Ottawa—The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is busy trying to find out how much hay is available in central and eastern Canada to send to drought-stricken Prairie livestock farmers while it's also looking for donations from government and others to cover the transportation costs. Since the CFA announced that it would try to revive the Hay West program of 2002, it has received a donation of $50,000 from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for it and is seeking support elsewhere as well, a spokesman said. “Right now a lot of things are contingent on receiving funding to cover the cost of freight,” he said. “We are determining the amount of hay that is available, but without government covering the cost of freight moving it out west would be ineffectual as it would be too expensive for farmers to buy compared to other sources.” For now the CFA is only planning on shipping hay from Ontario with the OFA's donation and some from the PEI government's offer to cover transportation costs. If donations come through, “a website may be released for those seeking hay and those looking to donate, but this is contingent on receiving funding for transportation costs,” the spokesman said. “If people want to provide hay we are currently asking that they hold off until we determine if freight costs will be covered.” In previous years hay recipients were determined through a lottery system. Anyone seeking more information should contact [email protected]. OFA President Peggy Brekveld said, “We understand the severity of the situation for many farmers this year, and we're proud to support initiatives that will offer relief to those in difficult situations.” CFA President Mary Robinson said the OFA donation said her group readied the first loads of hay to send west. “This just reinforces the strong sense of community and camaraderie we've seen among farmers across the country, with farmers across Eastern Canada coming to the aid of their Western counterparts in need.” Prairie livestock farmers are trying to turn drought-damaged crops into feed for their livestock and hay shipments would allow them to keep more of their animals. Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.