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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Dennis Schlagel, FCFI Executive Director
309-365-8710, fcfi4him@aol.com, www.fcfi.org
Melvin Bell, FCFI Rapid Response Coordinator
217-249-2549, mmbell@tswireless.net
John Adams, FCFI Rapid Response Coordinator
502-241-4122, Crestwood, Kentucky
FCFI Mobile Office, Abbeville, Louisiana
337-937-5225, Fcfint@bellsouth.net
" Building Fences in the Bayou.........
'til the Cows Come Home"
Lexington, Illinois (March 7, 2006) The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International is announcing, today, its "Building Fences in the Bayou....'til the Cows Come Home" campaign will continue through the spring and summer to help Louisiana cattlemen and rice farmers hit by Hurricane Rita last September, re-build fences and repair livestock buildings. Hurricane Rita hit farmers in Vermillion and Cameron Parishes particularly hard. Farmers from Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida have traveled to Abbeville, Louisiana where FCFI has established a mobile office and lodging for 30 people each week to re-build fences destroyed by Hurricane Rita's storm surge. Bayou cattle were shipped north of I-10 prior to Rita's landfall September 18th. These cattle are still in rented pastures due to the high ppm of salt residue left on pastures. Three feet of storm surge "salt" water stood in bayou pastures for three weeks, 15 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. With re-built fences, cattle can begin returning home if hay is available for dry lotting. Louisiana State University Livestock Specialists are monitoring salt levels in pastures. With additional flushing rains it is hoped that cattle can begin grazing in early May. Southern Louisiana is behind 20 inches of rain since the Hurricanes last September. This lack of rainfall is slowing the dilution of salt water in canals used by rice farmers to flood their fields prior to planting.
The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International is coordinating the shipment of donated hay to the Gulf. Farmers with semis & trailers with farm tags can have the Fellowship pay for permits needed and reimbursement of diesel fuel for shipment to Abbeville, Louisiana. These same farmers are invited to stay in Abbeville to help Cajun cattlemen re-build fences before returning home. The Fellowship is coordinating haylofts with State Cattlemen's Associations. Contact the FCFI Home Office for details.
It is a tremendous "boost" of encouragement to Vermillion and Cameron Parish cattlemen to have farmers from across America show up and build two miles of fence in a day. Keystone Wire Co., Peoria, Illinois has donated three semi-loads of barbed wire for use in the Fellowship's fence building campaign. All interested farmers and farm families can register to participate in the "Building Fences in the Bayou....'til the Cows Come Home" on the www.fcfi.org website. The website's photo essay also chronicles FCFI's involvement in southern Louisiana. Cost for the project is $25.00 per person for as long as you can stay and build. RV sites are available. Lodging and kitchen facilities are included. Please bring your favorite fencing pliers!
The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International is a 501(3)(C) non-profit organization headquartered in Lexington, Illinois.
The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International will be exhibiting at the Western Farm Show, London, Ontario, March 8-10; Ottawa Valley Farm Show, Ottawa, Ontario, March 14-16th; Triumph of Ag Expo, Omaha, Nebraska, March 16-17th; Midwest Farm & Ranch Expo, St. Charles, Missouri, March 18-19th; Mid America Farm Show, Salina, Kansas, March 21-23; and the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, Brandon, Manitoba, March 27-April 1st. "Building Fences in the Bayou....'til the Cows Come Home" information will be available at these farm shows.
Visit FCFI's website, www.fcfi.org, for details regarding, "Building Fences in the Bayou...'til the Cows Come Home". Join a Louisiana Hurricane Relief Team, today.
Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International
Dennis Schlagel, Executive Director
221 West Main; P.O. Box 15
Lexington, Illinois USA
phone 309-365-8710
fax 309-365-7023
e-mail fcfi4him@aol.com
website www.fcfi.org
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