Farm Rescue is incredibly honored to have extended a helping hand to more than 1,000 farm families in crisis throughout our history. It has truly taken a village to accomplish this feat. Our mission is driven by the generosity of some amazing volunteers, individual donors and a dedicated family of sponsors. John Deere has helped power this mission since Day 1 and played an instrumental role in our 1,000th assistance operation for a very deserving family - the Pifers of Palestine, IL.

It was early spring of 2023, when an EF3 tornado tore through the farm of Brad and Megan Pifer. Thankfully, the couple and their two children managed to escape the storm with no injuries, but when they emerged from their basement, they were surrounded by devastation. In addition to destroying their home, the twister had claimed several outbuildings, grain bins and much of their machinery. Without the use of this vital farm equipment, the Pifers decided to apply for assistance through our nonprofit. Farm Rescue was honored to provide the necessary implements and volunteers to help harvest the family’s winter wheat crop.

Thank you to John Deere for producing this incredible video to highlight this event. We are appreciative beyond words to each and every Farm Rescuer who helped in reaching this monumental service milestone! With your continued support, we are poised and ready to assist thousands more in the years to come.