Manchester, Iowa, Branden, Wisconsin Marketing Centers Damaged

Two National Farmers livestock marketing centers were damaged from a tornado and a severe thunderstorm in July.

In Manchester, Iowa, the July 14 tornado made its way east through town, causing damage to several buildings, including National Farmers newly acquired Manchester Livestock. Nathan Wessels, a marketing center representative, said they lost the southern half of the building, but the arena and main portion of the building remained standing.

The next day, there were 24 volunteers who brought excavators and a mini-skid loader to help clean up the damage. “We made good progress into the afternoon, the scale is intact and the pens are usable,” said National Farmers state officer Paul Riniker. “We were able to clean up the wreckage and receive cattle by 2 p.m. the next day. I want to thank all 24 volunteers for giving their time and equipment to get us back in business in less than 24 hours,” Riniker said.

National Farmers Iowa member Marv Lynch used his mini excavator to clean between the alleys and remove debris from the top of the pens. The size of the building that went down was 92 feet wide by 112 feet long.

In Branden, Wisconsin July 28, the Wisconsin National Farmers marketing center sustained damage when a funnel cloud caused straight-line winds as high as 80 miles per hour. The center itself suffered damage from the storage center next door, when a section of its roof sheared off and flew 100 feet in the air and landed on marketing center.

“The winds blew the roof off the storage building and when it landed on our property, it tore the electrical service off and punched two holes in our building,” said Jim Hayes, Wisconsin National Farmers national board member.