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In today’s information society, words have a power like never before to give perspective and change perceptions. Unfortunately, we in agriculture have not been very active in making sure the non-farming public (our customers) understands the meaning of the words we use to describe our operations.
Fires are awful occurrences; they leave you feeling demoralized and defeated. I submit that they are as bad as any natural disaster. After an earthquake, tornado or flood, there are often widespread calls for assistance and aid.
In most cases of natural calamities, groups from across the nation pour in to help people get back to normal or as close as possible given the circumstances. A fire is an individual disaster, singularly devastating and frequently without the public call to help.
As we close the harvest season, hopefully we have gathered our crops without a serious injury or emergency situation arising. Sadly, farming isn’t like a ball game; there are no timeouts to stave off a bad situation. They happen quickly and with no warning whatsoever.
I had a friend tell me one time that my dad was like his: “He doesn’t care what it looks like as long as it runs.” My thought was, “This guy sure doesn’t know David Overbay.”
One thought that was drilled into me from a boy is that cleaner really does run better, and one of Dad’s favorite sayings when asked why he bought a new tractor or took the time to paint an old one was, “Every once in a while, I like to burn the paint off a manifold.”
When the weather changes in the spring, tractors and attachments that are needed quickly should already have been repaired during winter months, hopefully slowing the rush, preventing long waits for shop appointments and avoiding parts availability problems.
What is the most important tool on the farm? A friend of mine answered that question at a local school career day by saying his pencil was his most important tool. A great answer in a time when agricultural literacy among the general public is so low and respect for our food producers follows suit.
I beg to differ to some extent. To me, the mind is the more important. The pencil simply records the thoughts of the person holding it. Case in point, my last submission to this column had an egregious math error on my sprayer calibrations.
As equipment has become more and more sophisticated, greater emphasis has been placed on comfort and convenience – the so-called “bells and whistles.” These bells and whistles can quickly turn into rants and cursing when they fail and take the functionality of your machine with them.
Tackling this topic was a challenge for this aging farmer simply because I recall the days when the tractor not starting was simply a battery or connection issue. While these can still be today’s culprits, increasingly we see the world of computers entering our tractors and implements, just as they have our automobiles.
I know am I preaching to the choir when I tell you that making the most of every input is paramount to the success of a farming operation today. Folks that cannot control costs (at least those outside of government) simply don’t last too long in the business world, whether their business is farming or not.
One requirement of extension personnel who write articles for either popular or refereed journals is that we always bow to the findings of supported research, not just political or personal opinion.
