Four combines, four auger carts, three semis, a straight struck and tractors and wagons and the people to run them all coordinated together to finish the corn harvest for Paul and Jill Eldal on Wednesday. The crew was made up of friends, neighbors and NEW Cooperative.

The last of the 80 acres, which was finished in less than two hours, was to assist the family as Paul Eldal is currently battling stage 4 kidney cancer.

Paul Eldal said he wouldn’t have been able to handle the harvest on his own.

“This is all very humbling. There are no words,” he said. “Thank you isn’t enough, but that’s all I can say. It’s not enough, not at all.”

-Messenger photo by Kriss Nelson
Reed Eldal unloads corn into a wagon Wednesday. Reed Eldal not only volunteered his time and equipment to help harvest his cousin Paul Eldal’s crops this fall, but helped to organize the large crew that came out to help harvest the 150 acres of corn. Half of the corn crop was harvested last week and other half was harvested on Wednesday.

Paul Eldal said he is especially thankful to his cousin, Reed Eldal, who took the reigns in organizing the two days it took to harvest the 150 acres of corn. The first harvesting benefit was held last week.

Prior to that, Reed Eldal said he and other neighbors helped to harvest Paul Eldal’s soybeans.

“So many gracious people have offered to help,” said Reed Eldal.

“You don’t realize you have that many friends – that many people that help,” said Paul Eldal. “I farm 300 acres and had 150 acres of corn and 150 acres of soybeans that people have come together to help harvest. They did 70 acres in an hour and a half last week. Reed has taken care of everything.”

Several of the farmers that came to help out, halted their own harvest in order to ensure their neighbor and friend’s corn would be harvested.

-Messenger photo by Kriss Nelson
Two of the four combine and auger cart teams that came to help with the harvest for Paul and Jill Eldal are shown working their way through the last 80 acres of the Eldal’s corn on Wednesday.

Steve Zierke brought a semi and grain trailer to help haul the corn to market.

“I have known Paul for many years and he is a good neighbor,” said Zierke. “It is so neat for all of the farmers to come together and help him out.”

DeWayne Newell was present for the corn harvest, and also helped assist the Eldals with their soybean harvest earlier this fall.

“Paul and I went to school together. We farm next to him,” said Newell. “It’s good for the community to get together and help people out like this that need it. It shows that people care. That’s what it is all about — caring.”

For Jill Eldal, it was a bittersweet day watching the last of their corn to come out of the field. As thankful as she is, it also saddens her to realize her husband was too ill to do it himself.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s hard to put into words how people come together. The farming community is an amazing community,” she said.

Paul Eldal said he is very thankful for the assistance he has received this year since his diagnosis in May. People may not realize, he said just how helpful they have been.

“To me, it doesn’t make a difference — whether you helped physically, or if you said a prayer or if you have thought about us. It all means the same — that is huge,” he said.