80 Illinois farmers come together to help one of their own

Oct 20, 2017

Andy Pecharich recently had a double lung transplant and didn’t know if he’d be able to harvest his crops

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

Farmers in Illinois showed support for of their own by helping a fellow producer harvest his crops.

Andy Pecharich of Avon, IL, recently underwent a double lung transplant and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get his 500 acres of corn and soybeans off during his recovery.

That’s when Dave Serven recruited 79 other farmers to donate their time and machinery to make sure Pecharich’s crop was harvested on time.

Farmers operated 15 combines to get the crop off, while others drove semis to haul the corn and soybeans to a local elevator.

“This is the end product you worked all year (for), to raise your crop and harvest it,” Serven told WQAD yesterday, a day after the harvest gathering. “(To) get it to the elevator is a great feeling.”

Pecharich was blown away by the friendship and sense of community among farmers in Illinois.

“It’s overwhelming and humbling to see all the generous people who showed up to help me with (the harvest),” he told the Galesburg Register-Mail yesterday. “You can really appreciate your friends and neighbors for what they do for you. I’m very thankful to have such a good group (of people) around here.”

But his friends were eager to lend a hand, because they knew he’d be there for them in a time of need.

“(Andy is a) great guy,” volunteer Andy Scmalshof told WQAD. “He’d do the same thing if somebody else had a problem. He’d be there to help too.”

Video: Home Grown Ontario Tulips

Ontario’s flower sector is blooming ??

With more than $1 billion in farmgate sales and over $650 million in annual exports—much of it centred in the Niagara region—Ontario growers are a major force in Canada’s floriculture industry. In fact, the province produces roughly 50% of all flowers grown in the country, serving a market of over 100 million consumers within a one-day drive.

It’s a powerful example of how strategic location, cross-border access, and strong production capacity come together to support both local agriculture and global markets ??

?? Watch as Andrew Morse, Executive Director of Flowers Canada, shares insights and the full story behind Ontario’s tulip industry and its thriving flower sector.