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FARMER SUDDENLY FACED THE TOUGHEST SEASON OF HIS LIFE, HE DIDN'T STOP SOLVING PROBLEMS. IN A STATE FULL OF FARMERS-- <BOBCAT BACK UP BEEP.> HARD WORK IS NOT A STRANGER. IT'S A LESSON-- <WE'LL GET GOING ON THAT LADDER.> PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS THAT OFTEN LIVE ON THE SAME GRAVEL ROAD-- <WE CAN PICK IT UP AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.> AND DRIVE TRACTORS-- <RACHET.> COATED WITH THE SAME SHADE OF GREEN GRANDPA USED TO DRIVE. <WE SPEND OUR WHOLE LIFE AND CAREER WORKING ON COMBINES.> GLENN POPE'S CREW KNOWS THAT LOYALTY. <18 IS SITTING RIGHT DOWN THERE.> BECAUSE MOST DAYS, THEY BUILD JOHN DEERE COMBINES. <BANGING OF METAL.> BUT THIS COMBINE? <THIS ONE HAS BEEN... THIS ONE HAS BEEN SPECIAL.> THIS ONE TOOK A FULL YEAR TO BUILD. <WE PUT OUR HEART AND SOUL INTO IT.> A ONE OF A KIND MODEL-- <DRILL.> BUILT FOR A FARMER NONE OF THEM EVER MET. (transition) <KNOWING THE WHOLE STORY BEHIND IT, IT REALLY HITS HOME.> <BUZZ. BUZZ. FIST.> BRAD PLUNKETT'S MOM WILL TELL YOU, HER BOY WAS BORN TO FARM. <IT'S JUST - IT'S JUST IN THEIR BLOOD. THEY LOVE IT.> A LOVE HE PASSED DOWN TO HIS BOYS WHO GREW UP RIDING IN THE CAB - <AND A PILLOW, A SMALL PILLOW HE CARRIED IN THE COMBINE. AND I SAT ON THE ARMREST AND USUALLY FELL ASLEEP.> JUST LIKE áTHEIR KIDS DID WHEN THEY HOPPED IN WITH áGRANDPA BRAD <HONK.> FOR A RIDE IN HIS BUDDY SEAT-- <YOU SHUT IT OFF! LAUGH.> DURING HARVEST SEASON IN STORY COUNTY. <HE ALWAYS WOULD GIVE THEM RIDES AT THE COMBINE AS SOON AS THEY CAME OUT.> <A TRACTOR!> WHICH IS WHY IT HURT SO MUCH THAT THAT'S WHERE HE WAS WHEN THEY ALL FOUND OUT. <IT JUST HAPPENED REALLY FAST.> áá <YEAH. I MEAN, (06) I'LL NEVER FORGET THE DAY THAT HE WAS DIAGNOSED. I MEAN, HE WAS IN A TRACTOR (10) AND, UM, (13) HE WAS RUNNING THE PLANTER AND HE HIT A FENCE POST AND HE CALLED ME AND HE SAID, YOU GOT TO COME OUT THE FIELD. I HIT A POST. I DON'T FEEL RIGHT. (20)> <YEAH, GIOBLASTOMA.> A BRAIN TUMOR - AT 55. RADIATION AND CHEMO SUDDENLY MADE FARMING DANGEROUS. <ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE STRUGGLED WITH WAS BALANCE.> SO THERAPISTS AT ON WITH LIFE IN ANKENY TRIED TO HELP BY FUELING HIS PASSION. <WHEN THEY FOUND OUT HE WAS A FARMER, THEY SAID, HEY, LET'S, UH, TAKE HIM OUT TO THE TRACTOR AND DO SOME THERAPY OUT THERE.> <THE TRACTOR IS ABOUT A 1950S TRACTOR. AND IT DEFINITELY DOESN'T (21) I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE THE TRACTORS, TRACTORS OF TODAY. (23) SO HE WAS RELATIVELY DISAPPOINTED.