Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2021

Even with all of the community
support, he faced many challenges,
starting with equipment. After the
storm, he did not know what equipment
worked or what needed to be
fixed, and harvest was beginning.
Tractors and other machinery took
time to repair.
“Everyone came together, and everything
got fixed so it was operational
for harvest. That was so helpful.”
he said. Less urgent repairs – such as
body work on the semis and tractors
– were left until McGuire had more
time over the winter.
After years of housing equipment
in some other family buildings, as
well as at neighbors’ property, Mc-
Guire had looked forward to getting
everything under one roof for the
winter. For now, he is making do.
“We have a couple of pieces sitting
out this winter. It’s not our first
choice, but it’s what we have to do,”
he said.
The last challenge McGuire faced
was the cost of the new building.
mother nature
After the storm, he called his builder
and found that the price of building
materials had increased by 40
percent as a direct result of not only
this storm but of the hurricanes and
wildfires taking place in other parts of
the country.
“I was surprised by the huge jump
in prices since March. In just six
months I was going to have to pay for
almost another half of the building
from what I paid the first time,” he
said.
McGuire’s builder recommended
he hold off a while, predicting that
the prices would start to come down
through the winter and into early
2021. That’s what he decided to do.
Plans were to begin buying building
materials in January and February,
with construction to begin in the
spring.
“We are definitely going to rebuild,”
he said.n
— Beth Lamp, a senior at Northeast
High School, is a member of the
CAC Media Group
Derecho damage
➤ The derecho that swept through Iowa Aug. 10
is officially the most costly thunderstorm ever in
recorded U.S. history, according to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
➤ The storm is in the top five of the most
expensive weather events in the United States
last year, surpassing the damages caused by
most hurricanes and tornados, according to a
report by National Public Radio.
➤ Only Hurricane Laura, causing $14 billion in
damage, surpassed it. The derecho has cost
more than $7.5 million in damages including
flattened crops and damage or destruction
to farm structures, homes, businesses and
vehicles.
➤ The line of thunderstorms traveled 770 miles
from South Dakota through Ohio, by way of
central Iowa, in 14 hours, bringing sustained
and widespread winds over 100 mph and
cutting power to half a million people, the
NOAA said.
➤ More than 850,000 Iowa crop acres were lost,
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Wheatland Manor Golden Rule:
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Shown are (above left to right):
Jean Williams, Leonard Kruckenberg and Carol
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Beautician Kendra Fitzgerald with resident
Helen Soenksen; Activities Director Angela
Bousselot and Mary Cronkleton in the courtyard;
and Judy Coates using the rehab facility.
Call today for a tour 563-374-1295
eifarmer.com spring 2021 | Eastern Iowa Farmer 79