Region II Annual Meeting

The Region II Annual Meeting will be held on Oct. 18-19, 2013,  at The Plymouth Bluff Center, 2200 Old West Point Rd, Columbus, MS. The meeting will begin Friday evening with a catfish supper followed by a speaker. The business meeting will continue on Saturday.

Current Projects in Region II

Hay drive in Ohio

The Eastern Ohio/Western PA Unit has launched a Hay Drive to assist farmers in drought stricken areas. A letter sent to congregations in the US explains the need for the drive.

“We want to make you aware of the crisis that has recently been brought to our attention concerning the impact of the drought in our area. We have numerous dairy farmers that practice the type of farming that is referred to as “intensive grazing” which is relying mostly on grasses for their milk production. They will then rotate their herd between the different fields for their feed. With a normal rainfall this can sustain the grasses and provide feed all spring, summer, and well into the fall. They then would normally feed hay in the winter.

This summer, however, it has become a real challenge for these farmers with the severe drought in which the grass has not come back. In some cases they need to feed hay that was supposed to be fed this coming winter.

We are hearing that it is those that have been farming only for a few years that seem to be hit the hardest as they are the least established. The decision they face is having to sell their cows, which is their income and livelihood, or buy hay which in just the last week has gone from $150.00 - $200.00 a ton to $400.00 a ton and beyond. This is an unsustainable pattern of buying expensive hay and selling the milk at a mediocre price.”

The Unit is requesting donations of hay or funds to help defray the cost of buying hay.

Recent developments include the possiblity of donating shelled corn. After inquires about donating shelled corn were received, an agreement has been reached with a feed mill to store the corn at no cost and arrangements for distributing the shelled corn to farmers in need are being set up.

Monetary donations can be made to Mennonite Disaster Service Hay Fund, 5452 TR 377, Millersburg, Ohio 44654.

Wyman and Marie Miller are coordinating the effort. For their contact information, call the Binational Office (717) 735-3536.