Volunteers Help 250+ Farms Across 11 States for Free

When a farmer breaks a leg during planting season or gets diagnosed with cancer before harvest, an entire family's livelihood hangs in the balance. Farm Rescue makes sure that doesn't happen.

The nonprofit connects trained volunteers with farming families facing illness, injury, or natural disaster across 11 states. They step in to plant, harvest, bale hay, and care for livestock, keeping operations on schedule exactly when farmers need it most.

Vane Clayton spent his childhood milking cows on his family's Indiana dairy farm before becoming a software CEO. In 2017, he read about Farm Rescue in a magazine and tore out the article, telling himself that's what he wanted to do someday.

Before Clayton was born, his father had back surgery. Neighbors kept their dairy running during recovery, and those stories stuck with him his entire life.

When Clayton retired in 2019, he finally made that call. Since 2020, he's worked on 16 cases, spending one to two weeks at a time with families he now considers like his own.

"We have an amazing connection," Clayton said. "I still get Christmas cards, we text and email once in a while, and we stay in touch."

Farm Rescue founder Bill Gross grew up on a North Dakota ranch and built the organization to serve farmers who are often too proud to ask for help. Friends and neighbors usually make the first call on their behalf.

The Ripple Effect

The nonprofit's impact reaches far beyond individual farms. With over 250 trained volunteers ready to deploy and another 200 waiting in the wings, Farm Rescue creates a safety net for rural communities that often lack backup options.

Volunteers don't just operate combines and tractors. Some staff trade shows, sharing the organization's story and connecting with farming communities. Others spread the word at Farm Bureau meetings, making sure farmers know help exists before crisis strikes.

The organization serves North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Kentucky. When a family needs assistance, Farm Rescue matches them with volunteers and equipment within days, not weeks.

"This isn't like, 'We'll get to it when we can,'" Clayton explained. "This is, 'We know you want to plant next week, so we'll get some people there.'"

Farmers can apply at FarmRescue.org or call 701-252-2017, and hundreds of volunteers stand ready to make sure no family loses their farm during their hardest season.