Commentary.

We attended the first high school graduation of the year last Sunday afternoon. Several of our young friends, members of our hay crew, tossed their caps into the air and waved goodbye to their youth. I couldn’t be more proud.

None of our “other people’s kids” from this particular class are heading off to a 4-year university to study agriculture. During both junior and senior year, three of our young friends took classes at a technical education center in preparation for life after high school. One received training and certification as a nursing assistant through the tech center and plans to become a Registered Nurse. One took agriculture classes and will attend a local community college to get an Associate’s degree in agriculture. He plans to put what he learns to good use on his family’s grain and livestock farm.

Finally, one studied ag mechanics at the tech center and next week begins his second summer internship with a local farm equipment dealership. This farm equipment company is part of an association that sponsors students through a technology institute. The participants apply what they learn in the classroom and lab in a real world setting so they are familiar with the dealership environment and what is expected of a professional service technician. When Kyle graduates, he’ll have an Associate’s degree and a job.

Our three young friends held part-time jobs all through high school, played at least 2 sports each, and were members of school clubs. They played in the school band. All three made high marks and many friends at school. They are what you would call “well-rounded.”

None of these very smart and capable young people will have a famous Alma mater or experience sorority or fraternity life. They will not be recruited by large agricultural companies and will probably settle down and start their families not far from where they themselves were born and raised. They will be members of the local Lion’s Club, run for school board, and support their local volunteer fire department.

They will not find themselves tens of thousands of dollars in debt when they finish their post-secondary education

They will pay taxes. They will vote.

One does not have to earn a degree from a major agricultural university – or from any university for that matter – to achieve success. We need agronomists and we need truck drivers. We need engineers and we need equipment operators. We need veterinarians and we need electricians. We need chemists and we need collectors of refuse. We need each and every one of those high school graduates to have a job and become an active member of society and the community in which they live.

Today’s high school graduates hold the future of our country in their hands. Let’s encourage them, inspire them, engage them and challenge them whether they are heading off to Cornell or to the local community college. We need them as much as they need us.

Commentary.

I’m penning this column as I get ready to board an airplane for Dallas, Texas where I will join other employees of Learfield Communication for a 40th anniversary celebration. Learfield is the parent company of Learfield Sports, which is headquartered in the Lone Star State, and of Brownfield Ag News, where I have spent the past 15 years of my career.

Clyde Lear, who founded Learfield Communications, always believed the greatest strength of the company was its employees. He treated us like family, encouraging and motivating us through teamwork and servant leadership.

I believe we all have to stop giving lip service to teamwork and ask ourselves, “What can I contribute?” Each of us must take responsibility and be accountable for what we do, whether I am speaking about the audio product and written works we produce, or making a contribution and making a difference in any area of our working or our personal lives.

My husband reminds me that some people live to work while others work to live. I cannot and do not expect everyone on my team to have the same level of commitment to Brownfield that I have. However, if you recognize that your work is not up to snuff and you are not trying to improve upon it, my assumption is that you either don’t care or are too darned lazy to fix it.

Several years ago, I was embroiled in a “situation” with an employee. I went to the Chief Operating Officer of the company and asked his advice on how to handle it. It was simple, concise, and most of all, it was effective. He said, “Don’t over think this.”

The bottom line is that most of us know the right thing to do. Achieving personal best is simply doing the right thing. So often we take ourselves too seriously, procrastinate, think like a victim or blame someone or something else. If you’ve done the right thing that is all that you can do. It is my job to make sure that everyone on my team knows what it is that is the right thing to do.

Several years ago, prior to my coming to work for Brownfield, then-company President Clyde Lear explains, a group of managers locked themselves in a conference room for two days to come up with a mission statement. “Every company had a mission statement, so we thought we should have one, too,” said Clyde.

They came up with a mission statement, alright. Nothing was left out. They printed copies to proudly display that lengthy mission statement in every Learfield Communications Office. Clyde said, “Nobody read it. It was long and boring.”

Months later, three or four Learfield employees were enjoying a social hour, discussing the company and why it “works.” They wrote nine words on a cocktail napkin. Those nine words became our mission statement:

Build the Team

Grow the Company

And Have Fun!

That is a mission statement you cannot over think!

Commentary.

