Not a corner of the state has escaped feeling the ripple effect of the tragedies that have hit the agricultural community in the past several weeks. Tragic losses were met with neighbors jumping in to help with the daily and seasonal work that must be done, despite broken hearts. Friends and neighbors gathered to shoulder the workload and then, with casseroles and hats in hand, to help families say goodbye to their husbands and daddies and daughters and sons and friends.

There’s no understanding to be found when accidents take lives — especially in agriculture, where the danger is often at less than an arm’s length and is a reality of the work that must be done. Our community has also experienced a string of deaths by suicide in recent weeks. The rate of farmer and rancher suicides has surpassed veteran suicides, and they also leave no shortage of questions and strong emotions.

It has been heartening to see neighbors rally around one another in hundreds of different ways as they all muddle through loss and grief together. The Fence Post Magazine was proud to contribute to the rollover auction to benefit the family of Mike Morgan after he was killed by lightning. We were joined by Altenburg Super Baldy Ranch, AgLand Feeds Ag Finity, Babcock Trucking and Livestock Services, Creston Livestock Market, Columbus Sales Pavilion, Diana and Victor Blanco, Doc Nick Schneider, Dunlap Livestock Auction and Jon and Julie Schaben, 4 Rivers John Deere, 5 Rivers Feedyard, Bill and Dixie Gibbons, Rob Graves and Morning Fresh Dairy, Susan Kester Pump Service and Younglund Backhoe Service, Kreps-Wiedeman Auctioneers, Bill Klien Family Farms, Last Minute Ventures, Loveland Ford and Loveland GMC/Buick, Joe and Chris McNurlin, Millbrook Equine, Moreno Slaughter, Mountain Vet Supply, Mountain View Meats, Lance Nightwalker, Nebraska Livestock Markets Association, Jake Owens, Pancost Hay and Ranch, Larry Peterson, Poudre Valley CO-OP, Poudre Valley CO-OP employees, Rich and Alicia Robertson and Crawford Livestock Market, Terry Regan, Johnny Schmidt, Silver Spur Ranches, Sterling Livestock Commission Company, Wayne Slingsby, Ralph Tedmon, Trails End Ranch, Travis Vallin, Wayne and Joyce Kruse, Yarber Ranch, Robert and Dixie Walker, and others.

As I’m writing this, a rollover auction to benefit the family of Rainn Stadheim is about to begin in Faith, S.D. Rainn’s mama, Carrie, is the longtime editor of Tri-State Livestock News and my friend. The line of people waiting to enter the old school in Reeder, N.D., this past week stretched the length of the parking lot. Several members of our work family attended, and we took the opportunity to hug and visit and support our friends. When the lunch was over, we did what neighbors do. We picked up folding chairs and wiped off tables, bagged leftovers, carried flower arrangements to vehicles and swept the floors. Grace was delivered to Rainn’s family — and the families of the long list of those lost in our agriculture community in recent weeks — tucked into sympathy cards, folded and dropped into jars, through whispered prayers, through meals delivered, through giant pans of scotch-a-roos at the back of the gym, and through calls and texts and emails.

These losses are acutely felt throughout the agriculture community not only because the community is small, but because we understand losses can happen to any of us. Losses have happened to all of us. Despite this, we remain the luckiest. The agricultural community leaps into action at the first whisper of need, and that is evident from the grace extended by neighbors and friends. Our people are the best kind of people.

Please continue to check your cows, check your fields, and check your neighbors.