Minnesota Farm Guide: Leading Farm Newspaper

NASSAU, Minn. - North Dakota-based Farm Rescue is reaching out to help farmers and ranchers throughout the upper Midwest.

Recently, volunteers from the three-year-old organization drove to west central Minnesota to plant soybeans for Paul and Janice Streich.

Farm Rescue provides planting and harvesting assistance to farm families that have experienced a major illness, injury or natural disaster.

Qualifying farmers may be eligible to have their farmland planted or harvested free of charge.

The Streichs live in Lac qui Parle County, just a few miles east of South Dakota. They have four children, MacKenzie, 12, Ethan, 10, Hannah, 7, and Lily, 2.

They raise about 500 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, and run a 75-head purebred Beefmaster cow/calf operation.

“For the soybeans to be planted, it was really a blessing for that to be done,” said Janice.

The Streichs were beneficiaries of Farm Rescue's volunteers due to a life-changing accident last harvest.

On Oct. 26, 2007, Paul planned to combine some soybeans for his neighbor, but the combine wasn't working right.

“It was leaking oil out of the PTO,” said Paul, 42. “We worked on it the night before, pulled panels off, tore it apart and put in a seal. The seal wasn't the problem, though.”

Out in the field, he saw the combine was still leaking oil. He climbed up on the back wheel and began tightening bolts.

Just then, the combine moved. Paul lost his balance, and the combine backed up over him.

“My uncle, Clifford Haas, was coming with the trailer,” he said. “He stopped the combine and went for help.”

By the time the First Responders arrived from Marietta, Minn., Paul was up on his hands and knees.

“I was coherent,” Paul said. “It was a natural instinct to get up. I didn't feel anything, just short of breath.”

He didn't realize that he had life threatening injuries from 18,000 pounds of combine weight crushing him diagonally across his torso.

At the Madison, (Minn.) Hospital, doctors determined he had a punctured lung and internal bleeding. A helicopter arrived a short time later to transport him to Hennepin County Medical Center.

“We said our goodbyes, and Paul said ‘See you down in the Cities,'” said Janice, who was flagged down and told of the accident.

Paul's cousin, Brad Streich, gave Janice a ride to the Minneapolis-based hospital, where Paul was admitted into the intensive care unit. His first surgery to stop the internal bleeding was the next morning.

Back in Lac qui Parle County, neighbors and friends completed the Streich corn harvest on Tuesday, Oct. 30 - just three days after the accident. They moved the cowherd home from five pastures in a week.

The kids temporarily moved from the Streich farm site to Marietta to stay with Janice's mom, Arlyce Benson. The Bellingham, Minn., School District re-routed a school bus to pick up the children there.

“At that point, you're helpless,” said Janice. “I was down there and I knew that I needed to be with Paul, but I wanted to be back here too, to do the stuff that I needed to do. That was very hard.”

Paul spent about three weeks in ICU. During that time, a team of doctors and medical staff performed five surgeries to help him heal from his injuries which included multiple rib fractures, bleeding from his spleen and liver, a punctured lung, two crushed vertebra and blood clots in his legs and lungs.

From ICU, he was transferred to a regular hospital room, and then into the Miland E. Knapp Rehabilitation Center.

Initially, Janice found an apartment so the kids could come down to see their dad. Later, she stayed in the hospital room with Paul so she could help directly with his care.

While Paul was still in rehab, Janice learned about Farm Rescue. She visited their website at www.farmrescue.org.

“I emailed them, just asking some questions, because I wasn't even sure if they would consider coming here, what was the criteria, or what I had to do,” she said.

Paul and Janice finally came home on Dec. 11, 2007. They stayed with her mom through New Year's Day 2008.

Then it was time to move back to the farm. During all this time, Paul's brother, Mark Streich, took care of the farm chores.

“When I first got home, just to get out of the chair was tough,” said Paul. “The kids would help and Janice would help. Not so much anymore.”

Everyday, Paul got a little better.

As soon as he was able, he began taking care of cows. Next, he was able to get into the tractor. He started to improve in other ways too. He started with a wheel chair and progressed to a walker, and then a cane.

“One day, he got up to get something and realized he forgot his cane,” said Janice. “It just blossomed from there. He just took off.”

The doctors had told them that it could be a year or two until Paul was fully healed. With that information, the Streichs made the decision to apply to Farm Rescue for assistance.

The application for spring planting had to be done by the end of February.

Just a couple of weeks later, they learned they were one of 28 farm families that would receive planting assistance from Farm Rescue this spring.

Farm Rescue field operations are completed solely by volunteers. Monetary donations and volunteers who know how to run farm machinery are greatly appreciated.

“I knew there were a number of people that would help us, but people came and helped us last fall. We're like anybody else - you hate to keep asking for help,” said Janice. “It was for me a big relief that Farm Rescue was going to help us. I see how tired Paul gets. I was afraid he was going to push himself too far too fast.”

As they waited for planting season, the Streichs successfully calved out the cows. With assistance from others, they planted their wheat and corn acres.

By May 8, Farm Rescue had assisted 15 of 28 farms - mostly in North Dakota where conditions were not as wet as in Minnesota.

Finally, the soil was fit for planting on May 27-28.

Charles Kuss, of Jamestown, N.D., and Bob Petik, of Keldron, S.D., brought down a John Deere 9620 tractor and John Deere 1890 no-till drill and planted the beans over two days. The equipment was donated by RDO Equipment Company.

The soybeans are now coming up, and they look good.

Since planting has been completed, Paul has cut grass and alfalfa hay and made big round bales for the cattle operation. The local elevator handled the early spraying.

The main thing the Streichs are doing now is helping the kids get ready for the county fair. There are chores for the chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, dairy calves and five sheep that belong to the children.

“Our lives have definitely changed,” said Janice. “When something this major comes along, you learn to appreciate even the little things more than you do before. I guess for us, we have learned to sit and appreciate the children - to take the time.”

The Streichs thank everyone - including Farm Rescue - for all of their acts of kindness as Paul continues to recover from his injuries.

Farm Rescue is currently accepting applications for harvesting assistance. Organizers hope to bring more assistance to Minnesota later this year.

“Farm Rescue will continue to accept applications from western Minnesota farm families,” said Christina Hood, Farm Rescue director of operations. “We can only increase assistance according to the sponsorships we have available for the state. Sponsor dollars stay in the state from which they are provided.”

For more information, call 701-252-2017, or email info@farmrescue.org. If you wish to be a Farm Rescue volunteer, e-mail volunteer@farmrescue.org.