Last week's death of farmer Jeffrey Hixon, 41, in Penn Township is a reminder that farming remains a dangerous occupation. The front page coverage of the accident and the local farming community's reaction to it, should also serve as a reminder of the connection between the dangerous work farmers do and the food we eat.

Appreciation of the connection between farmers and food is not unlike the understanding that mining accidents trigger of the connection between coal miners and the electricity that powers our lights, computers and refrigerators.

Deadly mining accidents, like this summer's tragedy in Utah, focus the nation's attention on the dangers of coal mining. Farm deaths don't receive the same national attention, but they are more numerous.

Last week's farm fatality in the Brownsdale area along the border of Penn and Forward townships was a reminder that farmers routinely work with heavy, potentially dangerous equipment in the uncontrolled environment of nature. Hixon was killed when a wagon heavily loaded with silage was unhitched from a tractor and began to move. As the wagon started to roll, Hixon pushed his father out of the way and tried to gain control of the wagon. Hixon, who was a lifelong farmer on the family's dairy operation, was killed by the rolling wagon.

Despite the development of equipment with more safety features, farming remains a dangerous profession. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, thousands of workers on farms are injured and hundreds are killed each year. Overturned tractors and equipment-related accidents account for the majority of the deaths.

To honor Hixon, friends and family in the Butler County farming community drove a procession of 27 farm tractors of all makes and sizes to accompany Hixon's body to the Brownsdale Cemetery on Monday.

The scene was an appropriate tribute to Hixon from his fellow farmers. Farmer Ed Theile, who took part in the tractor funeral procession, noted that "farming is a not a job, it's a lifestyle."

That lifestyle, characterized by a deep connection to the land, is demanding in many ways. Hixon's neighbors, friends and fellow farmers quickly stepped forward after the accident to help with farm chores and making sure that 70 cows in his herd are milked and the entire herd of 135 is fed twice a day.

The tribute to Hixon also was a reminder that farming remains an important part of the Butler County economy, despite a steady decline in the number of farms and farmers that echoes the trend across most of the United States. In 1900, about half of the nation's workforce labored on the farm or in a farm-related business. By 1999, the percentage of Americans working on farms had fallen to about 2 percent.

But as the reaction to Hixon's death reveals, the farming community, here and across the country, is tight-knit and supportive.

Productivity advances in equipment and techniques along with the creation of massive, corporate farming operations have allowed more crops to be raised with many fewer people. As the number of people working on farms shrinks, farmers have become almost invisible to many Americans, especially those living in or near cities.

But it is important for people to know and appreciate the work done by farmers. Hixon's death can be seen as a reminder of both the dangers and the rewards of farming.