Farm Rescue helps Bisbee family with harvest

By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com

Submitted Photo

Sandy Iverson, Fessenden, on the left combine with son Brayden beside her, runs one of the combines on her parents’ farm, the Ron and Gerry Tschepen farm near Bisbee. Jack Limke, a Farm Rescue volunteer originally from Carpio, is in the right combine. Iverson’s husband was running a third combine when this photo was taken Tuesday. The Tschepens are among the first farmers to receive assistance from Farm Rescue during the harvest season.

BISBEE – When Ron and Gerry Tschepen needed help with their harvest this year, they turned to Farm Rescue, the nonprofit organization founded to help farmers in need.

On Tuesday, Bill Gross, Farm Rescue founder and president, volunteers, and equipment arrived at the Tschepen farm south of Bisbee, where they expected to be for most of this week helping finish the barley harvest and to combine the spring wheat.

This is the first season Farm Rescue is providing harvesting assistance. For the past two springs, the organization has provided spring planting assistance to farmers, but added harvesting assistance this year.

The organization’s mission is to provide planting and harvesting assistance to farm families who have experienced a major illness, injury or act of nature, which has caused financial hardship.

Ron Tschepen, who is recovering after recently having bypass surgery, said he had heard of Farm Rescue. When they needed help, he said Julie Champion, secretary at their local North Central Grain Co-op, helped them get in contact with the organization. He said North Central is one of Farm Rescue’s sponsors.

“It’s great and I really appreciate all of the help,” said Tschepen Tuesday, adding, “There’s a lot of hard work involved.”

He said his daughter and son-in-law, Sandy and Eric Iverson, and their children from Fessenden, and Ron Tschepen’s brother, Al, Grand Forks, were also at the farm Tuesday to help with the harvest. He said other relatives have been helping at the farm because of his surgery as well.

As the barley crop was getting finished Tuesday, Ron Tschepen said, “It’s running 90 bushels an acre. Barley’s coming out of our ears. The prices are pretty good, too.”

Several Farm Rescue volunteers were helping with the work: Bill Krumwiede, Voltaire; Jack Limke, originally of Carpio; Gene Spichke and Warren Zakopyko, both Kief; Charlie Hardie, Fargo; and Smokey Wright, Minot.

Gross, originally from Cleveland, a community in the Jamestown area, and Limke are pilots for UPS, which is one of Farm Rescue’s corporate sponsors.

Both Gross and Ron Tschepen noted that one of the volunteers, Dan Welk, “came all the way from Rapid City, S.D.” to help. It’s his first time as a Farm Rescue volunteer, Gross said.

Eighty sponsors

Farm Rescue, which began two years ago, now has 80 sponsors, said Gross. He said they started with 30 sponsors in spring 2006 and 64 sponsors this past spring season.

“Businesses have really rallied behind us and we’ve witnessed individual donations,” Gross said.

RDO Equipment Co. is the exclusive Farm Rescue equipment supplier.

Last week, Farm Rescue was featured on the “Today” show as part of a series on “America the Beautiful” places.

From the Tschepen farm, Farm Rescue will go to a farm near Park River to do the harvest. The farmer there is in Minneapolis waiting for a liver transplant, Gross said.

Farm Rescue began the harvest season at the Justin and Jessica Metzger farm near Eureka, S.D., where a tornado destroyed the farmstead in August 2006. The organization then moved to the Brad and Janet Staudinger farm at Richardton. Brad Staudinger severely injured his left hand in a combine accident. From there, they went to the Tschepen farm Tuesday.

After the harvest near Park River, they will take a break before moving to the Wilton area to help a farmer who was recently severely burned.

The last farm on the schedule, as of now, is in the Galesburg area to help a farmer who was in a severe auto accident and is in Minneapolis for rehabilitation, Gross said.

Ron Tschepen, obviously happy to be able to relax instead of worry about getting his crops harvested, said many of the Farm Rescue volunteers are farmers.

“It’s farmers helping farmers,” he said.


It’s not too late for people in need to apply for harvest assistance from Farm Rescue. Anyone interested can go to the Farm Rescue Web site at (www.farmrescue.org), or call Farm Rescue at 701-526-0947.

Reprinted with permission of Minot Daily News. August 15, 2007