A few weeks ago I received a media advisory about an upcoming event to be held in Columbia, Mo. “Local Farmers Gather to Discuss Sustainable Practices” drew my attention. The three day symposium was touted as having expert speakers highlighting health, environmental and animal welfare problems stemming from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

I knew when I sent a reporter to cover the first in the series of symposia that the program would not shine a positive light on CAFOs. I believe that as responsible journalists, it is our duty to cover those events and stories relevant to our listeners. If you are involved in animal agriculture it is in your best interest, whether you agree or not, to know what is being said about production practices

The media advisory stated, “Family farmers, environmentalists and health professionals concerned with Missouri wetlands and livestock will hold a series of symposiums showcasing sustainability efforts and encouraging coalition building in order to bring about positive change for animals and the environment.”

The speakers included a couple of university professors (one retired); the co-Founder and president of Farm Sanctuary and vice president of outreach and engagement for the Humane Society of the United States; a former state representative and senator who is back running his family farm; the founder of a group whose mission it is to influence the transition to a sustainable society (the current campaign is “The Tragedy of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and what you can do about it”). There were a couple of others, but you get the picture. The speaker line-up wasn’t rife with family farmers and health professionals.

Keynoting the first panel discussion, University of Missouri emeritus agriculture economist John Ikerd said CAFOs are harmful to public health, environment and society.

“We are destroying our rural communities with the industrialization of agriculture, socially, physically, ethically,” Ikerd told the reporter from Brownfield Ag News. “We are destroying our rural communities in the process of industrializing agriculture; and CAFOs are the epitome of industrial agriculture.”

Farm Sanctuary President Gene Baur pointed out that he’s personally vegan, but concedes that others need to make their own choices about what they eat. He said confined animals are raised like commodities and without respect.

“The way animals are being treated on farms today is not aligned with what most consumers expect,” said Baur.

Did I mention that the audience was largely made up of university students?

It was apparently made part of classroom work for some. The auditorium was full. If this is these students’ only exposure to agriculture I’d be surprised if any of them would buy anything from a grocery store meat counter ever. Some of the comments from the audience made comments from the speakers seem almost “middle of the road.”

The organizer concluded the first session by stating “All of this can be avoided if your hamburgers are from now on made from vegetables.”

During the Q&A portion of the program, she approached the Brownfield reporter and said, “It looks like this is someone from the other side. Would you like to say something?” He of course declined.

Events like this happen on and near universities around the world every day. Who doesn’t want a more sustainable, environmentally friendly and healthier earth? If the only place these young people are learning about animal agriculture is in symposia such as these, we are in big trouble.

Commentary.

It was April fool’s Day in 1985 when I accepted a position at WJIL Radio in Jacksonville, Illinois. Fresh from student teaching, this ag education/animal science major set out to change the world. My starting salary was somewhere slightly above the poverty level. I answered the phone, made coffee, wrote ad copy and voiced commercials. I typed letters and public service announcements and showed up for every radio station event, wearing a WJIL t-shirt and handing out bumper stickers. When the new hair salon opened and the station was doing a broadcast remote, I was the guinea pig whose hair was cut and styled (which was a HUGE perk considering how poor I was.) I dj’d on Sunday afternoons (spinning REAL records in a studio over the Jacksonville Savings and Loan) and handled promotions. Sometimes the news director would let me write a story. The farm director already had an assistant, but he found ways to help me learn before that person moved on and I was invited to move into the assistant position. By the time I was officially named farm director there, I had learned by doing nearly every job at the station other than engineering and of course, managing. I am grateful for those experiences. I am glad I did not start out at a level any higher than the position I had, because I would not have been prepared to manage people responsible for those various jobs today.

My personal experiences in radio are no different than those many of you offer young people on your farms. Learning by doing is the best method. From heat detecting cattle to processing baby pigs, raking hay or taking the first pass disking a field, those early experiences not only taught us, but they gave us confidence for the next task at hand. Being independent and self- sufficient and driven to finish that which you have begun are qualities instilled in most kids on the farm. Those same qualities make those with a farm upbringing well-qualified candidates for many jobs those without the strong work ethic instilled in farm youth could not – or would not – handle.

Next month, thousands of young men and women who grew up on farms or in rural communities will graduate from high schools and colleges. Whether you are one of those grads or someone capable of influencing a grad today, remember that only a fraction of those in the work force arrive in their dream jobs early in their careers.

A good old-fashioned work ethic can set you apart and open doors in any college classroom or career field.

My advice to those “farm kids” in the class of 2013 is this: Brush and floss. Stand up straight. Use common sense. Live within your means. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t text and drive. Speak clearly. Walk with determination. Finish what you start. Don’t sacrifice your integrity to “get ahead.” Don’t forget what you learned on the farm.

Commentary.

Saying goodbye to March was easy for me. As a matter of fact, I just may have shouted, “Don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out!”

