FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN FARMERS, INTERNATIONAL

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 15, 2006

For More Information, Contact:
Dennis Schlagel, FCFI Executive Director
309-365-8710, fellowship@fcfi.org,  www.fcfi.org
John Adams, FCFI Rapid Response Coordinator
Ph/fax 502-241-4122, Crestwood, Kentucky
Melvin Bell FCFI Rapid Response Coordinator
217-249-2549, mmbell@tswireless.net
Mahomet, Illinois
FCFI Mobil Office. Abbeville, Louisiana
337-937-5225

“Building Fences in the Bayou……..’til the Cows Come Home”

Lexington, Illinois (September 15, 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 fall and winter months as the “One Year Anniversary of Hurricane Rita’s Landfall, September 24^th, marks a historic event in American Agricultural History. One year ago Hurricane Rita’s storm surge pushed the Gulf of Mexico over a 100 mile by 25 mile area of Cameron and Vermillion Parishes in southwest Louisiana.  Three feet of saltwater covered rice fields, sugar cane fields, and pastureland for a month. This saltwater contamination of the soil was followed by a drought that wasn’t broken until 14 inches of rain fell in the month of July. Never in American Agricultural History has a group of farmers/ranchers battled storm surge for a month followed by six months of drought.   Most importantly, these farm families in the Bayou, with the help of their new friends from 14 states, have rebuilt perimeter fences; kept their cowherd alive with levee grazing and shipped in hay; and are beginning the re-building of their home dwellings.

The Fellowship of Christian Farmers is continuing its haylift of donated hay to southern Louisiana cattlemen and Mississippi dairymen. FCFI needs the help of farmer owned semi-tractor trailer flatbeds to haul needed hay to the Gulf Coast. Donations of diesel fuel are also needed. FCFI will pay for fuel and permits for farmer owned trucking.

The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International is coordinating work teams to help re-build farm family homes. Fence building will resume in the fall and winter now that the hot months of the summer are behind us. Many farms are re-building their homes to 12 foot elevation hurricane code. This requires existing houses to be jacked up so fill can be placed to make a new pad for the house to sit on. Any future work team is encouraged to bring a cargo trailer of appliances, furniture, kitchen tables & chairs, and any other items to be used in a “Chivaree”. These “chivarees” is an attempt to bring back an old tradition of bringing gifts to families settling into a new home. Collecting a cargo trailer of Chivaree items would be a great church project for a team of workers to haul to southwest Louisiana. Contact the FCFI Home Office for details. FCFI has established a mobile office and lodging for 30 people each week. Cost is $25.00 per person for as long as you can stay and work. Facilities include a full kitchen.

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 a day or replace sheetrock in a main floor of a home. 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.  RV sites are available. Please bring your favorite fencing pliers and wrecking bars!

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 Farm Science Review, London, Ohio September 19-21; International Plowing Matches, Keene, Ontario, September 19-23^{rd; Bloomsburg Fair, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, September 23-30th; Ozark Fall Farmfest, Springfield, Missouri, October 6-8th; and the SunBelt Ag Expo, Moultrie, Georgia, October 17-19th. “Building Fences in the Bayou….’til the Cows Come Home “ information will be available at these farm shows.}

Visit FCF”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.

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