Benefit breakfast for Portage County farmer injured in combine accident

RAVENNA, Ohio — A Portage County farmer is recovering from a farm accident Nov. 10 that left him pinned beneath the head of his combine.

Steve Earnest, of U.S. Route 224, was working on the machine when the hydraulics apparently let loose, sending the unit down and crushing him.

Beth Hurd, a cousin of Steve, said he has suffered multiple injuries including a broken back and crushed rib cage, but is making steady recovery at Akron City Hospital.

“He’s been able to communicate since about the second or third day using hand signals — thumbs up, thumbs down,” Hurd said.

She noted that Earnest is able to use his limbs and that some swelling in his face is going down. He was rescued by his brother, Mike Earnest, and family friends, who used a skidsteer to lift the grain head.

A benefit breakfast is planned for Dec. 30 at Deerfield Town Hall, from 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The meal will feature pancakes, sausage, eggs and bacon. Admission is $6 for adults, or $5 for children. A raffle will also be held.

For more information or to donate, call 330-325-2115, or visit “Steve Earnest Benefit Farmers Breakfast” on Facebook.

Steve’s wife, Tami, was busy tending to her husband at the hospital and could not comment on his condition.

But Hurd said it is encouraging that he is communicating. She described him as someone others know, and appreciate.

“Steve knows more people than any person I know,” Hurd said. “You could take him out of state and he’ll run into someone he knows.”

He has many ties to agriculture, including local sale barns and butcher shops. Hurd said neighbors and family have volunteered their time and resources to help care for the beef cattle at the Earnest family farm, and harvest the crops.