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Out behind the
house, or across the street, or outside of town, or somewhere,
there is a field. Every year you invest your hard work and
hard-earned money in that field, preparing it, sowing it,
fertilizing it, hoping and praying that the weather holds and
the market cooperates. What grows in that field? When it’s all
said and done, you’re growing cash. One way or another, that
crop is going to be turned into money before it does you any
good.
How successful any
farming season is depends on how that happens. All of your
goals, plans and dreams are riding on how well you can turn your
crops into money. Long-term success is enjoyed by those who have
learned to turn their crops into a reasonable amount of money at
the earliest possible opportunity (i.e., harvest). They know
that, unlike  grain,
money can be used to help them get closer to their goals.
The next time you’re
looking over one of your fields, think about what really grows
out there. It may look like something else, but it’s money.
Successful farming is getting that money out of the field and
into your pocket as soon as you can.
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All of us have heard the
old maxim "You reap what you sow" at some time in our
lives. The principle of sowing and reaping is easily understood by
people from every imaginable background and culture, but perhaps
especially in the farming community. While others can relate to this
principle intellectually, we experience it in a hands-on,
life-affecting way.
Every farmer has
experienced the physical side of the sowing and reaping principle.
When fertile ground is sown with seeds and tended carefully, what
was once an empty field eventually becomes a sea of grain. No one
who plants one crop expects to be harvesting a different one at the
end of the season. Seeds reproduce their own kind--this is the heart
and soul of the sowing and reaping principle. What grows depends on
what is planted.
What gives the sowing
and reaping principle its universal appeal is that it holds equally
true in the physical process of growing plants and in other, less
tangible areas. The fact is, every person who has ever lived has
been personally affected by the principle of sowing and reaping in
one way or another.
Students
in school soon learn that the time spent studying and doing homework
is reflected in better grades. The employer who treats his employees
with confidence and respect gains workers who believe in themselves
and take pride in their work. Unfortunately, the principle works
just as well when the "seeds" are not good. A student who
does not take the time to study and do homework will reap lower
grades, and an employer who does not show confidence and respect to
his employees will eventually reap an inferior product. So, what
does all this mean to you? Simply this--you can use the time-proven
principle of sowing and reaping to enhance your success in the
non-production areas of your farming operation. In every area of
your farming business and your entire life, what you get out of
anything you do will reflect what you put into it.
In recent
decades, production technology has made huge advancements. We are
producing more than ever before. It is obvious that we have come a
long way in producing grain. The question is, have marketing skills
advanced at the same rate as production skills?
While greater
effectiveness in production depends to a large degree on
advancements in technology and science, greater skill and
effectiveness in marketing your crops is something that you can
achieve on your own. The principle of sowing and reaping says that
what you get out of your marketing efforts depends on what you put
in.
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One of the most
dangerous things you can do is to do nothing at all. Inaction
leads to indecision, which leads to the breakdown of discipline,
which in turn leads to bad decisions. We’ve all known someone
(or maybe even been the person) who’s chosen to "wait and
see" instead of taking some kind of positive action, only to
watch as opportunity slips away.
Taking action
doesn’t necessarily mean just selling grain. It means having a
plan that puts you in a position to take advantage of
opportunities and get grain sold when the time is right. It’s
easy to say, "I’ll sell when the price is right", but
if you haven’t taken any action ahead of time to decide what the
right price is and get a plan together, it’s sometimes hard to
actually pull the trigger when the time comes.
That’s why it’s
important to take some kind of action ahead of time, like putting
in a target. Having a plan encourages discipline, helps you stay
focused on your goals, and helps eliminate the desire to get
"just a little bit more" that can cause you to get off
track and miss opportunities.
Doing nothing is
dangerous, whether it’s failing to put in targets before harvest
or storing grain after harvest. Taking positive action will keep
you out of that trap and get you closer to your goals.
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A
few of the things we are thankful for:
Our freedom
Our strength as a
nation
The brave people who
protect that freedom and strength.
The opportunity to
be of service to you
The great privilege
of working in the industry that feeds the world.
Our sincerest hope
for this Thanksgiving holiday is that it
finds you and your loved ones with much to be thankful for.
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