenceline in Macon County. Many more fence building crews are going to be needed in Sumner, Macon, and Trousdale Counties in Tennessee this spring and summer. The Fellowship is hauling in hay for cattle being dry lotted in the disaster area due to storms and drought conditions. Local hay is scarce and costs $80.00 per roll. The initial load of 42 big rolls was donated by South Louisiana cattlemen who were helped during Hurricane Rita in 2006. FCFI used donated farmer owned trucks with cash donations for diesel fuel to get the South Louisiana hay delivered.

FCFI, P.O. Box 15, Lexington, IL 61753
fellowship@fcfi.org | (309) 365-8710
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