Iowa Farmers Help Nebraska Neighbors


When Jordan LeClere learned about the devastation caused by flooding along the Missouri River, he knew he wanted to do something. He called his friend Josh Wendling to see if they could get a few people and resources together to help. They had no idea how much help they would receive.


When they first started, they were hoping for one semi-load of hay along with some pickup trucks filled with supplies. When they left their hometown of Manchester, Iowa, on April 6, the final tally was six loads of hay (nearly 600 bales) and two gooseneck trailers of fencing materials.


Thanks to cash donations, they were able to purchase more than $14,000 worth of fencing, which included 37 miles of barbed wire and “more posts than I can count,” said LeClere. “It’s incredible. There’s been such a will- ingness to give.” They delivered the supplies to Verdigre, Nebraska, where they were quickly snatched up.


Wendling and LeClere both have full-time jobs and their own farming operations. The destruction farmers experienced due to flooding helped put things into perspective. “We were hav- ing a tough go of it calving, but then I


saw what was going on out there and realized they had it way worse than we did,” said Wendling. “We can fix our issues with medication. They can’t.”


LeClere added, “On social media you see all these guys after bad snowstorms digging their cows out of snow banks. Now they have to go across the river with snorkels on their tractors just to get to them to try and get them some hay. That’s one extreme to the other. It’s hard to imagine what they are going through in a situation like this.”


Source: Iowa Farmer Today Iowa, Nebraska Breweries Create ‘Neighbors’ IPA to Aid Flood Victims


When historic flooding inundated eastern Nebraska and western Iowa this month, breweries from both sides of the swollen Missouri River launched a long-planned collaboration.


West Des Moines’ Barn Town Brew- ing and Omaha’s Kros Strain Brewing joined together to start a special recipe “Neighbors Being Neighbors,” a hazy IPA made with a combination of Iowa- and Nebraska-grown hops. The batch — nearly 20 kegs worth — was tapped April 13 at Barn Town Brewing.


Some will also be sold at Kros Strain, based in the Omaha suburb of La Vista. Two dollars from every $6 pint will go to the American Red Cross of Nebraska and Southwest Iowa.


Bobby Kros, co-owner of Kros Strain, said the collaboration allows the group to utilize their passion for the greater good. “We love to brew, it’s what we do,” he said. “And we thought this was a great way to come together and do what we can to help our states.”


Source: Des Moines Register Iowa FFA Members Help Nebraska Flood Victims


FFA members from Charles City and Rock- ford, Iowa took a six-hour trip to east-cen- tral Nebraska to provide manpower and supplies to a flood-stricken family.


Charles City sophomore Justin Heyer said the devastation at the Drew Wolfe cattle operation was unimaginable. “It was just horrible seeing how we can have such a successful spring in Iowa and then we come down there, just the next state over, and it looks like a beach,” Heyer said. “It was like we were by the ocean. Everything was just floodplained, destroyed.”


28 | The Retailer Magazine | May/June


The Platte River left its banks near Schuyler, Nebraska, and raged across corn fields, feed yards and swept away a third of the operation’s 2,500 head of cattle. The FFA members picked up and rebuilt fences destroyed during the record-setting event. The rancher, Wolfe, said the random act of support from the 25 students was overwhelm- ing. “It’s nice to see kids wanting to come and help. While there’s been a lot of that, it’s pretty amazing.”


FFA members raised $3,500 during a two-hour “radiothon” to help offset the costs of the trip. Another $2,500


that came in later was donated to the #NebraskaStrong cause.


Source: KCHA


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