> BECAUSE HE COULDN'T PRACTICE THE CLIMBING HE NEEDED TO RETURN TO HIS CAB. BUT FARMERS ARE PROBLEM SOLVERS. SO HE TOLD HIS THERAPIST... <YOU GOT TO HAVE SOME COMBINE STEPS ON YOUR PROPERTY. AND I SAID, OKAY. AND (37) HE BASICALLY SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO DONATE A HALF A TRUCKLOAD OF CORN SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET COMBINE STEPS HERE. (43)> BRAD EVEN SKETCHED OUT HIS IDEA ON SCRAP PAPER - A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HE DIED. AND A YEAR BEFORE THAT TEAM FROM JOHN DEERE GOT WIND OF BRAD'S DREAM. ASSEMBLY LINES ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR ONE OF A KIND MODELS. SO FOR A YEAR, JOHN DEERE'S QUAD CITIES TEAM BRAINSTORMED, DREW UP PLANS AND WELDED. AND TESTED. AND PAINTED. <THEY WORKED ON THIS PROJECT DURING THEIR SPARE TIME, BUT ALSO ON WORK TIME AS WELL. AND REALLY THIS THING JUST BLOSSOMED.> UNTIL - JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THIS YEAR'S PLANTING SEASON-- <BUT YEAH, THAT'S HOW IT STARTED. THAT'S AWESOME. ISN'T THAT COOL?> BRAD'S NOW EVEN BIGGER FAMILY GOT WORD. <ARE YOU READY TO GO SEE GRANDPA BRAD'S TRACTOR?> HIS DREAM CAME TRUE. <YOU SEE IT?> FOUR GENERATIONS OF BRAD'S FAMILY HAVE SHARED A LOT OF TEARS THE LAST FEW YEARS. <YOU HAD LOTS OF PICTURES WITH HIM. YEAH, I HAD A BUNCH.> SEEING HIS GRANDKIDS? <OH, HE CAN HARDLY WAIT! LAUGH> CLIMB ONTO THE EQUIPMENT HE INSPIRED TRIGGERED EVEN MORE. áá <YEAH. THE TEAR CAME TO MY EYE. I MEAN, IT'S, UM. YEAH, HE JUST HE'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE EVEN WHEN HE'S NOT HERE.> <HOW SPECIAL.> <CAN YOU WAVE AT GIGI?> BECAUSE THIS ONE OF A KIND SETUP HAS A TRACTOR CAB JUST BRAD'S - RIGHT DOWN TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND THROTTLE. <THEY EVEN GOT THE MONITOR IN THERE AND EVERYTHING.> ATTACHED TO A FULL-SIZED COMBINE CAB PERCHED 7 FEET OFF THE GROUND- - <ARE YOU COMBINING THE CORN OR THE BEANS? THE BEANS. THE CORN.> SO INJURED FARMERS CAN PRACTICE CLIMBING IN. WITH SPECIAL ADD-ONS- - <NORMALLY YOU DON'T HAVE A DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TRACTOR OR THE COMBINE.> SO THERAPISTS CAN HELP FROM BOTH SIDES. <JOHN DEERE JUST GAVE THIS TO THEM. (50) AND THE EMPLOYEES EVEN GAVE THEIR TIME. ISN'T THAT NEAT?> <IT'S NOT CHEAP.> BUT IT'S ALSO NOT LOST ON THEM WHO GOT TO TEST OUT BRAD'S BUDDY SEATS FIRST. <PROBABLY THE HARDEST THING THAT SINCE HE'S GONE IS THAT HE DOESN'T GET A.... THEY DON'T GET TO JUMP IN THE TRACTOR WITH GRANDPA.> <I JUST WANT TO BURST. I JUST FEEL REAL PROUD BECAUSE I KNOW HOW HAPPY IT WOULD MAKE HIM.> TO SEE IOWANS RE-LEARNING TO CLIMB STAIRS -- <YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, RIGHT? NOPE. YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.> ON THE EQUIPMENT INSPIRED-- <CLAPPING.> BY A FARMER FIGHTING CANCER WHO SAID, "LET'S SOLVE THIS PROBLEM." <SEEING A DREAM COME TRUE. IT'S PRETTY COOL.> <KNOWING HOW MANY LIVES WILL BE IMPACTED IN A POSITIVE WAY FOR HOPEFULLY YEARS AND YEARS TO COME.> <RIGHT HERE IS HIS SIGN. IT HAS HIS NAME ON IT.> <CLIP 90-13.24.31> <SNIFFLE.> <YEAH, IT'S ABOVE AND BEYOND THIS ONE. IT YEAH. YEAH. I JUST FEEL LIKE BRAD WAS ENGINEERING THE WHOLE PROJECT FROM HEAVEN. LAUGH.> <SAY 1-2-3, GRANDPA BRAD.