Farm Rescue set to come to rescue

By Lon Tonneson

When a Dakota farm family suffers from a major illness, accident or death, neighbors often pitch in to plant or harvest their crop.

Bill Gross, an airline pilot who grew up on a Cleveland, N.D. farm, has expanded the idea of neighborhood. He has organized a nonprofit group called Farm Rescue to provide assistance to farm families who have experienced a major illness, injury or act of nature that has caused undue financial hardship.

This year, farmers who qualify for assistance from Farm Rescue are eligible to have up to 1,000 acres planted free of charge.

RDO Equipment Co. is the exclusive equipment sponsor of Farm Rescue. Other sponsors of Farm Rescue include the Bank of North Dakota, Farm Credit Services, Kussmaul Seeds and Haybuster/Duratech Industries, Cavendish Farms, Basin Electric Power Co-op, Reuben and Clarice Liechty Farms, Security State Bank of North Dakota and South Dakota Wheat Growers.

Farm Rescue is run completely by volunteers. Gross, Jack Limke, Minot; Neil Danner, Fargo; Reuben Liechty, Jamestown; and Bernard Hieb, Cleveland, N.D. are among the volunteers who will be operating the planters this spring.

Farmers in need of assistance should apply before March 15. To apply for assistance or to become a sponsor, visit www.farmrescue.org or call (701) 526-0947.

Reprinted with permission of Lon Tonneson, Dakota Farmer publication. January 2006