Farm Rescue saves Illinois farmer’s harvest after severe injuries

WAYNE CO., Ill. (WFIE) - A Tri-State farmer is still recovering after a semi-truck fell on his torso in early August.

One nonprofit organization stepped in to help during the famer’s biggest time of need.

“I’m 60 years old, been farming all my life,” Ray Glover said.

Glover owns Glover Farms and has never missed a harvesting season, until now.

“I was changing tires on semi and had a semi fall on me and pin me down,” Glover said.

It had come off the jack and fell on Glover’s torso. He broke a few ribs, had a collapsed lung and lacerations to his kidney and liver.

After Glover was injured, a nonprofit organization called Farm Rescue stepped in.

“Farm Rescue is the only organization in the country that I know of doing this type of event field work. So we’re here with one of our combines and three volunteers harvesting about 500 acres of corn for the family,” Farm Rescue Field Operations manager, Ben Smith said.

The volunteers took vacation days to be there to help bring in Glover’s corn crop since he can’t.

“It’s humbling and very much appreciated,” Glover said.

Alex Spiros is one of the volunteers and this is his first time volunteering with the organization to help a farmer in need.

“I just kind of put myself in the shoes of the farmer. If something tragic were to happen to my family, I would be so grateful for volunteers to come in and help me get my crop out,” Spiros said.

The assistance and help means just as much to Glover as it does to them.

“I know God watched over me. I have a purpose to figure out I guess,” Glover said.

Smith says they’ll be helping out all week and have been covering about 100 acres a day.

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