In July 1986 drought left Tom Trantham's 220 dairy cows in South Carolina with no feed. Robert Polley, an Illinois farmer, offered 700 bales, and the oil company Conoco offered two trucks to haul them. Farmers in other states followed, and the Air Force flew in more than 19,000 bales. In 1988 the drought hit the Midwest, and South Carolina began collecting hay for farmers there.
The Great Haylift of 1986
In July 1986, a drought in the Southeast left a South Carolina dairyman with 220 cows and nothing to feed them. Farmers in other states loaded their own hay for a man they had never met, and the Air Force flew it south.
A Dairy With Nothing Left to Graze
Tom Trantham ran a dairy in Pelzer, South Carolina. His hay crop had not germinated in the drought, his pastures had dried up and his reserves were gone.
He was buying a ton of hay a day to keep his 220 cows alive. What little hay could be found in the Southeast was selling for $150 to $200 a ton, more than he could afford.
A Farmer in Illinois Picks Up the Phone
Robert Polley, a farmer in Atlanta, Illinois, heard about Trantham's trouble and offered 700 bales of hay. Conoco, an oil company, offered to haul the load in two of its semi-trailer trucks. UPI reported the hay reaching his farm in Pelzer days later, where about 20 volunteers unloaded it.
Others joined in. Farmers in Illinois, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania offered help, along with companies such as Burlington Industries and Harris Teeter. Some donated hay also went south by rail.
The Air Force Joins the Lift
From July 19 to 28, Air Force cargo planes took over a share of the job. Twenty-four C-141s and eight C-130s flew 32 missions, carrying about 536 tons of donated hay, more than 19,000 bales, to farmers in several southeastern states.
The photographs from the operation show farmers in straw hats and ball caps backing pickups up to the planes and lifting bales into the beds by hand.
The Man Who Rallied the Help
Trantham was more than a recipient. He helped organize the relief effort, and in 2021 Governor Henry McMaster presented him with the Order of the Palmetto for rallying state and national officials to aid South Carolina during the 1986 drought.
Two Summers Later
In June 1988, drought reached the Midwest. UPI reported that South Carolina officials had begun a campaign to collect surplus hay for drought-stricken farmers there, many of whom had given hay to South Carolina in 1986.
The reports found describe the campaign starting. They do not say how many bales left the state, but the direction of the favor had turned around.
Source:Air & Space Forces Magazine
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Great Haylift of 1986?
Who was Tom Trantham?
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Verified Fact
Verified Oct 6, 2026 · 5 sources checked
Source: Air & Space Forces MagazineShow verification details
Claims checked
- Tom Trantham's 220 dairy cows in Pelzer, SC faced a feed shortage in the 1986 drought
- Robert Polley of Atlanta, Illinois offered 700 bales and Conoco offered two trucks to haul them
- Air Force flew more than 19,000 bales in 32 missions, July 19-28, 1986
- Claim that railroads hauled hay free removed (sources say only that rail shipping was arranged)
- In 1988 South Carolina officials began a campaign to collect surplus hay for Midwest drought victims
Sources: UPI, Air and Space Forces Magazine, Greenville Journal, Farm Aid
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