In my neck of the woods, winter slammed us with her fury in February and March. She took out our electricity for 5 full days in February, hammered us with no less than 3 major winter storms and brought us sleet, ice, freezing rain and more than a foot of snow with each of the first 2 storms.

At least as it melted, it was liquid and some of it soaked into the soil.

There are signs of spring. There is new, green grass. Trees are budding. One early morning last week as Jim and I trudged through the snow in our heavy winter boots to bring a cow to the barn to artificially inseminate, I watched a male coot gliding atop the water in the pond, seemingly enjoying the companionship of his new mate.

This is the time of new life on our ranch. Calving season has gone very well this year. We have several healthy babies on the ground now. There is nothing that gives my husband a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction than running “the nursery.”

The wild turkeys seem to have decided that I am not the enemy. They now accept my presence, at least. Perhaps they’ve been witnessing how undeterred the geese that stand along the dam on the pond behind the house remain when I approach them.

Turkeys make their daily trek across our place. Coming in from the far eastern side of the property, one flock works its way to the 40 x 60 cattle barn, picking through cow manure for corn and oats. A second flock comes from the northwest about the time of morning when you can’t really define it as darkness or daylight. They are shadows at first, moving in the hay field along the creek. A small herd of deer joins them, just a few yards away from one another. Once in a while a coyote skulks across the bottom field. I see possums, skunks, and from time to time, a badger with its powerful jaw and large clawed forefeet.

We seldom see the bobcats, but there are a few that hunt on the “wilder side” of our place. Without the snow, we cannot easily read their tracks.

It seems that Jim and I have our best discussions when we are out in a pasture or in the barn. I think for both of us, being in a place where we can see, touch and feel the work of God in the land, the livestock and the sky, gives us hope for the future.

This is an important time of year for those of us of the Christian faith. It is a time of rebirth, hope, and of promise. With so many important decisions facing us in the coming months in business, in our personal lives, and as a nation, I believe it is vitally important that we spend this time aware of the world around us so we might have a greater clarity of what it means when winter becomes spring.

Commentary. 

As each generation of Americans loses its connection to the farms and ranches from where most of its families came, the need to “gently remind” consumers where their food comes from becomes more important. It becomes more important because without a “frame of reference” it becomes less of a leap to believe that America’s farmers are not “doing it right” on their farms. It is not so hard for the anti-agriculture activist groups to sell their junk science and falsehoods to someone who has no frame of reference to a farmer as a good steward of the land, water, air, animals and people on the farm and in the local community.

Perception is reality. The manner in which we present ourselves, our farms, our animals, equipment, etc. could very well influence the emotional connection someone on the outside looking in has to the agricultural “community.”

When I drive by what I call the “horse slums” where, just outside of a small-to-medium-sized town, someone with a couple of acres decided they should have a horse because they, or someone in their family, has always wanted one.

“What the heck,” they say, “If we’re going to have one horse, why not have 2 or 3.”

After about 6 months, the fun of having a horse begins to wear off. There is not enough time to ride and groom a horse. The cost of feed is much higher than they thought it would be and if they tried to sell those horses, they’d never get their money back. So the poor beasts are confined to a small, dusty lot with poor forage and no escape from the elements. The once healthy animals are little more than bags of bones.

I am troubled by what I see when I drive by the horse slums, but I know there are a lot of horse owners who take good care of their livestock. Most consumers do not have my frame of reference, so they assume all horses receive poor care.

My husband’s mom brought a box of old books to us a couple of years ago. I finally got around to sorting through them last Sunday (sorry Cleo) and was delighted with what I found. In addition to some wonderful livestock reference books, there were several books from Jim’s childhood. My pick is “Dale Evans and Buttermilk” but Jim reached for “Corny Corn picker Finds a Home.” As he opened up the John Deere storybook, he gave me a quick synopsis of the story. A corn picker and a tractor are sold to 2 different farmers. One cares for his equipment and one does not. The one that does not ends up selling his farm.   The one who does take good care of his equipment buys the corn picker at the farm auction and greases it and paints it so it is almost as good as new.

The message for children is that well cared for equipment performs better and is more likely to make you a successful farmer. In today’s world, the farmer who cares for his or her equipment, land, air, water, livestock, employees and community could be some consumers “frame of reference” or better yet, “Farm of reference.” That would be a good thing.

Commentary.

As you read this, National Agriculture Week is on the downhill slide of its 7-day run. I hope you had the opportunity – and took it – to participate in an event held to celebrate agriculture. I hope you took it upon yourself to share some information about agriculture. If you did not, don’t worry, there’s still time. We should be reaching out year-round to “bust some myths” and tell some truths about what we do on our farms and ranches.

