I talked to a progressive producer at a winter show who said he had invested maybe $40,000 in precision and tracking technology that generated all kinds of data from his farm. Then he spread his arms about 18 inches wide and said, “I have a box full of information that I have no idea what to do with.”

Dale Carnegie said, “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” In college, my freshman dorm room was located on the ground floor. I had a habit of arising early while others slept. One morning, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

The question during winter months is not “Will you go to an ag trade show or association meeting,” but “How many ag trade shows or meetings will you go to?” Holy moly, there are more trade shows than tines on a wheel rake. It doesn’t take very many shows before trade show vendors feel a little tumbled with “leaf loss” themselves.

I remember preparing my first Thanksgiving dinner as a newlywed. It was incredibly stressful. While a supper of freshly baked bread, cold milk, a slice of cheese and a dill pickle was (and still is) a feast in my book, according to my husband the stuffing at Thanksgiving was key to his happiness, and no one made it better than his mother. Grrreeeaaattt … where was I supposed to go from there?

Common sense says it’s tougher to hit a moving target with a rifle than a stationary target. Hunting practice can assist in making adjustments for a moving target, but wartime wouldn’t be a good time to figure it out. During war, not only is the target moving, it’s shooting back.

“I have a good idea,” I announce. “You have lots of ideas … but it takes a couple dozen for you to have a good one,” says anyone who knows me well. Yes, it’s true, but I’ve learned to relish the one good one I get.

Question: Why does a toddler walk off the edge of a picnic table and face-plant?

Answer: Because the child doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. Feeling fully capable with a newfound ability to walk, but without the soon-to-be-learned ability to face-plant, a child has confidence … dangerous and reckless confidence. He just doesn’t know that he doesn’t know.

Should the U.S. government be collecting ag data, and to what extent? It costs money, you know, to collect all that data. The National Agricultural Statistics Service spent $179.5 million, the Forest Service $66.8 million, etc.

“My wheat is gone! How am I going to get more chicken feed made?” If I hadn’t paid so much for that tablet with gaming apps, I’d have tossed it across the room.