Six families, one heartbreak: A deadly gas leak at Prospect Valley Dairy leaves Colorado’s dairy community reeling and united in grief.
You sometimes hear about accidents in this business. Barn fires, slips in the yard, maybe the odd equipment mishap on a cold night. But nothing—absolutely nothing—prepares you for a loss like what happened at Prospect Valley Dairy in Weld County, Colorado.
For so many of us this past week, this hasn’t just been another news headline. It’s felt like a punch right to the gut.
On a Wednesday most folks thought would be another routine shift, six lives were cut short. The emergency calls began just before evening chores. By the time the dust settled, a tragedy reportedly linked to hydrogen sulfide gas in a confined space had left the news shattering for everyone who heard it.
Look, we toss around words like “tight-knit” a lot, but in dairying, you know it’s true. These men weren’t just coworkers. They were dads, brothers, sons.
Ricardo Gomez Galvan wasn’t just a dairy manager. Word is that he knew every cow by number and always made time to check in with new hires, just to ensure they were getting along okay.
Noe Montanez Casanas, assistant manager—everyone says he brought coffee for the crew before overtime milkings and could fix just about any leak, sometimes with nothing but a bit of wire and determination.
Jorge Sanchez Pena was the guy who’d show up to work on the latest robot, but stayed late if you needed help bleeding a line.
Alejandro Espinoza Cruz—a friend to a lot of us, and the kind of dad who never minded taking his sons, Oscar and Carlos, along to get their hands dirty and learn the trade.
Oscar Espinoza Leos, only seventeen, was just starting to dream about a future in dairying, following his dad’s footsteps.
And Carlos Espinoza Prado, twenty-nine, was his father’s right hand and already a pro with robot retrofits.
Honestly, that’s where it hits hardest. No family should have to bury so many at once. No crew can fill boots that big overnight.
What weighs on me—and on so many of us—is imagining those final moments. Reports indicate that there was confusion and fear—people trying to help, rushing in when someone else fell. That’s just who we are. When your friend’s in trouble, you don’t think. You react. But sometimes, even that courage isn’t enough.
It’s easy in dairy to breeze past safety warnings, to grumble about broken sensors or laugh off a false alarm—but this kind of heartbreak makes all that seem so small. No barn, no parlor, no job is worth what these families are facing right now.
If there’s one bright spot, it’s how the community has come together. GoFundMe pages for Oscar, Carlos, Alejandro, and Jorge quickly filled up, with friends from across the industry pitching in. I’ve seen folks from Wisconsin and Ontario—places you might never expect—offering prayers, meals, and whatever they could.
You can support the families directly through their verified GoFundMe pages:
- Fundraiser by Juan Mendez : Support Families of Oscar, Carlos, Alejandro, & George
- Fundraiser by Ana Guevara : Familia
DeLaval and High Plains Robotics both rushed to offer condolences and real help. Their words of grief aren’t just PR, they’re as real as the solidarity we see every time disaster strikes in this line of work.
And here’s where my head goes—maybe yours too. How many of us have become a little lax with checking those gas alarms, cleaning fans, ensuring there’s a real emergency protocol, and that everybody actually knows it? I read stories like this, and yeah, the usual response is, “That couldn’t happen here, our barn’s newer than theirs.” However, the evidence—what OSHA and farm safety trainers are seeing—actually suggests otherwise. Modern facilities and new technology can mask risks just as easily as they can mitigate them. All it takes is one filter gone bad, one vent jammed.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “We haven’t checked those H₂S detectors in a while,” just take a minute—right now. Call your crew. Double-check your plan. Don’t try to tough it out if you smell something off.
Nobody goes to work expecting their barn will end up as the latest headline. But after a week like this, I hope each of us pauses. Not to be scared, but to be smart—for ourselves, our teams, and all the families waiting for us to come home.
OSHA’s still piecing things together. The Bullvine will have more as this develops. For now, we hold the six lost and their families close in our thoughts, hoping we can all honor their memory by doubling down on safety and community.
From one barn to another, stay safe out there. We grieve with you.
If you’d like to share your own stories, thoughts, or how your crew handles gas hazards, our inbox is open. This is our world. Let’s keep it safe—for everyone who calls dairy home.
Learn More:
- Don’t Let Your Guard Down: The Dangers Lurking in Your Manure Pit – This article provides a tactical breakdown of the specific dangers of manure gases, including hydrogen sulfide. It offers practical, immediate steps for improving ventilation and implementing safety protocols to mitigate the exact risks highlighted in the tragedy.
- Building a Positive Dairy Farm Culture: It Starts with You – Moving from physical safety to team well-being, this piece explores strategic methods for fostering a workplace culture where every team member feels valued and psychologically safe. It offers insights on leadership and communication that are crucial for rebuilding team morale.
- The Unblinking Eye: How Advanced Monitoring Is Transforming Dairy Safety – Looking to future solutions, this article showcases innovative sensor and camera technologies that provide real-time environmental monitoring. It reveals how forward-thinking farms are using data to proactively identify invisible threats like gas leaks, preventing tragedies before they happen.
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