Navy Admiral William McRaven once addressed the graduating class of 2014 at the University of Texas in Austin. His speech was very motivating, inspiring, and revealing. For me it revealed a need to look at how I prioritize the day and how I spend the early morning, which to a farmer, is the most important part of the day. At this point, I have adapted to getting up early in the morning to walk the fields, tackle water issues, and analyze the fence lines.
The contribution that Admiral McRaven made to me is adding in the simple concept of making my bed every single morning BEFORE I do anything else. Sounds easy enough, but it’s not just the repetitive nature of doing the right thing or creating a positive habit that is being emphasized, it is the first win of your day. By making your bed every single day, you create an appreciation of having tackled an obstacle right from the onset. Doing this creates momentum for taking on other challenges. It is infectious. I guess another way to start the day out right is when you open your eyes, you count from five backwards. When the countdown is complete, you jump out of bed and stand up straight and get ‘er done.
The key to counting down backward is that it creates a finish line that is easily defined and immoveable. Doing these two things can change the trajectory of your day. It gives you a sense of purpose and an accomplishment that just feels good.
Optimism is a choice
So now that we feel good about the day, I like to walk the fields before going to work and see what has changed from the day before. In the spirit of keeping things nice and tidy, I like to look at what can be done in the fields to make things pleasant, visually appealing … how can I make this bed.
I’m sure it’s easy to say that mowing and manicuring the fields and fence lines is a waste of time. The focus should always be on maximizing the product, minimizing costs, and developing systems of efficient operation. This puts people in a position of sticking to the basics: seed, fertilize, irrigate, harvest, and repeat. Sure, that’s the point, and to most, it’s probably the most that they expect to do in the fields before moving on to other things … part of the “good enough” mentality. For me, I seek to find a way to create an environment that makes me want to stay in the fields all day long. This led me to the idea of manicuring my ditches on the property. The beginning of the year up to first cut (around the middle of June), the grasses and weeds in ditches, head rows, and fence lines are fairly short. As temperatures rise into the mid 80’s, all heck breaks loose. July and August are the wild months and it’s easy to let the weeds, willows, cat tails, and invasives take over borders and ditches. Here is where I find it in myself to dedicate an entire weekend or two to just brush cutting the ditches with my trusty 50 horsepower tractor and a lot of back-and-forthing down the ditch banks. It takes a while to cut approximately 5,400 feet of ditches when you are limited to six-foot swipes. The adage applies “it’s a cinch by the inch”. Don’t think about it, just put on your favorite playlist and enjoy the scenery as the weekend toils away.
The struggle begins in the first year of irrigation after first cut, we notice that it is a lot of headaches trying to trudge through the weeds and high grass. It is hard to see where the water is. It is hard to identify and clean corrugated areas. It is taxing and quite a waste of energy taking higher steps, having the weeds and willows grab the water boots with every step. This is where I often wipe out at least once per year misjudging my steps because I could not see where the dirt ends, and the ditches begin. I’m talking full tumble with no grace and no agility attached, just a man lying in the ditch rethinking life and taking a deep breath before getting up and getting back to it. It’s easy enough to dry off your jeans, drain the water from the boots, and patch up your pride, but still, it makes for a rough day when visual impairment occurs. Blame what you will, but life becomes much easier when the ditches are manicured.
Be proud of going the extra mile
Last, but not least, I personally believe that how you maintain your property reflects how you conduct your operations. I like visiting businesses that pay attention to being clean and professional. Sure, it’s tough to keep the weeds and willows down, but I’m still a firm believer that a person can farm from the ditches all the way up to the fences. Keeping the grasses down also helps with snake and rodent control.
At the end of the day, I just like the way it looks. It is easy to maneuver around from point to point. It is also pleasing to own, gets compliments from passing traffic (beep beep), and helps set a high bar for curb appeal.
Be the change that you want to see in the world.