Southwest Missouri Rancher Donates Hay To Wildfire Victims
Billy Gourley was driving to his farm in southwest Missouri when he felt driven to give away 1,000 bales of silage hay to ranchers impacted by recent wildfires.
He took a picture of the hay, wrote a simple message, and posted the words and photos on Facebook.
Just a few days later, Gourley has had more than 1,000 phone calls and text messages from people in Indiana, Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Pennsylvania — people who have taken him up on his offer to help distribute these bales of hay.
Gourley is still looking for help, truck drivers and logistics help. Gourley, who is the operator/manager of Gourley Land & Cattle near Crane, Mo., wants to get the hay out to the people who need it the most. Any driver or trucking company willing to haul the hay is welcome, he said.
So far, he’s had one load go to Oklahoma, one load to Hutchinson, Kan., and hopes to get a few trucks to Texas.
As manager of the farm, and running about 900 head of cattle, he already works 70-plus hours a week. Now, his phone is constantly ringing, his voice mailbox stays full and he’s trying to handle the logistics of matching drivers and loads to needs.
He hopes to have a team come in and line out the logistics for this volunteer operation.
Gourley, who lives in Ozark, was making the 30-minute drive to his farm near Crane one morning when he just felt “driven” to give away extra silage hay. He’s running more cattle this year, but managing his farm better. He also had extra hay on hand, after anticipating it might be a tough winter.
The plight of fellow farmers and ranchers hits close to home. He and his wife have family ancestors in Oklahoma and Texas. Gourley grew up near the Kansas/Colorado border and feels very compelled to help those who have suffered greatly because of the wildfires.
He attributes the push he felt that morning to a higher power.
“I think it’s God,” he said. Between the Gourley Land & Cattle Facebook page and his personal Facebook page, he has had more than 10,000 comments and private messages.
“It’s humbling to see how fast it went,” he said, of the tremendous Facebook sharing. “The outpouring of truck drivers has been phenomenal. It’s just Americans coming together. Everybody’s pitching in.”
To help with this effort, visit the Gourley Lane & Cattle page and send him a private message, or call or text him at 417-576-7893.