FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, NOV. 13, 2007
| CONTACT: |
Bill Yarborough, regional agronomist
NCDA&CS Agronomic Division
(828) 456-3943 |
WNC dairy and beef cattle farmers
to benefit from Ingles Supermarkets
MILLS RIVER – Ingles Supermarkets of Asheville announced a partnership with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services today to provide a subsidy on 1,000 round bales of corn fodder from farms in Henderson and Clay counties to be used by dairy and beef cattle farmers in Western North Carolina.
Ingles will provide $7 toward each bale of corn fodder in the program, up to 1,000 bales. The fodder will be custom baled and sold to area farmers who need help in providing feed for their cattle because of the drought. The program will help farmers get acquainted with using fodder.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler thanked Ingles for their generous support. “We initially heard from Ingles about using their trucks to haul hay from outside the area,” he said, “but when we identified resources in Western North Carolina that could work farmer to farmer without long-distance trucking, Ingles stepped up with money to bring down the cost for farmers in need.
“Corn fodder can be used to stretch feed resources made thin by the drought conditions,” Troxler said. “Our regional agronomists are working closely with Cooperative Extension agents and farmers to create a nutrition program using the corn fodder together with other feeds.”
Farmers participating in the cost-share program may receive up to 20 “Ingles Advantage Haybucks” coupons apiece to reduce their costs. Some farmers with corn fodder are making it available at little or no charge. Companies are being contracted to bale the stubble consisting of corn stalks, leaves, husks and a small amount of corn. The Haybucks certificates will pay for a large percentage of the processing and baling costs.
“We are proud to be able to help our farmers in Western North Carolina in this time of need,” said Tom Outlaw, Ingles vice president of sales and marketing. “After all, we are in the grocery and dairy business, and this will help our producers that raise the food we sell.”
More corn fodder beyond the 1,000 bales underwritten by Ingles is available for a short time from other Western N.C. farms. The fodder can be fed to animals besides cattle. Contact Bill Yarborough, regional agronomist with the NCDA&CS, at (828) 456-3943, or your local Cooperative Extension livestock agent for more information.
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