Man dies after fall from farm equipment

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office reports that a man died after a farming accident in Melrose Township Monday afternoon.

Deputies say they responded to a medical emergency just after 4:00 p.m. Monday to a field about three miles north of the City of Melrose.

They then spoke to a man who said that 76-year-old Michael Zirbes of Sauk Centre had fallen off a New Holland self-propelled Discbine while climbing down its ladder.

The height of the fall is estimated to be five to six feet. Zirbes reportedly came to rest against the equipment’s tire.

Zirbes was then treated at the scene and taken to the Melrose Hospital where he died as a result of the accident, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.