Farm Rescue is holding a fundraiser to help it purchase two new tractors to be used to pull air seeders for spring planting operations next year.
Farm Rescue helps farmers experiencing major illness, natural disaster or injury in planting and harvesting their crops. Founder Bill Gross says he's hoping a thousand donors will give $250 apiece - which will go a long way toward purchasing the tractors. Gross says in the past, Farm Rescue was able to have equipment for assistance sponsored - but farming has been tough in recent years.
"Over the years, the past three years, we've been slowly purchasing equipment. We own some harvesting equipment and haying equipment, and semi-trucks, pickup trucks. And now our real need so we can provide planting assistance next spring is tractors. So we're having a fundraiser."
Gross says each donor who gives at least $250 will be recognized with their name being placed on either of the John Deere tractors that are purchased. He says donors can log onto www.farmrescue.org to donate, or they can purchase a raffle ticket for $20 and be eligible to win one of two 5,000 bushel grain bins.
Farm Rescue has helped over 600 farm families since its inception in 2005. Gross says Farm Rescue assisted 127 families in 2017 due to draught conditions, and they are just finishing up harvesting corn for the last two of about 80 cases in 2018. He says he hopes to assist at least 50 more families in 2019. Farm Rescue not only helps with planting and harvesting, but also assists ranchers with livestock feeding in the winter - a new feature added just last year.