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Gazette, The (Cedar Rapids­Iowa City, IA)
The hurt and the harvest
The Gazette
Published: October 11, 2007
GRINNELL ­ Hearing the familiar sound of a combine coming down the road these days, Brenda Mikel and her three
kids become a little emotional. "When we hear a combine go by, we think, `Daddy's home.' But he's not," Brenda
Mikel said Wednesday morning at the family's farm in rural Grinnell.
Instead, the sound the Mikels heard Wednesday was, and will be again today, about 21 combines and 40 semis and
trucks, most owned by families on neighboring farms, all pitching in to harvest the crops Doug Mikel won't be
bringing in on his own.
Doug Mikel, 45, was killed in August by the family's bull, a 4­H project named Hero. He had planted about 1,100
acres of corn and beans, some of it on the 150 acres that surrounds the dream home he and Brenda built nine years
ago for their family of five.
Dealing with the death of a beloved husband and father was one thing, but harvesting crops? That wasn't something
the family ­ Brenda, 46, Brandon, 15, Ashley, 12, and Mariah, 9 ­ could do on their own.
And their neighbors, friends and family made sure they didn't have to try.
Some of the neighbors met the morning after Doug Mikel's death to figure out what needed done at the farm.
Posters put up in town drew dozens and dozens of volunteers who lined up to do everything from running a combine,
to hauling corn and beans, to making mountains
MIKELS, PAGE 9A
Mikels/Farmers busy in own fields volunteered
From 1A
of food for the family and volunteer crew.
"It's a community effort. It's just not one or two of us," said Mark Hendrickson, who grew up on a farm a half­mile
from the Mikels.
Key organizers besides Hendrickson included Keith Osland, Tom Harris and Wayde McNeil, all farmers who live
within a few miles of the Mikels.
Hendrickson on Wednesday counted 114 people signed up to help. Of those, 50 or 60 were farmers or their brothers,
fathers and hired men. Farmers who need to be in their own fields volunteered, without hesitation and with no pay­off
in mind.
The pickups began to trickle into the Mikels' yard late in the morning in anticipation of a big lunch planned by the
women of St. John's Lutheran Church in Grinnell. Doug Mikel had been a lifetime member there, and his wife joined
when they were married 19 years ago. His grandparents had helped build the church.
Mariah's fourth­grade classmates at Bailey Park Elementary in Grinnell made bright orange and yellow construction
paper "thank you" place mats for the meal.
Brenda Mikel, a kindergarten teacher, couldn't bear to see the artwork destroyed and had the place mats tacked onto

2. the inside walls of the outbuilding where volunteers gathered.
"They're so cute, I want to keep them," she said.
Hendrickson worked the crowd, a manila folder in his hand. It held a list, handwritten on notebook paper, of all the
volunteers and where everybody was supposed to go.
Hendrickson talked to farmers about how the day might go. There was a little bit of worry about moisture in the
soybean fields, but the crew knew they could at least harvest corn. They planned to work at least until dark.
At 11:10 a.m., Hendrickson clapped his hands, and the crowd quieted. A quick prayer was said. Then Hendrickson
ran through a couple of quick announcements.
"Beans are looking pretty good. We've already got a combine stuck," he said, and the crowd laughed. "Be careful."
Brenda Mikel stood toward the middle of the group, her 6­foot­4­inch son towering over her.
"I don't know how I'll repay you, but please keep in touch," she said. "Go ahead and have a great day and a safe
day."
Then church ladies served roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes, a variety of salads and enough desserts to feed
the whole town. Some worked the crowd carrying large trays, tempting the volunteers with cookies and brownies.
Brandon Mikel stood aside, letting the farmers who were helping eat first. "I'm just glad that all the farmers are here
to help out, that they're doing all of this for us," he said, adding his dad would have done the same for them.
By 11:45, farmers were piling out of the building. Clusters of farmers gathered in the yard to talk about who was
going to do what.
Neighbor Denny Harris said helping with the harvest makes him feel a little bit better about the situation.
Added Tom Harris: "I'm here out of respect for Doug. He was a good guy, a good friend, a good neighbor. We got rid
of the bull for him, came in and did what we can to make it right. It's pretty hard to do."
"You bet. You bet," added Ken Bidwell. "He's a heck of a good man."
Bidwell is running a combine, Harris an auger wagon, his son Dave another combine.
Brenda Mikel said the day was a celebration of her husband. She planned to get a picture with the kids in one of
Doug's fields, standing by a combine. It will be their Christmas card photo.
Her husband, she said, didn't hesitate to join his father in farming years ago rather than re­enlist in the Marines. He
never complained about farming, no matter what the weather. He loved the fall harvest.
And although she won't be farming from here on out, she has a plan for every fall harvest season to come.
"We're going to still celebrate every year when our neighbors and friends harvest," she said. "You know, because
this is what Dad would have been doing."
­ Contact the writer: (319) 398­8318 or dorothy.desouzaguedes@gazettecommunications.com
PHOTOS
Cliff Jette/The Gazette
Copyright (c) 2007, Gazette Communications, Inc.