Farming community comes together to help grieving family

[November 09, 2022]     Farming communities have long traditions of helping other farmers in need. Every year, we seem to hear stories of local farmers who come together to help a neighboring farm family who has suffered a hardship or tragedy.

This year is no different. Farmers from three different area counties joined forces to help harvest the land that had been farmed by Wayne Moldenhauer. A third generation farmer in the San Jose,  Moldenhauer recently died in a tragic accident.



The last week of October and first week of November, several farmers from Logan, Mason and Tazewell Counties worked together to harvest the corn and soybeans of the Moldenhauer family. The fields were just off Illinois State Route 136 near the San Jose and New Holland blacktop.



Overall, Darren Haberland said these area farmers harvested around 161 acres. They hauled the harvest to the elevator at Allen Station just off Route 136.

On the first day, ladies of the neighborhood and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church donated food, and Trent Clark cooked pork chops. On two other days, Emden Sun Ag donated the food.


All the hard work paid off as the farmers finished harvesting the fields. Cynthia Folkes says, “Wayne always said how blessed he was to have such good neighbors and friends.”

[Angela Reiners with photos by Darren Haberland and Cynthia Folkes]