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a big year<br />
and Shelly Ahrendsen had to<br />
replace one grain bin entirely,<br />
as well as make significant<br />
repairs after the derecho. The<br />
roof of a bin blew into a yard<br />
holding 120 cattle, and a tube<br />
connecting the bins flew over<br />
one bin and down, punching<br />
a hole in the roof of the cattle<br />
shed.<br />
The bin damage occurred<br />
at the home of their son Jace,<br />
his wife, Brittany, and their<br />
two small children. Neighbors<br />
fared no better, and often<br />
worse.<br />
“We felt so blessed that our<br />
bin was standing, even though<br />
it was damaged, while all of<br />
the legs around us, they were<br />
flattened,” Shelly said.<br />
The bin that was destroyed<br />
lacked the vertical and ring reinforcements<br />
that would help<br />
it stand up to heavy winds.<br />
Instead, the tubing between<br />
the bins may have helped the<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Contributed and Brooke taylor<br />
The roof of a bin at the Jones County farm of Lynn and Shelly Ahrendsen blew into a yard holding 120 cattle,<br />
and a tube connecting the bins flew over one bin and down, punching a hole in the roof of the cattle shed.<br />
remaining ones stay standing.<br />
Repair work has been slow,<br />
but they have the storage they<br />
need for this year’s harvest.<br />
“It’s been so hard,” Lynn<br />
said. “Labor’s hard right<br />
now, and everybody’s busy.<br />
We’re all doing repairs.”<br />
But this year is a far cry<br />
from last year, when derecho-damaged<br />
crops meant<br />
lower yields and a “slow-motion”<br />
harvest. “Last year,<br />
when that happened, the word<br />
I used was ‘prioritize,’” Shelly<br />
said. “What was the most important?<br />
Obviously, it was the<br />
livestock, they needed water,<br />
then prioritize getting the road<br />
cleared with trees so people<br />
can get in.”<br />
With damaged bins still<br />
standing, the Ahrendsens<br />
stored as much as they could<br />
last year, though Lynn said<br />
that some grain had to go<br />
to town. They filled what<br />
they could and fixed leaks<br />
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eifarmer.com <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 57<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong><strong>Iowa</strong><strong>Farmer</strong>_<strong>Fall</strong><strong>2021</strong>.indd 57<br />
9/15/21 10:24 am
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