What ever happened . . .

[CUZ]

About 5 (or 10?) years ago there was a farm family in Iowa (I think) that lost most of the men and boys in the family because they were overcome with fumes because they were going in one by one to rescue the earlier person. (I know I've done a horrible job describing this, but I'm sure most will remember hearing about it.)

Anyway, does anyone know how they are coming along after being hit with such a devasting tragedy? I hope they're doing alright.

This just hit me out of the blue. I guess I was still thinking about farm stuff after I logged off yesterday and I figured this would be the place to ask.

Thanks,
Cuz

 

[Herefordcross]

HAven't heard anymore about that but, I barely remember it.

 

[Nowland Farms]

Cuz,

Didn't the story have something about methane gas and a manure pit or storage area/facility?

Seems like I remember seeing it on the TV news.

 

[KMacGinley]

In 1980/81 while I was in college, I worked for my friend's family in their veal calf barn. One day my friends dad and a neighbor that was an electrician went down into the pit to fix something and died there. It was horrible. Pit gas did it. His mom died of cancer 6 months later. What a tragedy.

 

[CUZ]

Nowland Farms

Yes, that really rings a bell. There was gas (I think it was methane) in some type of pit and the granddad and one or two of the grandsons were with him. One of them went down in the pit and was overcome by the fumes, then the next one went in to save the first and so on until it killed 4 or 5 of them.

I was thinking about a tractor. That got me to thinking about 2 of my uncles that died in tractor accidents and the next thing you know I'm wondering about the Iowa? folks.

I'm pretty sure most everyone in the country heard about it when it happened.

Thanks for refreshing my memory, but I still wonder how they are fareing.

Cuz

 

[dun]

From the MSU extension:

For example, in 1989, five Michigan dairy farmers were killed by methane after one was failed to emerge from a manure pit and the others tried to rescue him.