May 2, 2024 - And the rains came down
Through our Field Ops Manager, Ben Smith’s hard work there have been 8 new hay lift cases added to the list this week. Kevin Towe and Dean Isaacs have been delivering hay as fast as the law allows to farmers and ranchers affected by the wildfires in western Oklahoma.
Our spring planting window has rain drops all over it thanks to Mother Nature turning on the spigot over the Dakotas. Farm Rescue had teams on deck waiting for the ground to dry out but then another rain cloud appeared overhead and dumped just the right amount of rain to delay things for another day or two.
One air seeder crew was hoping to plant wheat in Halliday, North Dakota, for a farmer who suffered a broken pelvis and hip when he was thrown from his 4-wheeler while chasing cattle.
A Glen Ullin, North Dakota, farmer had open heart surgery in February to repair an aortic aneurysm and replace a faulty valve. Farm Rescue had a team armed with an air seeder ready to plant his spring wheat crop.
Farm Rescue is set to tackle planting chickpeas for the first time ever this spring for a Makoti, North Dakota, farmer who’s been dealing with some devastating events in his community on top of facing serious health issues of his own.
As I’ve talked about the rain delays you may think our crews are just hanging out at their hotel, but you would be wrong. As with all agricultural enterprises there is always something to do even when the ground is too wet to farm and our crews have been taking care of some much-needed maintenance on seeders and other equipment while they wait.
The following volunteers have faced Mother Nature’s fickle attitude this week with bottomless patience and we can’t thank them enough for that. Those who have weathered the storms include Tom Meyer, Hervey Madden, Kelly Valtr, Greg Kalinoski, Mark Gilson, Gary Kline, Jeff Preston, Dennis Morgan, Steve Satterthwaite, and Kenneth Chyle. Dennis is new to volunteering for Farm Rescue and we hope he can participate in drier conditions next time!
“Despite all our accomplishments, we owe our existence to a 6-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.” —Paul Harvey
Respectfully,
Jennifer Theurer
Field Operations Support Assistant
April 25, 2024 - Operation Hay Lift and planting begins
Farm Rescue started out 2024 answering the call to help farmers and ranchers in Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska after wildfire swept through those areas destroying hay supplies, equipment, and several thousand head of cattle. Our Operation Hay Lift volunteers stepped up and drove semis hooked to drop deck trailers from Fargo, North Dakota, down to North Platte, Nebraska, Shattuck, Oklahoma, Canadian, Texas, and several places in between. They shared the story of Farm Rescue’s purpose in many diners and coffee shops as they traveled, too.
Driving hundreds of miles across the scorched Plains, our volunteers got an up-close and personal view of what the fire left behind — the tremendous grit and resilience of farmers and ranchers who are at the mercy of Mother Nature on a daily basis. Farm Rescue trucks started their deliveries the last week of March and worked through the last full week of April.
We are so grateful to volunteers David Endorf, Garry Deckert, Kenny Crites, Garry Roberts, David Hunter, Mark Gilson, Ross Nelson, Rick & Cindy London, Tom Richards, Will Rudolphi, Kevin Smitherman, Kevin Towe and Dean Isaacs for their dedication in helping farmers and ranchers in Nebraska and the southern Great Plains.
Farm Rescue staff was still coordinating hay deliveries as planting season kicked into gear in the north country. Snow and rain caused some delays but crews were in place when the ground was ready to be sown.
Our air seeder crews have been planting wheat for a Stanley, North Dakota, family whose son is facing a devastating and rare cancer prognosis. Our volunteers were more than happy to take care of getting the family’s crop in the ground so they could spend time with their son and still have a source of income.
Another crew is planting wheat around Baldwin, North Dakota, for a farmer who needs to concentrate on his heart valve treatment at Mayo Clinic. Getting his crop in the ground will go a long way to easing his mind about the future.
A third crew is working in the New Salem, North Dakota, area planting more wheat for a family trying to overcome a cancer diagnosis and the prescribed surgery to begin the treatment process. This team will stay in the New Salem area to help yet another farmer who is facing back surgery that is being delayed by other health concerns.
Once these cases are completed, Farm Rescue volunteers will have planted just under 3,000 acres of wheat and a few hundred acres of barley for farmers in need of a hand up.
Those volunteers helping us in the early planting season include Emil Baranko, Kenneth Chyle, Matt Blaylock, Chris Davison, Chris Batdorf, Bryan Perry, Rich Thuesen, Sid Bardwell, Mike Wilson, Albert Lautenschlager, Mike Melaas, John Andrews, Glenn Biederman, Mike Youngblood, Paul Zierke, Tom Meyer, Hervey Madden, and Kelly Valtr.
You may notice a different name at the bottom of the highlights this week. I'm Jennifer Theurer and I started in February as Field Operations Support Assistant. I'm a retired farm kid who wanted to continue to support agriculture in any way I could. Dan Erdmann has entrusted the weekly highlights to me and I look forward to keeping you all updated on Farm Rescue's latest works.
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time they just have the heart.” —Elizabeth Andrew
Respectfully,
Jennifer Theurer
Field Operations Support Assistant
