ELLSWORTH - You won't see cattle on the Haynes family farm in Ellsworth anymore. No tractors or trailers are there either. The well-known fiberglass charolais bull that marked the land is gone, too.

Cattle rancher Scott Haynes and his family still live in a house on the land, but even that might change soon.

Haynes' whole life changed on an early October day in 2004 when a pickup truck hit his Trailblazer and caused him to flip three times. He broke his neck, tore his right rotator cuff and ripped his right bicep.

The result of the accident was so bad he can no longer handle the demanding everyday farm tasks, so he's selling out.

"That basically put an end to it. It makes you mad, but nothing you can do about it. You go on, try to find something else that interests you that you can do," Haynes said.

The cattle industry has rallied behind him to buy and take care of his precious animals and help him get ready for a weekend sale. But it's not an easy time in the rancher's life.

'Hearing them moo'

Haynes, 44, tries to put on a tough face but is sad to see an end to his career raising and showing cattle. He said it was a tough day when his last cow left the farm a week and a half ago, and it's sure to be a rough day Saturday when the rest of his equipment is sold to the highest bidder.

Haynes already has sold his 25 shorthorn and Charolais cattle, part of the cream of the crop at livestock exhibition shows and fairs around the state and country.

His tractors, trailers, balers and more will be for sale as part of an annual event at 9 a.m. Saturday at Reel Livestock Center in Congerville.

The sale will put an end to a passion that began when Haynes was just 13 and his parents bought the land in Ellsworth for the farm.

Their animals have won too many awards to count. Top honors included grand champion awards in Louisville, Ky., Houston, and twice at the Illinois State Fair.

Haynes shared his father's joy of working with cattle and traveling across the country for shows. He took over the farm around 1996. His dad retired in 2002.

"Scott was really good around the cattle," said his father, John Haynes. "You have to have a feel for it. He really did."

Cows were so much a part of the family that Scott Haynes would set the alarm in the middle of the night to check on a cow if she was pregnant. During a storm, he'd made sure they headed for shelter, too. He enjoyed going out into the field and just being near the cows.

"I started missing them before they all left the farm," Scott Haynes said. "Hearing them moo once in a while would sure be nice."

Cattle community sad

Les Reel, the auction house's owner and operator, has become a friend to the Haynes family through the 20 years he's helped them buy and sell cattle.

"He's a good livestock man. Now he can't do anything," said Reel. "It just hurts everybody's feelings."

Haynes said he knows some of the people, like the folks at Jordan Acres in Sibley, who bought some of his favorite animals.

Dennis Jordan said Haynes has been a good friend and customer of his family business since the late 1990s. Jordan Acres produces most of its own cows, but Jordan still purchased a few of Scott Haynes' shorthorns and some cattle equipment.

"It was just mainly because of Scott's injury and he couldn't do it any longer," Jordan said.

Scott Haynes takes comfort in knowing some cattle still have a good home locally and he might be able to see them at shows.

"But you can't bring them home," John Haynes said.

Physically impossible

Even after operations on his neck and shoulder, and a year in therapy, Scott Haynes said his condition has gotten worse since the accident. A task like handling a five-gallon tank of gas is difficult. He definitely can't lift a 50-pound bag of feed or physically control cattle.

"I can reach in my back pocket, get my wallet - but I just can't do the things I used to do," Haynes said. "I just can't do it."

If it weren't for his 17-year-old son, A.J., who handled most of the farm chores for the past two years, Haynes said he probably wouldn't have made it this long.

He loves being out in the country, but he said they'll probably move to town.

As for work, Scott Haynes also works at his father's company, Specialty Grains in Gibson City. Limited to what he can do even there, he has had to settle for a desk job. It's not a move that makes him happy, but he still needs to make a living to complement the nursing job of his wife, Krista.

The accident damaged a lot in Haynes' life and affected the rest of his family, too. It took away his ability to farm, but it couldn't steal away everything.

"We've got a few memories sitting around here," Scott Haynes said, gesturing at the grand champion award banners.