Debra Marquart talks of the role of Germans from Russia women in agriculture and the many labors involved in their lives.

“It’s all earth and sky!” was the reaction of one German-Russian immigrant when she arrived on the plains of the Upper Midwest. Like many others who came to the region seeking a land of promise and opportunity, she and her family endured – and prevailed – on this rich, expansive landscape. Immigration implies departure, as well as arrival. Transport from one country to another may mean deportation; it inescapably includes exile whether voluntary or forced, and brings disruption to families in the old country and in the new. Immigrants require courage and fortitude, even when they are weak and poor. Like many others who have come here, Germans from Russia have suffered, and they have overcome. Since their background and history is as rich in texture as it is in diversity, they serve here as a model of assimilation of other ethnic groups into American society.