Donald Smart, Smart Farm
Hay Loader for Beef Cattle Operation
Grant Award: $3,000
Farming in multiple counties, Don raises 40 head of cattle and produces all his own cattle feed at two farm sites. He bales and loads 1200 lb. round bales in Madison County and hauls them to his cattle operation in Haywood County, where they are unloaded by hand.
His grant allowed him to purchase an additional hay loader so that unloading at
his Haywood farm will be more efficient and much easier for his one-man operation.
As the only tobacco grower left in Haywood County, Don knows his days of growing burley are limited, but with additional mechanization on the farm, he hopes to keep his beef cattle operation going as long as he can physically keep farming.
Contact the Local Extension Agent