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(NewsDakota.com) – Jamestown-based non-profit organization Farm Rescue is currently accepting applications for  farm families needing planting assistance this spring.

Applications received before April 15 will receive priority, but founder Bill Gross said its best to get them in as soon as possible.

“It’s really best if someone is injured or ill or has a natural disaster, to put in your application now,” he said. “The sooner we get it the sooner we can review it and get it on the list.”

Farmers may apply for assistance to have up to 1,000 acres planted free of charge this spring. Gross said applicants can fill out a two-page application available at www.farmrescue.org or call 252-2017. He said Farm Rescue’s board of directors will review the information.

“We look at which farm families could use the assistance of course, from an injury or illness, and then we plan our route where we can help the maximum number of farm families in the least amount of time,” Gross said.

Since 2006, Farm Rescue has assisted 160 farm families in North Dakota, South Dakota, eastern Montana and western Minnesota, according to the group’s web site. Gross said the organization has gained over 200 sponsors to help its efforts.