Farmers across Iowa are busy trying to get their crops out of the field before winter, but many still find time to help their neighbors do so as well. In southeast Iowa’s Lee County, this harvest season would have been extremely difficult for Joann Knisley, of rural Donnellson. Her husband, Bill, died this summer from injuries he sustained in a farm accident. “Bill was a very wonderful husband. Everybody loved him,” Knisley said. “He would help anybody.” A lot of people loved Bill back and helped the Knisley family harvest more than 150 acres of corn and soybeans.

“I knew we had lots of friends when he passed away because we had 831 people show up at the funeral home and people went home because the line was so long. I mean, you know you have friends, but you don’t know how many friends you really have until something like this happens,” Knisley said. Joann was hoping her family could take care of the entire harvest, but they ran into equipment troubles. That’s when Joann’s brother, Gary Schiller, stepped in.

“I told my sister, don’t worry about the crop, we will put something together to take it out,” Schiller said. He began spreading the word and last Tuesday, more than 30 people showed up to help – including neighbors and FFA students from Central Lee High School. The harvesting crew cleared Joann and Bill Knisley’s fields in about six hours. Joann says her husband had a deep passion for farming.

“In fact, the day before my husband got hurt, I picked him up at another farm we rent and he said, ‘just look at the silks on this corn, it’s beautiful. And all the ears on the corn.’ So we have a record crop and he is not here to see it,” Knisley said. The land Bill maintained will continue to be farmed in the future. Joann plans to lease or rent it in time for planting season next spring.

(Radio Iowa)