No plans? No problem. I have some suggestions:

*Speak to a local civic club:

Most local Kiwanis, Rotary, or other organizations seek out speakers for their meetings. Let them know you would be happy to help them out at a meeting. You don’t have to be a great public speaker or have a quick wit. Just talk to them about the importance of agriculture to the economy of your community, or tell them about some of the environmentally-friendly practices you have implemented on your farm, or about how you care for your livestock. If you aren’t comfortable standing up and talking about agriculture, join an organization that is not ag-specific and simply have conversations about farming with other members.

*Contact your local radio station:

Most local radio stations do a good job of reaching out to the local community to be sure that local events are being covered. Many of those stations will run features or public service announcements talking about the importance of agriculture during National Ag Week. Contact the news director or program director at your local radio station and let them know you’d be happy to serve as a resource for them if and when they need to cover a story from a farmer’s viewpoint.

*Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper:

Not everyone is a wordsmith, and that is ok. Sit down with pen and paper (or computer and keypad) and write “from the heart.” Choose a topic that you are comfortable talking about and start writing. How did you get started farming? How has farming changed? What practices have you implemented on your farm to save soil? Take this opportunity to address some of the misconceptions about agriculture – from how your treat your livestock to use of herbicides and pesticides.

*Invite a non-farming neighbor to visit your farming operation:

It is amazing how many people who live in rural communities have little understanding of what those of us involved in raising crops and livestock actually DO on our farms. Take one hour of your week and give a tour of your farm.

Take advantage of any and every opportunity to be the face for agriculture. Not every one of us is a public speaker or feels comfortable taking a leadership role in a county or state commodity organization, but each of us has a role in protecting and promoting the industry.

*Contact your representatives to the state’s general assembly:

A quick check on the website (Google it if you do not currently have the link) will give you access to contact information, bills on the docket, and a breakdown of who sits on what committee. If you have no pressing concerns for your representative (I personally have PLENTY for mine) just let them know you are listening, watching and want your interests to be represented. If he or she is doing a good job in that regard, let them know. If they are not, let them know that, too.

*The final and most important thing is simple: Just do it right on your farm every day.

Commentary.

Unless you are completely out of touch, you have been hearing for quite some time now how, by the year 2050, the world’s population will have reached 9 billion. If all these people are going to have enough to eat, increases in food production will be necessary.

Pontificators are answering the big questions, “What will food production look like?” And “What’s the best way to make this happen?”

During the recent Commodity Classic, the annual get-together of the national corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum groups, I heard a great deal on this topic and others that relate closely to it. From my vantage point, farmers and agribusiness were honed in on a few key areas: what to do with all this data they are now collecting; what to do with herbicide resistant weeds; what to do when there’s little to no rain or water; and how to be “sustainable.”

David Hollinrake with Bayer CropScience told me that because farmers are swimming in data, he would like to see ag companies collaborate to help farmers make close to real time decisions. In other words, taking the data that is so readily available and translating it to help farmers move precision agriculture to decision agriculture.

In that same vein, Rich Kottmeyer, Senior Executive and Global Agriculture and Food Production Leader for Accenture, a company focused on technology and consulting, told attendees at Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum that data will transform agriculture. The key, he said, is that all the data that can be collected is useless unless it is used to find solutions.

Kottmeyer predicts that in the future, standardized data will allow many companies the opportunity to provide services to farmers. In 2025, he said, “Farmers will be able to calculate return on investment (ROI) on any decision or action they take on their farm – for today, tomorrow, a month, and entire growing season.”

He called that “Optimizing data with science.”

Kottmeyer predicts that the world will move from food security to food quality, that food prices will increase, and people will use more of their paycheck for food. He said biotechnology will be accepted, as people come to understand that sustainability – conserving soil, energy, water and growing more for less – are benefits of biotechnology.

Kottmeyer said the economics of agriculture will change in the next 12 or so years. He believes there will be room for a number of smaller farms as there will be consolidation into aggregates.

Smaller farms will have some catching up to do in the consolidation arena.

Today, the “big four” beef packers, including Cargill, Tyson, JBS and National Beef, process 87 percent of all the heifers and steers that are made into beef today in the United States.

Last week we got the word that ConAgra Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., and CHS Inc. have agreed to form an independent joint venture, combining their North American flour-milling businesses into a new company called Ardent Mills. It will encompass 44 flour mills. The new venture would control more than a third of the flour-milling capacity in the U.S.

It’s going to take a heck of a lot of aggregating to catch up with them.