Farmers lend helping hands

Nov 12, 2021

Growers took the time to assist other farmers with harvests

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Farmers from different communities recently took the time to help fellow producers with harvest after their families experienced losses.

In Burritt Township, Ill., about 10 farmers helped Casey Lolling finish his harvest on Nov. 9 after he lost his father, Gary, four days earlier at the age of 70.

“Some of my friends grouped together and decided to help us out with finishing up our fall harvest,” Lolling told WTVO.

Gary Lolling was a veteran of the United States Army and involved in the local community through farming and faith organizations.

Other farmers pausing their own harvests to help the Lolling family is a sign of the kind of person Gary was, Casey said.

“They did that on their own, and that’s just more of a reflection of who my dad was, because he was always willing to help people, even if he had a mountain of work himself,” he said. “He would drop anything to go help someone else…”

Producers in Warsaw, Ind., also helped another farmer after a family tragedy.

Local farmers brought three combines and four semis to 83-year-old Robert Frantz’s farm on Nov. 8 to harvest 120 acres of soybeans after his wife of 63 years, Ruth, passed away.

Farmer Ed Boggs organized the volunteer effort. Ralph and Mark Montel, Sam Brown and Mike Wertenberger, Chase Hand and Boggs’ son, Thomas, helped out too.

“I’ve known the family forever,” Ed told InkFreeNews. “We are just doing what God wants us to do. It feels good to help.”

The Frantz farm is a Hoosier Homestead farm, meaning the same family has owned it for more than 100 years.

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

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Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.