Breeder’s Connection 2026 | Editorial: On Neighboring
To “neighbor” with someone carries a much deeper meaning than simply bordering a fence with another farmer or rancher. Neighboring means collaborating, trading help, and locking arms to share the workload.
Trading help during branding, shipping, and other large tasks on an operation is wise for a few reasons: one doesn’t have to hire day help, it solves shorthandedness, and one gets to spend the day working alongside neighbors (that are hopefully friends). As they say, many hands make light work.
Neighboring is a beautiful phenomenon that I hope persists for many years to come. Today, even ranchers are more isolated than ever. The practice of neighboring gets a little closer to what I believe human beings were designed for – communion with others.
When I lived in a town house during college, I never knew my neighbors. This may have been partly my fault… I never introduced myself. But I feel it is the growing norm in cities and towns. It is paradoxical that the closer one lives to one’s neighbors, the less one knows them.
On the other hand, I now consider some of my “neighbors” to be people that live 30 miles up the road from me. They swing in when they drive by, just because– another dying practice I hope will come back.
Love thy neighbor is the second great commandment. G.K. Chesterton had a humorous quip on the subject: “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”
It’s something to giggle at, although I hope we are all blessed with good neighbors. Still, it reveals that like family, we often do not get to choose our neighbors. We must lock arms where we can and make an effort at peace for the rest.
Which reminds me of another agricultural quip: “Good fences make good neighbors.”
Both of these quotes reveal the truth about living amongst our fellow men: it isn’t always easy. Respect, boundaries, and space are required for that relationship to thrive.
You won’t find the word “neighboring” in the dictionary; nevertheless, it is a verb (gerund) oft used and practiced in the agricultural industry.
I’ll admit, the simpler road may be to go it alone. But we can all agree that one gets a lot further when his burdens are shared by others. It’s simply not an option in our industry.
There is an inherent permanence to having a neighbor. One can choose to make the most of it, if one wishes.
Neighboring has a little to do with location, but it is not the defining feature. It has more to do with a willingness to check in, bring the casserole in times of trouble, and show up to help on a hot, dusty branding day, knowing those folks will do the same for you in turn.
In other words, loving your neighbor.
Keep those fences tight, but don’t forget to drop by just to say hello.