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Northwest Wisconsin farmers donate to hurricane relief

Hay and supplies from northwestern Wisconsin have been donated and delivered to hurricane victims.

Kurt Wohlk is a truck driver who also helps on his family’s Almena, Wisconsin farm.  He tells Brownfield he hoped to get enough hay to fill his flatbed semi, but the donations kept coming to the Barron County Fairgrounds in Rice Lake from as far away as Superior and Mondovi. “There was two flatbeds and three van trailers full of mainly hay, and one van trailer had mostly all personal supplies and some fencing items.”

Wohlk says the drop off site for the five trucks was Chilhowie, Virginia, which is close to  the Tennessee and North Carolina borders, and Damascus, Virginia. “Damascus, Virginia, from what I was told from the locals down there was about wiped off the map with the flash flood. Total houses washed down the rivers and streams, and some of the people we delivered hay to had pictures and videos of their hay bales floating down the river.”

Wohlk says many people donated money to help cover the fuel cost for the convoy, but there will be enough to donate to this or other ag-related relief. “The checks are still coming in the mail, here. We put it out on Monday, October 7th and I think right now, we’re up over 10 or 11 thousand dollars and the money is still coming in.”

The convoy of trucks left last weekend and unloaded late Tuesday night.  They are expected to return to Wisconsin Thursday.

This is not the first time Wohlk has put together relief efforts for farmers.   In 2017, he organized a similar effort for southwestern Kansas producers who needed hay and fencing supplies after several wildfires.

Audio: Kurt Wohlk discusses the hurricane aid project with Brownfield’s Larry Lee