Continued from initial outcome story-
Farmers Look to Extension for Tornado Relief

It has been six months since the tornado ripped through Marshall County. In this time, Nikki Rhein, Marshall County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources, had the privilege of assisting with tornado relief efforts. By simply making herself available to the cause, she was blessed with the opportunity to help funnel donations and assistance efforts to the farmers of her county. Throughout this process, she was able to help locate countless "work crews" who donated their time with cleanup and fencing efforts, as well as, helped allocate over $90,000 worth of materials and donations to the community.

How did she locate so many donations? Nikki acted as both a donation coordinator, where individuals and companies could reach out to her with donations, and an advocate, where she would seek out the donations her farmers weren't receiving but still desperately needed. Gifts came in many forms. Some were tractor trailer loads of hay or fencing materials that Nikki sorted through and divided among the farmer victims. Others came from organizations like the Kentucky Cattlemans Association, where she was able to go to each producer and make a "needs wish list" with them and then submit the lists to the Association on their behalf. With the assistance of the Marshall County Coop, who so graciously let her use their facility as a donation hub, she was able to put the materials the farmers needed directly into their hands.

As we approach the 7 month mark, Nikki has found that her farmers are showing improvement. When she asks what their current needs are, they are responding with comments like, "I actually need nothing" and "I'm finally in a good place." This is the complete opposite of the responses she received 4-5 months ago. The long nights and hard work has paid off. She looks forward to a time when all of her "farmer victims" feel more like farmers and no longer like tornado victims.