$75,000 raised for beginning farmers
We did it!! With the support of 217 of you, we have raised $75,000 and kept our beginning farmer program strong for 2014.
I know a lot of you aren’t, uh, flush with cash, which makes the support even more significant. Beginning farmers: Take note of the strong commitment your fellow members have to you! They are funding the mentoring, the business plan development help, the farminars, the field days, and the beginning farmer retreat for you this next year.
Linda Appelgate, one of the many contributors to the 100 Days, 100 Beginners campaign.
Dick Schwab of Solon–a partner of farmers Kate Edwards and Susan Jutz in a program to train beginning farmers (thefarminginstitute.com)– kicked off the 100 Days, 100 Beginners Campaign by issuing us a $10,000 match pledge. The PFI Board of Directors all kicked in with pledges as well. Kathy and Herb Eckhouse , co-founders of La Quercia, suggested that attendees to their Ham Independence Festival contribute to the campaign. Steadfast contributors Rick and Beth Schnieders, Helen Gunderson, Gene and Loraine Smith, Charlotte Hubbell, Diane Horn, Herb and Kathy Eckhouse, David Hurd, Joyce and Fred Lock, Rob Fleming and Doug Opheim kicked in larger gifts. Two of our company supporters, Grain Millers and John Deere Financial, gave larger gifts as well.
We really needed your help. For the fiscal year about to start, we had to make up a $100,000 shortfall to keep our programming going at its current level. We ramped up our beginning farmer work three years ago largely funded by a federal grant; that grant ended this week. Because Congress has not passed a Farm Bill, Practical Farmers and a whole lot of other groups around the country did not have an opportunity to apply for a renewal of that support. Many are now cutting programming and staff—because of you we do not have to. We hope Congress will pass a Farm Bill soon and fulfill its obligations to agriculture and to our future farmers.
Part of the support for the 100 Days, 100 Beginners campaign came about because of a very sad event. More than $3,000 of the donations were given in memory of Dan Specht, our beloved member who died in June. We are honored the Specht Family chose Practical Farmers to receive the donations to help our beginning livestock farmers.
Donations are still very welcome and will only make us stronger: https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=a0d5a8
Here’s a list of those who put us over the $75,000 mark. If you contributed and we failed to list you, please do let me know!
Nancy and Paul Ackley
Don Adams and Nan Bonfils
Nancy Adams
Elise Amel
Jonathan Andelson
Amber Anderson Mba
Nathan and Sarah Anderson
Erica Andorf
Anonymous Donors
Linda Applegate
Mike Arnold
Robert Ballou
Jeffrey and Paula Barbour
Steve and June Beaumont
CJ and Kari Bienert
Anna Blumstein
Father Marvin Boes
Nancy Bolson
George Boody
Dora Bopp
David Brady
Mark Brisky
Lee and Lori Burras
Dave Campbell
Theresa Carbrey
Jerry and Jill Carlson
Angie Carter
Steven Cassabaum
Jill and Kurt Cease
Amy Christensen
James and Susan Collins
Stephen and Janet Cornelius
Tom and Mary Cory
Kay Countryman
Craig Cox
Ann and Chris Cromwell
Bridget Crowley
Tim and Maureen Daley
Susan DeBlieck
Mike and Mary DeCook
Dennis and Marianne Dietzel
Kirk Den Herder
Brian DeVore
Kathryn Draeger
Andrew and Melissa Dunham
