National Guard uses helicopter to feed cattle stranded by flood


The National Guard used a CH47 Chinook helicopter to feed more than 100 cattle Wednesday, spending more than $10,000 from Oklahoma state disaster funds.

The cattle are stuck on a flooded farm, and the owner cannot get to it to feed them.

Thanks to disaster relief funds, the National Guard, the Muskogee County Emergency Management Department and a neighboring farm, Robert Vinson's cattle are finally eating after going without hay for at least three days.

"What we're going to put out (Wednesday), I hope will hold them for a week," Vinson said.

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The National Guard made multiple trips to drop 12 bales of hay for the cows.

"We're also going to drop some protein feed to give them some protein to supplement the hay," Vinson said.

Jeff Smith, Muskogee's Emergency Director, called the hay drop a great decision on the state's part.

"This is the way of life in rural America," he said. "It's your livestock, your cattle. This is something that is very important to keep that life going."

Vinson said he planned to move the cattle as soon as the water goes down.

Source: Fox23.com

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