The Collins cattle on Vineyard Ridge are not suffering for lack of hay or water and do not understand human desperation.

On the afternoon of August 18, the Breeze received the following email: “We have a 62 1/2 farm. We have been hauling water for over 2 months. Any an all help would be appreciated!! We are located on vineyard ridge!! I have 27 cows and hauling water everyday is really hard!! Thanks for your help.”

We did not know the sender, nor the location of Vineyard Ridge, but the message was clear. A farm family was calling the Breeze for help. I left the email in my Inbox; I did not respond. The best that the Breeze could possibly do would be referral to a governmental agency which could provide some form of relief. It was Sunday and the Tuesday afternoon deadline for submitting Thursday’s paper to our printer was fast approaching.

Tuesday passed. Wednesday was outpatient Cataract Surgery day for my right eye. Thursday was time to consider the call for help. An Internet search located a Vineyard Ridge in Roane County. Fat chance that anyone in Roane County would be contacting the Breeze for help. Maybe Vineyard Ridge was a local name for Fisher Ridge in Putnam County?

As soon as one week’s edition of the Breeze is put to bed, it is time to plan the next issue. The Breeze had just published notice of the drought assistance awareness meeting which was to be held at the Holiday Inn Express on August 26 and the plan was to cover the upcoming meeting. Photos of a farm affected by the drought and hauling water would be appropriate.

On Friday, I replied to the email for help. I informed the sender of the awareness meeting and suggested that the Breeze could come out and take a water-hauling photo to supplement the planned article. I needed driving instructions.

On Sunday morning, Tammy Collins of Vineyard Ridge in Roane County responded with the requested information. The Collins farm was 10 miles from the Clendenin I-79 exit, 56 miles from Hurricane. Betsy and I hit the road at 2 p.m.

We found the Collins farm to look pretty much like the dried up narrow ridge tops of Red House Hill in Putnam County. The Collins cattle were munching on hay that, in a normal year, would be fed out in October or November. Harold Collins was on the road. He was hauling 3500 gallons of West Virginia American Water Company water to a neighbor. It was the second tank load of day for water to Clendenin and back for Harold, 30 minutes one way. On Saturday, the previous day, Collins made three round trips for water. During normal summers, the farm pond supplies most of the needed cattle water. Last year, two round trips per month were needed to supplement the pond. This year the pond dried up early and has remained dry.

The Collins family does not have public water or a well. Harold must haul water for personal needs year round. One load every two weeks is usually sufficient.

Upon completing his mission, Harold posed for photo. He could rest from water hauling until tomorrow. With 27 head of cattle, tomorrow is another day of hauling.

The Breeze shared some information concerning government assistance programs with the Collins but we did not have the contact information for Roane County farmers. Sorry, we could do no more.