Good Farm Neighbor winners give money to firefighters

BROOKLYN — A Brooklyn dairy farm family that was recently honored with the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award donated money to local fire departments.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to Jan and Dorine Boelen and their family, owners of Bear Creek Dairy, May 31 at the Brooklyn Ruritan Building.

As part of the day’s celebration, the Boelen family presented a check for $5,000 to the Brooklyn Fire Department Chief Les Taylor and $2,000 to neighboring fire departments who helped the family after a machine shed and equipment was destroyed by fire in June 2023.

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The BFD also received a $2,000 donation from 1st Interstate Bank, a $250 donation from Key Coop, a $500 donation from the Dana Company and a $500 donation from the Gordan family of Bondurant.

“We are all volunteers,” said Taylor, who has been chief since January 2020 and with the BFD since March of 2007.

“This is great. It will help fund our department with equipment and supplies for the volunteers.”

In addition, at the annual Bear Creek Dairy drive-thru event held May 31 through June 2, $1,600 was raised through freewill offerings and that money is being donated to the eight area fire departments that helped the BFD battle the blaze.

And Dorine noted that Walmart donated $150 to the drive thru event and Hy-Vee donated $150 and 500 cookies to be served to guests taking the tour.

In addition to the annual drive thru tour, the Boelen families are active participants in many local events such as the Brooklyn Flag Festival, community parades, Grinnell Lions Club Ag Day, Montezuma Freedom Fest, and trunk-or-treat Halloween events at Diamond Lake and St. John’s Lutheran Church. Various members of the family is active in both the Poweshiek County Farm Bureau and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

The family also hosts farm tours, educational outreach programs and Clover Kids 4-H presentations.

The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible through a partnership with the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers (CSIF), The Big Show on WHO Radio, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Now in its 20th year, this award recognized Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment and their livestock while being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a longtime WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.

“It’s a huge honor to be recognized with such an award,” said Dorine. “It means a lot to our family and to be recognized for our hard work.”