Ranchers Stand United
When it rains it pours. But unfortunately, not in a literal sense for the West, and perhaps too literal for the South.
As if 2020 had not brought enough hardship to our nation and our industry, late August and early September were accompanied by a realm of natural disasters. A sad combination of hurricane and wildfire, hardship and loss make up our front page this week. It’s a reality all ranchers know they could face at any given time, but pray they never do as they work day in and day out to make ends meet through drought, poor markets, or hard winters. Then, in the blink of an eye, we are humbled and reminded that ol’ Mother Nature has the final say in our line of work.
In my lifetime, my family has been one of the fortunate few to not be entirely wiped out when God has a different plan in mind. But I have seen friends, relatives, and neighbors experience the unthinkable. I couldn’t imagine the panic of an evacuation or the helpless feeling racing out of the driveway and praying the cows and horses made it out of destruction’s path. Then, the initial despair that is to follow when the storm or flames have subsided and its safe to begin tallying the damage. My heart hurts for the good, honest, hardworking ranchers that are facing this unfair situation today.
But what never seizes to amaze me in these tough times is the resilience and hope that those individuals portray. They could be walking through a burned hay corral or climbing across a pile of rubble that was once working corrals and say, ‘it could always be worse.’ When they are experiencing what I would say is one of the worst nightmares, they are grasping on to hope and faith and looking ahead, through the year of long hard days to rebuild and regrow, to when their lives are once again whole.
Almost always, said individual also has an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the outpouring of support not just from friends and family but from the industry as a whole. That is one of my most cherished aspects of the agriculture community — the eagerness to lend a hand and the unconditional support for our neighbors in need. And neighbor doesn’t mean the bordering ranch when disaster strikes, it could mean a fellow producer on a different side of this great nation. When times are tough, the industry bands together to bring along the impacted producer through donations or volunteered time. It always brings me great pride to see convoys of hay or fencing supplies headed down the interstate gathered by one ranching community to help another.
We all know that at any given time, we could be impacted in the same way. So, we count our blessings and share what we can with those in need. Our industry may have its fair share of internal battles and disagreements, but times like these serve as a reminder that we support one another, we all have the same goal in mind, and we want to see every one of our “neighbors” survive in this unpredictable livelihood we’ve chosen. At the end of the day, politics, affiliations, and practices aside, ranchers still stand united. And in 2020, that’s certainly an achievement to hang our hat on — cheers, ag community, you make me proud.