When health issues forced David Welk to postpone some work on his farm just south of Willow City, friends and family came to the rescue.

More than a dozen neighboring farmers and friends helped haul hundreds of bales of hay, assisting Welk to get them stored for the winter.

Welk’s farm south of Willow City was a beehive of activity on Nov. 19, as the bales were moving in at a steady pace.

“I think we’ve got about five loaders and seven movers,” said Alan Fosness. “There are about 15 guys running around helping, doing what they can to help. It’s just all the neighbors, we all get along really good and help each other back and forth. David is always so good to help us out.”

Getting the bales moved before a major snowstorm came in was key, according to Welk’s classmate, Tim Semler.

“Any storm that could come by could dump a foot or a foot-and-a-half of snow, and then it’s a real battle for these guys,” Semler said. “All of us got finished up so we said why not give Dave a hand, it’s a nice day to be out.”