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The Fall meeting for Region 1 is Oct 3-4, 2008 in  Lowville, New York

September 22, 2007

MDS steps up to help local farmers impacted by drought
Local farmers to provide drought relief to others in Pennsylvania .

Driving around most of Lancaster County and seeing the tall stalks of corn it is hard to imagine that many farms in nearby counties are actually suffering from drought.

Early in August the Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch for 58 Pennsylvania counties. Recently, representatives of Mennonite Disaster Service, based in Akron, Pa. , visited farms in the affected area to assess the needs and discuss appropriate response.

“The idea is to help family farmers who are in financial distress because of this drought,” said Paul Brubacher, regional assistant director for MDS. Mr. Brubacher noted that MDS wants to be sure to focus on those definitely in need, as not every farm is impacted by the drought conditions.

Counties such as Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union seem to be the most affected areas.

Farmers in Lancaster County are encouraged to donate silage, grain or a load of hay by calling a hotline listed below. People are also encouraged to sell those types of items and donate the proceeds to help with trucking costs. Contacts are being made in drought-stricken counties to handle the distribution of the gifts to farmers in need. The hotline will be manned starting on Labor Day (Monday, September 3). 

Kevin King , MDS executive director, noted that “the Amish are spreading the word through their own network and are collecting funds—this is a joint effort.”

Funds can be sent to:

            MDS Drought Response
            P.O. Box 458
            Salunga, PA 17538

The hotline for donating silage, corn or hay is: 717-768-4670. Requests from drought stricken farmers can also contact this number. Calls can be taken at this number Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 8 am and noon. Any other time one can leave a message, or call Paul Brubacher at 717-940-8050.