Pasture to Pen

Show up for your people. This is something we see done well in the agricultural industry.

Through the years, I have seen people show up when there is a natural disaster, a personal tragedy, health issues, or just to be neighborly and help someone else out.

Sometimes showing up means bringing a trailer when a friend's cattle need to be moved or being at the sale of the herd that it took years to build. Other times it means taking a meal to a family going through a difficult time and staying up late to make sure the cookies are just right. It can also mean walking into a hospital room, sitting quietly beside a friend and simply letting them know they aren't alone.

Not everyone can fully understand the sense of community those of us in farming and ranching build with one another. When our people need something, we show up. Distance generally doesn't matter. We've been taught to hug the necks of friends who are more like family. That's part of the brotherhood and sisterhood of agriculture. We don't do it expecting anything in return.

That is one of the things I love most about agriculture. We may compete in the show ring, compete to sell an animal, or compete in the marketplace of our goods, but when something truly important happens, those differences often disappear. We become neighbors, friends and family. We understand what it means to have a bad year, lose a barn, bury someone we love, fight through an illness or simply need another set of hands.

Showing up doesn't always have to be some grand gesture. It can be a phone call. A text. A cup of coffee or a meal. It can be stopping by to check on someone after a storm or remembering to ask how they are months after a tragedy has occurred.

Those simple acts can mean more than we realize. And showing up isn't just for the hard times. It is also for times of joy, such as birthdays, weddings and other celebrations. We show up to celebrate the good things with our people, too.

I am reminded of the words from one of my favorite songs that describes being there for your people, "They just show on up, with their big old heart, you find out who your friends are."

I think there is a lot of truth to that. You find out who your people are when life gets hard. But they are also the kind of people you can count on all the time.

Life moves fast. We get busy with farming, ranching, family, work, deadlines and all the things that fill our calendars. It can be easy to assume someone knows we care about them without taking the time to show it.

You get one chance at life. Don't just live it, enjoy it.

So, show up. Check on your people. They'll remember you did.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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