For many, September marks the beginning of pumpkin spice latte and sweater weather season, but for farmers, it marks the beginning of harvesting season. It’s an all hands on deck time of year and is essential to families who rely on income from the crops.
When North Dakota Farmer, Lane Unhjem was hospitalized after a harvesting accident, fellow area farmers knew what his absence could mean for his family. So, they came together to get the harvesting job done for them.
While he was harvesting his crop, Lane’s combine caught on fire – a terrifying and devastating accident. As if that weren’t enough, during the aftermath as he was trying to put the fire out, Lane suffered a heart attack and had to be hospitalized, leaving 1,000 acres of crops untouched.
Upon hearing the news, nearby farmers hopped right into action. According to fellow farmer, Don Anderson, somewhere between 40 and 50 people showed up ready to harvest.
Along with the farmers came more than ten combines, trucks, grain carts, semis, and everything else they needed to harvest, bin, and store Lane’s crops. In total, it took the volunteers only seven hours to harvest all 1,000 acres of crops.
They didn’t just complete the job for Lane, either. The volunteers carefully binned everything and stored it so it would be safe while Lane was recovering and ready for the family when they needed to distribute it.
However, as Don said in a Facebook post, the most important part of this harvesting season for Lane and his family won’t be the crop but that “they have the comfort of knowing that they have a community of friends that are helping, praying and doing whatever they can to help them get through this tough time.” Such a beautiful silver lining to an unfortunate accident.
Remember to share this sweet story of community with family and friends!
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