KATIE ZERR: Neighbors are vital to our way of life

While Congress fights with the White House and each other over a new Farm Bill, the country's agriculture producers keep plugging away, preparing for a new year and hoping the record high prices hold out for a while.

Last year, farmers had a great year, getting paid well for their product. For the first time in many years, the price paid for crops outdistanced the increases in production costs.

With skyrocketing diesel and fertilizer costs, that may not last long.

We here in the heartland have great respect for the hard work and dedication of our ag producers. We know farmers and ranchers have a life filled with variables that can impact their income in a matter of seconds.

Days and months of work can be wiped out in minutes by a hailstorm. Years of planning and breeding can be destroyed in freezing spring rains or one freak snowstorm.

There are also many dangers in the life of these independent individuals. From working with heavy equipment, to dealing with angry mamas protecting newborns, producers must face situations every day that could mean a serious injury if precautions are not taken.

When something does happen, whether it be serious injury or illness, an independent producer has no backup, no temporary worker that can fill his spot or pool of workers to divide his work and get it done. There are only friends and family to step up to the plate and come to his aid.

In recent years, a man with an ag background, Bill Gross, began to nurture the seed of a plan to help farmers in need.

With an idea and the drive to get it done, Gross founded Farm Rescue, a non-profit organization that helps farmers, who have suffered injury, illness or a natural disaster and are unable to continue their operation, assistance to get through the crisis.

Farm Rescue is a group of volunteers, working with donated equipment, operating on a budget of donations, that plant or harvest crops for farmers in crisis.

Last year, Farm Rescue helped more than 20 families in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. They planted spring crops for the Justin and Jessica Metzger family in Eureka after their farm was destroyed by an August tornado in 2006.

This week Farm Rescue was in Trail City help the Frank Holzer family plant spring wheat after Frank spent another long winter battling cancer. Although Frank's friends and neighbors were more than willing to help the Holzer family plant this year's crop, they had already kept the operation going through the winter months while Frank and Ruth spent months in Rochester, where Frank was treated for cancer. It was a lot to ask of those who have their own operations to manage.

In just more than 24 hours, Farm Rescue had the spring wheat planted and the stress, of having those people take time out of their already hectic spring schedules to lend a helping hand, was lifted away from the Holzer family.

We understand what it means to be neighbors. If Farm Rescue hadn't driven into the yard with flags flying and tractors roaring, there would have been a network of friends who would have added extra hours on to their long spring days to ensure the Holzer crop got in. That is the way we do things out here in the boondocks. We understand the importance of neighbors and friends.

When people are in crisis, we reach out hands and our hearts to help.

We hold benefits, we cook, we clean, we feed masses and plant crops. We are neighbors.

Bill Gross and his group of volunteers, many retired farmers, are angels of mercy for those farmers they help. They are also a perfect example of Midwesterners who know the importance of neighbors and quickly become one to those they help.

We as a community are grateful this group has chosen the Holzer and Metzger families to help and hope the donations keep coming in to Farm Rescue so others in similar situations can get their hand up.

In the meantime, we will continue to be good neighbors.

Reprinted with permission from Mobridge Tribune, May 23, 2008.