It was an idea born 30,000 feet in the air during a long overseas flight. Bill Gross, a former North Dakota farm kid and current 747 captain for UPS, was making small talk with his copilots. The topic steered toward their eventual retirement plans, to which Bill proudly proclaimed, “I’ve always wanted to be this good Samaritan who travels from farm to farm with a John Deere tractor and planter, helping families in crisis.” This generated some laughter until his fellow aviators recognized the sincerity in Bill’s statement. He shared this same notion with a close friend and chaplain soon after, who challenged him not to wait until retirement to put his plans in motion. Bill never imagined the yield this small seed of an idea would produce.
As Farm Rescue celebrates its 20th anniversary year, there are many milestones and achievements to reflect upon. What began as a free service for families in Bill’s home state of North Dakota has grown exponentially over time. Since planting its first seeds of hope two decades ago, our organization has extended a helping hand to nearly 1,200 farm and ranch families. In addition to planting assistance, Farm Rescue now offers haying, harvesting, and livestock feeding services, as well as hay and commodity hauling support across 9 Midwest states. Throughout our history, more than a thousand volunteers from all corners of the U.S. have signed on to carry out this mission. Hundreds of business partners, grantors, and individual donors have provided the necessary financial resources, equipment, and services to sustain these live-changing operations. It has truly taken a village to get here and we ain’t done yet!
Our 20th season of work began with a bit of relief to ranchers impacted by western North Dakota wildfires. In October, these fires burned tens of thousands of acres throughout the region, claiming the lives of two men and numerous livestock. The blazes also consumed several homes, outbuildings, equipment, and fencing. As damages were assessed, our field operations team was in close contact with local producers and advocacy groups to see how Farm Rescue might best serve these impacted families. We learned the greatest need was for fencing supplies, which we were able to source at a discounted rate with funds raised through our wildfire relief campaign. In late March, longtime Farm Rescue volunteer, Albert Lautenschlager, delivered these supplies to several ranch families who were very thankful for the support. We appreciate every individual, organization, and business who generously contributed to these relief efforts.
Throughout the past few weeks, field operations managers Luke Benedict and Ben Smith have been readying equipment and vehicles for a busy planting season. Now, that season is officially upon us. Our first volunteer crew made the long trek to Wolf Point, MT, to assist a family reeling from a recent loss. Farm Rescuers arrived with our four-wheel drive tractor and air seeder to tackle planting duties for an especially vital wheat crop. They’re wrapping up work as we speak and plan to move east to Regent, ND, to assist another family in need. Crew number two has spent their week near Brighton, IA, planting corn for a farmer battling liver and kidney cancer. With his treatment regimen already underway, the physical demands of the farm have been difficult to meet. Our volunteers are honored to lend their support while he focuses on a long fight ahead. Crew number three has been hard at work near Fremont, IA, seeding a few hundred acres of corn and soybeans. This farmer is a cancer survivor who’s now developed normal tension glaucoma that’s rendered him legally blind. He’s working with a team of specialists to formulate a treatment plan, but his current situation has created some major challenges with his operation. Farm Rescue’s team of good Samaritans is happy to offer their support during this crucial planting window.
A big thank you to this week’s Farm Rescuers in the field, as well as those who’ve supported us with maintenance projects, logistics, and event staffing throughout the past few months: Greg Kalinoski, Corey Hyde, David Endorf, David Frueh, Albert Lautenschlager, Garry Deckert, John Walter, Steve Satterthwaite, Tom Meyer, Mike Wilson, Ron Donohue, Terry Willhoit, Ron Failyer, andJohn & Carol Andrews.
As I type these words, I’m overcome with tremendous pride and appreciation for the work being done through this incredible organization. I’m also filled with a bit of sadness as I near the end of a very fulfilling career at Farm Rescue. After a lot of consideration, I have decided to take on a new adventure with a local university as part of their communications team. Farm Rescue has offered an infinite number of blessings to me throughout the past 8 years, and serving this mission has been one of my highest honors in life. The organization provided me introductions to the greatest human beings this world has to offer. I can’t thank you all enough for your support and allowing me to play a small role in this amazing nonprofit. There has never been a greater need for the services provided through Farm Rescue, and I will be a lifelong advocate for this life-changing organization.
Stay tuned for more updates from Farm Rescue’s new volunteer coordinator, James LaPlante!
Until we meet again,
Dan Erdmann – Director of Communications
