Support during their darkest hour

CADOTT, Wis.  – Jeff and Trista Kenealy have responded to loss and struggle in the agricultural community several times by giving of themselves. Recently, the couple found themselves on the receiving end when friends and neighbors pitched in to lend a helping hand.
“We did the same thing for a family that suffered a barn fire a couple years ago,” Jeff said. “It is just what you do. You help out people that need the help.”                                                      
The tables turned suddenly for the Kenealy family when Jeff’s father, John, passed away suddenly from a heart attack the evening of July 25.                                                                                                                                    
“Dad had been working all day at raking rock,” Jeff said of that Monday. “We were getting ready to start third crop hay pretty soon. We still had some rock to pick and waterways to seed down.”
The Kenealys milk 500 cows on their Chippewa County dairy farm near Cadott with their sons, Delton and Timothy.                                                                                                                                       
Upon hearing the news of the loss the Kenealy family suffered, friends and neighbors sprung to action to remove the burden of making the third crop of hay from the Kenealys’ shoulders.
Steve Mayer, of Tilden, Taylor Straschinske and John Backhaus, both of Boyd, stepped in to take hold of the reins, orchestrating a plan to harvest the Kenealys’ haylage and take care of other imminent jobs that needed tending to.            
“I was just in shock that night; I didn’t even know what to think or do,” Jeff said. “These guys just stepped in and took over. They coordinated and took care of everything.”
Backhaus milks 300 cows 5 miles from the Kenealys’ farm. He said he and Jeff have been close friends for nearly 20 years.                                                                                                 
“Neither of us has a brother, so we kind of fill that void for each other,” Backhaus said. “We have such a strong community. People still do those old-fashioned things and help their neighbors when it is needed.”
Backhaus took it upon himself to complete work that had been started on a damaged waterway. Backhaus seeded the waterway and rolled it, and with the help of some of his employees, they installed environmental mats to finish the project.
During a typical hay crop, the Kenealys would have a crew of six to eight people working on the harvest. During the week following John’s death, Trista estimates sometimes as many as 20 people were on the farm.
“I’m sure there are people who were here that we might not have even realized,” Trista said. “We had so much to think about and take care of, just being with family and coming to terms with losing John.”
Coming to the aid of the Kenealy family, Mahr Brothers, of Stanley, and Romanowski Corporation, of Gilman, brought additional equipment to expedite the process of harvesting the hay.
Jeff said he lost count of all the equipment and all the people that were on hand to help.               
“There were two choppers, four mergers and lots of extra tractors and trucks,” Jeff said. “It was mind-blowing what everyone did for us.”
The day after John died, Jeff said a crew was at work taking on the never-ending task of picking rock.
“The farm is on the edge of the glacier,” Jeff said. “We have a lot of rock and have to pick rock every time we do anything in the fields. We could have built a dozen stone houses from all the rock we’ve picked.”
 By the end of the week, the third crop was cut and chopping commenced Saturday morning. Trista said everything was completed and the bunker was covered by late Saturday afternoon.
“We are so sincerely grateful for everything that Steve, Taylor and John, and everyone from Mahr Brothers and Romanowski Corporation did for us, during our time of grief,” Trista said. “There are just no words to express our appreciation for everything they did for us, lending us a helping hand when we most needed it.”       
Time moves on, and the hay keeps growing. The end of August brought fourth crop hay: the first crop of many that Jeff would make without his father by his side.
“Doing fourth crop was hard; it was really emotional,” Jeff said. “I’d find myself tearing up sometimes. Nothing will ever be the same without my dad here doing it with me.”  
After graduating high school, Jeff returned to the farm in 2002 and joined his father in operating the dairy. The two transitioned the farm from a tiestall barn to their current freestall facility.
“I never wanted to work anywhere else or do anything else,” Jeff said. “Dad was still involved in the day-to-day stuff here. I miss him every single minute of every single day.”
For Jeff, the memory of how his friends and neighbors supported him during his darkest hour continues to move him to tears while also being a source of comfort and strength. He choked back a sob as he talked about the experience.
“It was just amazing what our friends did,” Jeff said. “Everything was done, and I didn’t have to think about it or do it. It was so nice to have those decisions taken off my shoulders at that time, to have that support from everyone. We are fortunate to have good people in our lives and to live in such a tight-knit community.”