Neighbors Helping Neighbors w/Harvest

(THE SUN AND THE WIND COMBINED TO DRY THE FIELD ENOUGH TO LET THE COMBINE KICK UP A LITTLE DUST WHILE CUTTING BEANS ON THE FLOYD MILLER FARM NORTH OF DEXTER WEDNESDAY)

Neighbors still come to the aid of neighbors, at least in the farming community.

Floyd and Ruth Ann Miller, who live north of Dexter in the west part of Effingham County recently got news that Floyd had a cancerous leg that would have to be amputated above the knee to keep the cancer from spreading.

That blow was complicated by the fact that it's harvest time on the Millers' acreage, The corn has been harvested, but about 220 acres of soybeans remained to be cut, some surrounding the family farm home and other acreage to the east near Effingham Country Club. In fact, the Millers' combine broke down twice, once on the day they were told Floyd would have to undergo the amputation.

When neighbors got word of the Millers' situation, they decided to go to work and take care of the harvest. That left the Millers one less thing to worry about. The neighbors are assisting the Millers' son, Matthew, who owns the farm with his parents.

While the neighbors agreed to help, so did The Equity, which fed all those participating lunch Wednesday and supplied several of the trucks used to haul the beans.

(THE GRAIN WAGON EMPTIES ITS LOAD OF SOYBEANS INTO A SEMI FOR HAULING TO A NEARBY ELEVATOR. THE CUT BEANS ARE LOADED INTO THE WAGON BY THE COMBINE. USING THE WAGON LETS THE COMBINE CONTINUE TO DO ITS WORK)

We sat down with Ruth Ann Miller and some of her friends and family at the Miller farm. No one wanted to be recorded, but Ruth Ann said she and Floyd head for St. Louis Thursday morning for the surgery later that day at Barnes Jewish Hospital. The doctors indicated Floyd would only need to spend two days in the hospital before heading back home.

The Millers were very appreciative of all those who were helping in any way.