South Dakota rancher rescued after battling blizzard for more than a day

Ryan Spartz 1280x720.jpg

Photo via Brooklyn Shandell Gran Facebook page

Producers across the Midwest have been pummeled with snow and extreme wintry conditions for more than a week now. The storm is taking a toll on both cattle and producers.

It has left many stranded, whether at home or on highways. For one South Dakota rancher, he was found stuck in a pasture.

Rodney Paulson is an elderly rancher who got stuck after going out to feed his cattle. Thankfully, his neighbor spotted him, but the conditions were too extreme for his equipment to manage. This meant Paulson had to stay in his tractor overnight, but thankfully he had fuel and heat.

The neighbor, Gus Gran, worked endlessly to find someone with big enough equipment to get to Paulson. Then comes in trucker, Ryan Spartz. He was driving a tracked tractor during the storm hoping to get across South Dakota.

Using Spartz’ tractor, they were able to reach Paulson by blowing through snow drifts. They called it “a cakewalk.”

After more than 27 hours stranded in the field, Paulson was rescued.

Story via Carter Schmidt with Keloland

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