Emergency Hay Program's regular sales have ended;
sites are keeping a small inventory for emergencies
April 1 was the last day of regular sales for the Emergency Hay Program, which began in December to help livestock owners meet their animals' winter feeding needs. However, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is keeping a small inventory of large and small bales of hay at each of the six distribution sites in case livestock owners experience an animal welfare emergency in the next few weeks.
Livestock owners experiencing an emergency should contact the location nearest them to arrange to purchase and pick up hay. Farmers and ranchers also can call the toll-free Hay Alert hotline at 1-866-506-6222 for assistance.
The following locations have an emergency inventory of hay:
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Mountain Research Station, 265 Test Farm Road, Waynesville, (828)
456-3943;
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Upper Mountain Research Station, 8004 N.C. Highway 88 East, Laurel Springs,
(336) 982-2501;
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Piedmont Research Station, 8350 Sherrills Ford Road, Salisbury,
(704) 278-2624;
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Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, 2914 Sandy Ridge Road, Colfax,
(336) 605-9157;
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Caswell Research Farm, 2415 W. Vernon Ave., Kinston,
(252) 208-3360;
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Oxford Tobacco Research Station, 300 Providence Road, Oxford,
(919) 693-2483.
Currently, livestock owners may purchase up to eight large bales and 60 small bales per day. Limits may be adjusted based on supply and demand.
Hay buyers must have an
N.C. Farm ID Premises Identification Number. If you do not have one, download the registration form (PDF file), fill it out and bring it with you to a distribution site. This will start the Farm ID registration process and qualify you to purchase hay.
NOTE: If you need a full truckload of hay, you are encouraged to use the Hay Alert Web site or hotline to find and order hay. By doing this, you could be eligible for transportation cost-share assistance of up to $500 per load through Ag Partners or Equine Partners.
On Dec. 4, the Council of State voted unanimously to authorize the state to use up to $3.5 million to purchase and transport hay to North Carolina. The state sold the hay to livestock owners for the same price the state paid for the forage and transportation.
Updated
April 2, 2008