Jarod Haas had a plan. He had recently purchased a chopper and had customers lined up. That was in addition to his custom alfalfa work.
“He was the hardest worker I ever met,” his dad Steve Haas said. “He could fix anything.”
When Jarod went to the bank to fund the chopper, the banker said it wouldn’t work, Steve said.
“Jarod proved him wrong,” he said with a smile.
Through his alfalfa business, Jarod served on the alfalfa board for several years and traveled the country to learn more.
Jarod’s life was cut short on March 20, 2025, when he was 47. But he had a plan. After his sister Courtney died in 2023, Steve said, Jarod put everything in a trust.
“He was no nonsense, but he would do anything for his friends,” Steve said.
When he died, his family sold his farm equipment, which went to locations all over the country, Steve said. Friends helped get top dollar for each piece.
Jarod’s will listed donations to four charities. He loved the Fourth of July, so the Fourth of July Committee was a recipient, Steve said.
Jarod lived on the Haas home place and had installed a large flag pole with a large American flag.
“He wanted truckers coming off the interstate to see it,” Steve said. “He was so proud of it.”
The pole was damaged in the storm when Jarod died, he said. The Seward Kiwanis Club plans to replace it.
Jarod’s bequests also included the youth hockey program in Lincoln.
“He was a big Stars hockey fan,” Steve said, adding that Jarod had planned to update his house to be able to house hockey players.
Jarod wanted to help young farmers, so the family decided to set up a scholarship fund with the remaining $420,000. To keep it nonprofit, they went through the Seward Kiwanis Club.
Beth Haas, Jarod’s stepmother, said the scholarship will give potential ag producers a start, hopefully drawing them into the field.
The interest the money earns will be given as scholarships to Seward County students entering an ag-related field. Jarod’s brother Bailey Haas is on the scholarship committee, Steve said.
The scholarships will be presented at the Kiwanis ag banquet each March. The first scholarships will be given in 2027.
