Community finishes harvest for family of Iowa farmer who died of cancer

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (KCRG) - When Steve Copenhaver, a life-long farmer and father of three, died from a year-long battle with cancer; his friends and neighbors came together to finish his work.

More than 30 volunteers pitched in to help the Copenhavers through harvest, shaving down weeks of work at no cost to the family.

With the volunteers’ help, and what some of Steve’s friends call his tendency to be a perfectionist, this has been one of the most successful harvests the family has ever seen.

“This is the best harvest we’ve ever had,” Amy said. “He wanted to do things well.”

“It shows by the crop yields we’re getting this year,” Greg Alber, neighbor and volunteer, said. “Patient, just to the detail, a perfectionist.”

For many of those close to Steve, he was an inspiration to work with and be around.

“It was a great experience,” Nate, Steve’s son, said while reflecting on everything his father taught him.

“Steve was very particular about doing things,” Amy said. “He wanted to do things the right way, and that extended into his personal life, too.”

Before passing away, the Copenhavers reached out to Farm Rescue, the nonprofit organization that rallied volunteers and provided equipment for the work.

“I get to use my farming knowledge every day to help families in their time of need,” Ben Smith, field operations manager with Farm Rescue, said.

Farm Rescue can provide support by rallying volunteers, organizing equipment, or both in this case.

Farm Rescue helps farmers suffering from severe injuries or illnesses and areas hit by natural disasters.