Cattle farmers in Warren County are getting some relief from record hay prices.

The ongoing drought has dropped hay production in Middle Tennessee by two-thirds, causing prices to nearly double because hay brokers are going further to get it.

Tire manufacturer Bridgestone has a plant in Warren County. Manager Ron Brooks says he heard at a chamber of commerce meeting that farmers were selling off their herds because they couldn’t afford to feed them.

“When I learned that the real issue was the inflated hay prices due to transportation, I knew we had fleets leaving Middle Tennessee and many of those trucks were returning empty.”

Ten trucks that deliver tires from the Bridgestone plant along so-called hay corridors in Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri now return to the Warren County co-op filled with hay. ‘Project Hayride’ provides hay at 45-to-50 dollars a bale, in line with prices in other parts of the country. Brooks says offering free freight was conceived as a minimal-cost venture for the company, but that hasn’t been the case. Trailers have to be cleaned. Routes are extended. The heavy loads decrease gas mileage.

“There is considerable cost involved, but again, the need is to help the local farmers here. Because it was going to have a rippling effect on the economy, we felt this justified and was very in line with our corporate culture.”

The program will continue through the end of January when organizers expect to have brought in a total of 1-point-5 million pounds of hay.