Late October our family was awakened by a passing motorist. Our barn was ablaze. My father released our 30 cows from their stalls just moments before the blazing upper barn collapsed into the stables. By morning nothing remained but hot ashes.
Hay, straw, grain, and a new grain drill were destroyed. Fortunately the rest of the implements were stored in the corn barns.
Milking the cows was a problem until a generous DeLaval dealer installed a new system in a corn barn. A neighbor brought baled hay. Our veterinarian treated a sick cow free. All kindnesses aside, a permanent solution was impossible because the landlord collected the insurance money but refused to rebuild.
Bill Caldwell, a Church of The Nazarene minister, heard of our predicament. His wife had inherited two farms. They asked us to farm one of them, no rent and no crop sharing.
A cattle dealer moved the cows, household items, and small farm implements to the new farm. My father transported his aging combine, hay wagon, and tractor over the road. The move 50 miles south was complete, but my father continued to operate in survival mode. He worried about filling the silo and hay loft for another winter.
The day before the first hay crop was dry enough to put in the barn, a neighbor we had not met drove his old Chevy into the barn yard. He approached my father with a concerned look on his face. Mr. Yeagley, I’m happy to welcome you to our community. I have a 60 acre field of oats that must be harvested tomorrow. An unexpected wind could flatten it to the ground. Then I would have nothing to feed my horses in the winter. I hear you have a combine. Would you be able to combine my oats tomorrow?
NOTE: Check out “My Father’s Kindness,” the first in a series of blog postings by Larry Yeagley.