To The Rescue
Farm Rescue plants fields for local farmer injured by equipment
By AMY FREIER
Republican Staff Writer
The Brian Hardy family faced a crisis this spring. Hardy was working on a field cultivator when it fell on him. It crushed his back, fracturing three
vertebrae. The cultivator's shovel pierced his knee.
Complications have forced Hardy back to the hospital for a while. Because of his injuries and further complications, Brian was not able to help his father Bill, brother Don, and son Dustin finish this year's planting on their 4,500 acre farm.
Not having Brian’s help could have turned out to be a great burden for the Hardy family, but their burden was lifted by the generous volunteers from Farm Rescue.
“It is a burden, but they have helped alleviate that burden,” Brian said. Farm Rescue is a non-profit organization that was created in 2005 to help “family farmers bridge crisis so they may have an opportunity to continue viable operations,” said Bill Gross, founder of Farm Rescue.
Gross grew up as a farm kid. As an adult, when not operating equipment for Farm Rescue, Gross flies commercial planes for UPS. While flying, people would ask him what he would do when he retired at 60. Gross would say, “Help farmers, free of charge.”
His idea to help farmers was seen by most as something that needed to be done before he retired. In 2005, years before his actual retirement, Gross, along with a board of directors, set out to form a nonprofit organization that would help
After a year of setting up the organization, receiving nonprofit status, increasing public awareness and raising the needed funds to operate, Farm Rescue was able to begin bringing relief to farmers this past April.
This spring, Farm Rescue has helped 10 farmers around the state with their planting. The Hardy's farm is the last farm for Farm Rescue this season. The organization has finished planting 300 acres of pinto beans. The pinto beans were the last item to be planted on the Hardy farm.
Farm Rescue has planted many fields for unfortunate farmers. “We have helped a lot of farmers and next year we hope to help more farmers in
Farm Rescue provides assistance to farmers dealing with illnesses, injury or an act of nature that causes the farmer financial hardships. Each farmer applies, and an independent committee reviews the applications and makes the decisions on who receives assistance.
Farm Rescue limits the planting to 1,000 acres and farmers must provide their own seed and fertilizers.
Because it is a nonprofit organization, Farm Rescue depends on donations to provide assistance. Besides monetary donations, companies are also donating supplies. Farmer's Union and Cenex have donated a majority of the fuel used, and RDO Equipment Company of
Gross said there is no way Farm Rescue could have operated on a large scale without RDO. RDO is Farm Rescue's exclusive equipment sponsor.
Farm Rescue also encourages the use of biodiesel as another way to help
With a mission to help farm families, all the money donated goes directly to assistance. No one is paid. Everyone from founder Bill Gross to the brochure designers and the equipment operators all volunteer their time and talents.
The brochure reads, “Farm Rescue volunteers provide the labor to operate the equipment. In fact, Farm Rescue is operated entirely by volunteers. This is an opportunity for communities to help save family farms in
“I can help people. I enjoy doing it,” said Bill Krumwiede, Voltaire, an equipment operator who has helped at all 10 farms. Krumwiede is not alone in his reasons for helping. Equipment operator Joe Dethlefsen, Oakes, agrees. “I can see it is appreciated. Farming is stressful without anything else, and this is appreciated.”
These are only two of the 30 volunteers who make Farm Rescue run so smoothly. Having experienced workers means Hardy does not have to worry about his fields as he recovers.
“They are all farmers, they can do everything,” Hardy said. On his Farm Rescue application, Hardy explained what needed to be done, where, and to what specifications. Farm Rescue was able to do it. The know-how, along with the willingness to serve
For more information on donating or to fill out an application, contact Farm Rescue at 701-526-0947 or visit: www.farmrescue.org.
“Helping one another during difficult times is not only the right thing to do, it also strengthens our communities. Farm Rescue creates an avenue for businesses and individuals to help save family farms,” Gross writes on the website.
Farm Rescue is helping to make a difference for
Reprinted with permission of the