Reporter TRACY — He was approachable and a good listener — but sometimes, Jim Vickerman could also be a forceful advocate for causes he believed in, especially when they affected farms and rural communities. “Sen. Vickerman was very much an advocate for rural Minnesota,” said former Minnesota Sen. Dennis Frederickson, who served alongside Vickerman in the state Senate. Vickerman, a Tracy area farmer and a former Minnesota state legislator with 24 years of service, died Tuesday. He was 89. Vickerman always treated others with kindness and respect, said Marty Seifert, a former Minnesota state representative who served in the Legislature with Vickerman for 14 years. Although they served in different parts of the Legislature and were members of different political parties, it was good to have Vickerman’s knowledge and seniority, Seifert said.