x
Breaking News
More () »

Crawford County dairy farm hit hard by tornado

The storm set loose 127 cows and calves in the dark.

Lizella — A Crawford County farm is working to put the pieces back together after a tornado came through and heavily damaged parts of their property Wednesday night.

The Donacin Dairy Farm sits on Rogers Road in Lizella and has been in business for 47 years. It's owned by the Newberrys, who had a scare in the night.

"Help called and said a tree had fallen on his car and the corner of the feed barn was missing," said dairy farmer Benjamin Newberry.

The Newberrys converged on the farm to find that the tornado had ripped up about 100 yards of electrical fence wire used to contain livestock. One barn used to house cow feed had a gaping hole in it with one corner post missing.

The fence had to take priority because it housed 102 heads of milking cattle. The farmers performed quick patchwork in the dark to pick it up.

"Of course, it's unnerving, you know, when you get out there and you see what all you've got to do and you can't see in the dark," Newberry said. "My daddy didn't even know where the cows got out at."

The next morning revealed the full extent of the damage. Six small hutches for calves were destroyed and thrown clear across a large field. Two other barns had parts of their tin roofs ripped off, and wooden posts from the fence were everywhere.

Other damage included a fallen tree on an employee's car and a 53-foot semi-trailer tipped onto its side and moved about 25-feet, Newberry said.

The Newberrys, employees, and friends all spent the better part of Thursday fixing the damage. Because the barn holding the feed had a large hole in it, the feed had to be shoveled under a makeshift roof composed of tarps and wood. Newberry said the whole experience has been overwhelming.

"You think about how in the world are you gonna put these barns back with what little bit you have from insurance. It's just stressful, it's hard and you get overwhelmed," Newberry said.

Newberry said that he's grateful nobody was hurt and that everything and everyone was accounted for.

"It’s all material. The cows are OK, our family is OK, our homes are OK, so you do have to be reminded that it could be a lot worse," Newberry said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out