PrivateFleets.com

Bridgestone Firestone trucks filled with hay rolled into Warren County, Tenn., to help drought-stricken farmers just in time for Thanksgiving.
 
When Warren County farmers lost two-thirds of this year’s hay production to drought, they faced two options: Pay double for hay from elsewhere because of added freight costs, or sell their cattle. Project Hayride provided a third option.

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire is using its trucks to bring Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri hay to farmers in Warren County, which is about 80 miles southeast of Nashville, the company headquarters. The company is absorbing the freight costs.

By the end of January, Bridgestone Firestone and its partners will have provided Warren County farmers with 1.5 million pounds of hay at about the same price they would have paid without the drought.
 
Helping the effort are the Warren Farmers Co-op, the University of Tennessee Extension Office, the Warren County Economic Development Board, the Warren County Cattlemen’s Association and the office of the Warren County executive. The team found out-of-state hay suppliers, negotiated prices, checked routes to ensure the trucks could reach the farms and helped 55 farmers sign up for the program.