A Supplement to the Star Shopper
Friday, April 7, 2017 • Edition 4
ountry C cres A
FFocusing on Today’s Rural Environment
They all survived Meulebroecks share story of accident, recovery process By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer SEDAN – Fall was in the air on Sept. 21, 2016, and five lifelong friends, Jason Meulebroeck, Travis McCrory, Jesse Koob, Nick Gugisberg and Isaac Schiffler, gathered on a Wednesday evening to prepare for a long-anticipated duck hunting adventure the following weekend. The friends had grown up together, attended the same school, and now were all married and had children of their own. “We were all working that day. We planned to get done early so we could meet and get ready for duck hunting,” Jason said. They were intending to take their kids along that weekend and wanted to blaze a trail through cattails in a swamp so
the kids would be able to walk out for the hunt. To do that, they used a flat-bottomed airboat with a large fan on the back, similar to those used in the Everglades in Florida. They were almost a mile into the swamp when the unthinkable happened, changing their lives forever. “We reached the channel between Lake Minnewaska and Lake Emily near Starbuck,” Jason said. “We tried to turn the boat, but went straight into the riverbank and flipped. No one to this day knows how it happened.” Before they knew it, the five men were sprawled about the area, lying on the cattails, all with injuries. “I was knocked unconscious, but only for a minute,” Jason said. “Nick already had a tourniquet on my right leg. He didn’t want me to see anything,
but I could see my left foot was gone.” Immediately calling 911, the men tried to figure out what to do. There was no way the airboat was going to work, so McCrory and Schiffler ran down the river to look for help. Meanwhile, Jason, who is a first responder himself, assessed the situation. Telling Gugisberg he needed to pull the tourniquet tighter, his attention turned to Koob. Recounting the story is difficult for Jason, who was severely injured. But it’s when he thinks of the impact on the others involved that the tears come. “Koob’s laying there moaning, and it seems like he’s going in and out,” Jason said. “We kept saying ‘Koob! You gotta wake up!” They were trying to keep him conscious, to keep him alive. At the same time Gugis-
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Five friends are pictured here with their wives at a benefit for the Meulebroeck family on Nov. 26 at the Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood. Pictured are (front, from left): Christine and Jason Meulebroeck and Marnie Gugisberg; Back: Wendy and Isaac Schiffler, Jessica and Jesse Koob, Nick Gugisberg, and Travis and Wendi McCrory. (Top) More than 1,000 people gathered at the Lakeside Ballroom in November to support the Meulebroeck family. Jason lost both legs in an accident near Starbuck in September 2016.
berg and Jason were trying to figure out how to keep both tourniquets tight to keep Jason alive. At one point, Jason held his phone in his hand to try and activate a locate app on the device
to help the rescue squads. He had a decision to make; should he call his wife, Christine, who was at home with his children,
MEULEBROECK continued on page 6
Cattle on the move Rotational grazing system a good fit for Berscheit By HERMAN LENSING Staff writer
GREY EAGLE – Pete Berscheit enjoys seeing black cattle on pastures. “When I was growing up, my dad had Black Angus,” he said. “I liked them.” Following in his father’s footsteps, 13 years ago Berscheit decided to start his own herd. The Grey Eagle farmer currently has a 55-cow operation, with that number fluctuating during calving season and sometimes
doubling in size. Berscheit manages the herd in a rotational grazing system, which allows the cattle to eat fresh grass much of the year. “I have 14 paddocks,” Berscheit said. “Each is designed to hold 55 head for a couple days.” Berscheit was intrigued with rotational grazing from the moment he first heard of the practice. It also seemed to be a type of management that Black Angus could do well with, particularly because of the wetlands within Berscheit’s land. “The National Resource Conservation Service (NCRS) was a big help when we were getting this [grazing system] set up,” he said. “They looked at the topography and soil BERSCHEIT continued on page 4
PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING
Pete Berscheit walks through his herd of Black Angus. Berscheit has a 55-cow beef operation near Grey Eagle.