Surveying agricultural losses near Princeton, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner silently viewed damage to the Grain and Forage Center of Excellence at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center. It was utter destruction of the facility opened just over two years ago, the crowning jewel of a concept that began in 1925, according to a report from WKDZ.
Next stop for Quarles was Mayfield, where the flagship store for John Deere dealer Hutson Inc., a 6-million-bushel grain bin and the Pilgrim’s Pride hatchery were in the path of the tragic December 10 tornado. Quarles also planned trips to Christian, Todd, Logan and Warren counties, where another EF3 tornado did damage.
Meanwhile, Hutson Inc., with other dealerships across Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Michigan, pooled resources and also tapped into the John Deere Emergency Response Program. By December 13, two semi-trucks of generators were delivered to Hutson’s corporate headquarters in Murray, Ky. In addition, Hutson pulled generators and chainsaws from the inventory of stores located outside of the region and transported them to stores in western Kentucky, according to a report in the Murray Ledger.
Castongia Tractor, a 5-store John Deere dealer in Indiana, collected donations and loaded up semi-trailers full of clothes, toys, clean up supplies, shovels, rakes and extension cords and more to send down to Mayfield, Ky., on Dec. 16.
Hutson also worked with the Graves County Economic Development office to get 150 generators donated for use by people across the county.
Quarles encouraged farmers and agribusinesses to contact local extension offices to try to get farming equipment in to quickly clean up and repair damages. A resource list for disaster relief available to producers is available on the state agriculturewebsite.
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