SALEM, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS)— A farmer in Kenosha County is stepping up by lending a helping hand to a farmer in need this season.
It's been a tough year for farmers across the Midwest and here in Wisconsin. For a Kenosha County dairy farmer, it's been especially difficult.
Since 1973, Rich Spoerlein and his brother have been in the farming business and it's moved down through generations. Through the ups and downs these dairy farmers have pushed through, but this year all the rain made it difficult.
"This has got to be one of the worst ones I remember," Dairy Farmer, Rich Spoerlein said.
The rain has been putting this family farm in Salem on their heels and forcing them to plant their crops about a month late. This means they are in trouble because those crops feed their 400 plus cows.
"We had to plant something to be able to feed these guys and stuff and these girls and so we had to plant late and we can’t even chop because it’s still green yet," Spoerlein said.
Their entire field full of corn is not quite ripe enough to plow, which means feeding these cows is becoming a challenge.
"It's going to be kind of tight on feed this year," Spoerlein said.
However, their docile animals won't be going hungry thanks to a Kenosha farmer.
"I don't know what we would have done without it," Rich’s Son, Douglas Spoerlein said.
Joe Smith owns Jerry Smith's Produce and Pumpkin Farm in Kenosha and heard a fellow farmer was in need, so he answered the call.
"If it can go for feed, I'm all for it if it can help somebody out," Owner of Jerry Smith’s Produce and Pumpkin Far, Joe Smith said.
Smith let Spoerlein come back and plow about 40 acres of his sweet corn stalks to break down and feed to his cows.
"It just makes you feel good and any farmer, and I believe anybody else would do it too. You know you hear somebody who is having a hard time or needs a little feed and I’m just going to plow it under, come and get it I have no problem with it," Smith said.
The craziest part of it all… these two farmers never knew each other before this season.
"I think it's real nice you know. I really appreciate it. It helped us out a lot," Spoerlein said.
It brought a sense of pride back into a lifelong farming family, all because another farmer lent a helping hand to a fellow farmer in hopes of turning this slow season around.
However, that’s what the Wisconsin farming community is all about, helping those in need, no questions asked, no thanks required.