Selma Duvick
Kathy and Herb Eckhouse
Kate Edwards
Joe Eichelberger
Kamyar Enshayan and Laura Jackson
Suzan Erem and Paul Durenberger
Robert Fleming
Rex Fowler
Tom and Irene Frantzen
Edward Franzen
Tyler Franzenburg
Liz Garst
Mary Susan and Richard Gibson
John and Sarah Gilbert
Linda Gobberdiel
Grain Millers
Luke and Sally Gran
Mary Margaret and Jim Gran
Jim Grant
Annie Grieshop
Richard Groux
Helen D. Gunderson
Steven Gustafson
Gary and Nancy Guthrie
Earl and Jeff Hafner
Jean MarieHall
Glen and Jeanine Halva-Neubauer
Nedra Hanken
David and Beverly Hannon
Jay and Jeanne Hansen
Sara Hanson
Teresa Hay McMahon
Helene Hembreiker
Randy and Liz Hertz
Gail Hickenbottom
Ferd Hoefner
Glen Hoff
Steve and Sara Hopkins
Diane Horn
Charlotte and Fred Hubbell
David Hurd
Joseph Ihm
Dana Jackson
John Deere Financial
Chris and Cedar Johnson
Owen and Shirley Johnson
Tamsyn Jones and Chris Witte
Jason Jones and Erin Drinnin
Lois Kail
Dave and Barb Kalkwarf
Larry and Donna Kallem
Melville Kennedy
Don King
Fred Kirschenmann
Jeff Klinge and Deb Tidwell
Liz Kolbe
Kevin and Susan Kolbe
Martin Kremer
Gloria Kromminga
Curtis and Darcia Krouse
Dennis Kurc
Joseph Lakers
Peter Lammers and Jen Filipiak
Tim Landgraf and Jan Libbey
Donald Laughlin
Hannah Lewis
Joyce and Fred Lock
Jean and Atis Lubavs
Joe Lynch and Lonna Nachtigal
Vic and Cindy Madsen
Mandy Manning
Brandee Marckmann
Mike and Mary Mathiasen
Bradley and Brent McDowell
Stanley Mehmen
Amy Miller
David and Linda Monroe
Adam and Dru Montri
Kent and Kathy Morris
Dewey Murken
Connie and Robert Mutel
Christ Naumann and Elizabeth Presutti
Jeri Neal
Ruth and Roald Nelson
Larry and Ruth Neppl
Mary and Ray Nichols
Arliss and Jacque Nielsen
Tomoko Ogawa
Jeff and Gayle Olson
Linda Lee O’Neel
Teresa Opheim and Rich Schuler
Doug and DeAnn Opheim
Miriam Patterson
Lynda Payne
Jeremy and Jodi Peake
Carol Pearson
Mark and Melanie Peterson
John Pieper
Darwin Pierce
John Pokladnik and Mary Sue Kislingbury
Dianne Prichard
Mark Quee
James Ranum
Bonnie and Peter Raquet
Mark and Sharon Rasmussen
Clarion Reece
Lois and Jack Reichert
Stephen Reinart
Laurie and Eric Roberts
Carol Rogers
Frederick Rose
John and Sharon Rose
Ronald and Maria Rosmann
Paul and Lori Rottenberg
Connie Russell
Jeff and Vee Sage
Robert and Mary Sass
Ronald and Glee Sass
Laura Sayre
Corey Schink
Brent Schlenker and Marilyn Barnes
Rick and Beth Schnieders
Mark Schultz
Dick Schwab
Paul and Pamela Schwartz
Erik Sessions and Sara Peterson
Rachel Sherman
Charlotte Shivvers
Shivvers Fair Acres
Jim and Kathy Shurts
Richard and Diana Sloan
Marc Smith
Sean Smith
Gene and Loraine Smith
Jonathan Specht
Dan and Diana Stadtmueller
Darren and Amie Stadtmueller
Kristin Steinbach
Dave and Paula Stevenson
Larry and Margaret Stone
Marc and Abigail Strobbe
Mary Swander
Chris Teachout
John and Angela Tedesco
Lynn Tedrow
Bruce Thalacker
William and Marilyn Thalacker
Brian and Paula Thalacker
Barbara Thalacker
Roger and Barbara Thompson
Olga Tidwell
Kurt and Teresa Van Hulzen
Dan and Kay Vorwald
Mary Walker-Chyle
Nick Wallace
Kevin and Elsie Walsh
John and Sandra Walter
Wapello County SWCD
Steve and June Weis
James West
Wheatsfield Cooperative
Bill and Christy Whitley
Barbara Whitt
Mary and Glenn Wiedenhoeft
Rebecca Wiinanen
David and Corrine Williams
Paul and Phyllis Willis
Beth Wilson
Dan and Lorna Wilson
Sally and Chris Worley
Bill Wunder
Lauren Zastrow