Contributed
Following the unexpected passing of Alan Poppe, farmers came together to cut a field of soybeans the weekend before they laid Alan to rest. Farmers continued to help with the family’s corn harvest until its completion.
Contributed
Several gathered to assist the family of Bob Lampmann harvest a field of corn in early November.
Farmers unite in times of heartache
In difficult times, local farmers came together to help the families of Alan Poppe and Bob Lampmann with their harvests.
Poppe
After Alan passed away unexpectedly on Oct. 18 at the age of 52, his son Blake Poppe said his good friend Scott Mosel had people calling him left and right wanting to help with their harvest.
Poppe said while he was skeptical of accepting help at first, he and the family are absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude.
Having just begun their nearly 2,000-acre harvest, Poppe said those wanting to help called Mosel or Tony Schrotberger, who set it up from there.
“Some of them didn’t really even know Dad. They just wanted to help,” said Poppe.
He said his cousin, Craig Poppe of Imperial, helped him throughout the entire harvest, which was completed in about two weeks. He noted there was no way he could name everyone who helped, because there were so many and he didn’t want to risk forgetting to mention someone.
“We just want to reiterate how thankful we are. It was really awesome to see. If people could make it work, they did. I knew they had their harvest to do yet too.
“We are so grateful. I feel like I can’t say thank you enough to everybody,” Poppe said.
Lampmann
In true Perkins County fashion, the community also recently united for the family of Bob Lampmann, who passed away on Sept. 10 at the age of 58.
His son Brandon Lampmann said Kasey Kroeker and Brad Ensz lined up a crew to harvest a field of corn, finishing in just a few hours.
Lampmann was also hesitant to accept help, knowing those offering were busy with their own harvests.
But the responses he continued to receive remained the same...
“Bob would have done it for us.”
“Bob helped me out a time or two.”
“Bob was always there for me.”
“Always could count on Bob to help me out.”
Those helping included Jim, Jeffrey Lampmann, Sedona and Briar, Alisa Lampmann, Kent and Kasey Kroeker, Danny Bollinger, Doug Schroder, Chris Ferguson and crew, Leon and Micheal Lee, Gordon, Ryan, Brad Ensz and crew and Danny and Wendel Goertzen.
Brandon said saying thank you doesn’t hold a candle stick to how grateful their family is.
“We are truly in awe of the generosity that has been shown to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” he said.