Photo: Thomas Barwick / DigitalVision / Getty Images
When the small wooden ladder that farmer Brett Schrader was using to service his tractor in the field gave way and he came crashing to the ground, he knew he’d hurt his foot severely. “I tried to grab the combine to hold on but I think I missed because the next thing I found was myself on the ground,” Schrader recalls.
The lifelong farmer from Warsaw, Illinois, was rushed to a nearby clinic and then airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospital. After two nights and a major surgery, he was back home, but it would be months before he could get back to work. Even though Schrader had crops in his fields ready for harvest, he was just glad that he didn’t lose his foot.
When other farmers in and around Warsaw heard about Schrader’s predicament, they rallied to help their neighbor. More than a dozen local farmers stepped in to help, setting aside their own work to harvest his 550 acres of corn. They believe that they’ll have the work done within the week. Schrader is beyond grateful for the support, saying “You cannot repay somebody enough for what they’re doing right now, it means the world to me.”
Source: WGEM