Secrets For Winning

Bella has become part of the scenery in our neighborhood. Because of her poor condition BJ put her out in the pond pasture near the McKim intersection. For weeks there were phone calls telling BJ that his buffalo was loose. Since Bella is often laying down with her legs out it was often assumed that she had died. Then someone would say, "No, I saw her tail wiggle". 😊

You see, Buffaloes by nature are not nice. They pick on the weak. That's what happened to Bella when she was in the feedlot. A buffalo only cares about himself. But the secret is Bella is actually the winner in this story. While these other self-centered critters will soon be ready for the packing house in Pierce, Colorado, Bella will continue to smell the flowers in the pond pasture.

Risks often need to be taken on one's own in order to win. Some time ago I asked the soil office if there was a possibility for cost share on a pond. They mentioned they would rather I put in a wetland area where our best crops are grown. I am now thankful we are not confined to someone else's design. Kudos to Mike for his for his knowledge and experience. The secret for winning at building a pond is a clay core, steep edges so vegetation doesn't start to grow, and a dry spell in the weather.

While Mike pushes dirt to the dike I have been expanding the yard area west of the new machine shed using the dirt scraper making it easier for semis to maneuver.

Seth and Jennifer shared this picture which I really like. Pictures tell stories. A busy family with four kids at the fair and rye to combine at home. Thanks for the picture Seth.

Soybeans have varied in height and progress in different areas this year due to weather, previous year's residue, and reaction to the herbicide put on before planting. This field I 3rd pass sprayed this past Wednesday was over four feet tall. I credit it's rapid growth to previously being continuous corn, hog honey, the extendflex variety, and early planting.

The secret to winning at growing corn is not to have the crop run out of gas (nitrogen). Now there are  things that are beyond our control such as weather and soil type. That's why we manage risks. As State Fair time approaches fields with inadequate nutrients will start to yellow before they mature. Continuous corn fields are harder to manage, however it's a challenge I enjoy. These ears of corn were taken off of the same stalk in a corn on corn field northwest of Rose Hill.

Yesterday we top-dressed nutrients on a new alfalfa stand and those late double crop soybeans we visited about a couple of weeks ago. Thank you Brent, Jim, Matt, and Caleb for helping out on a slow, summer Saturday.

I'm sure many of you have memories of fair week as a kid. One of the things that has always surprised me was that as a ten year old my parents let me stay at the fair and sleep in our old farm truck with a tarp over the stock racks. The secret of kids winning at the fair is not the ribbons and trophies. It's the experience, the friendships, the responsibilities, and the character building. Mark and Stacy's Anton poses in his cleaned pen with his goats. Thanks for the picture Stacy.

Take the time to invest in people and truly care about them. Folks will forget what you say. They will even forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel. Both good and bad. BJ and Cassia's Natilie did a great job of explaining to the judge the story of her bucket/bottle calf. Thanks Cassia.

One of the secrets to winning is helping others win. Sometimes that takes surrender. However surrender often brings blessings we never expect. Winning can sometimes be gratifying for just a few moments where helping someone else win is often gratifying for a lifetime. I'm probably not considered a dog show guy however I really enjoyed watching grandkids with their dogs. I also enjoyed this girl with her St. Bernard. As easy going as this big dog was there is no way he was going to be talked into crawling through this obstacle.

There are times when the urgent gets in the way of the important. Achievement and accomplishment are often used to measure winning. When actually effort and improvement are the secrets to getting there. Below Grandpa is taking the time to give the smaller grandkids a Ranger ride, watching Karl spray beans.

We need to keep our cultures healthy. The culture of an operation is made up by the character of the people in that operation. Fear is not a motivator. Fear is a toxic culture. "What about me" is also a toxic culture in families, in business, in churches, in life in general.

As I looked out our motel window this past week there were six churches in the downtown area of Des Moines. I have no knowledge of their usefulness. My definition of a useful church is one that is well used and shared with all who choose to come. As a kid it seemed our grandparent's attitude toward church was more of a shrine where we as kids could be seen but not heard. The secret to a useful church is an atmosphere of joy, fellowship, and a personal relationship with God and others.

We attended summer camp seed meetings this past week. The emphasis was not on winning hybrids and sales. The emphasis of our speakers were on looking for opportunities for giving. To have an attitude of serving. To use our businesses to create a culture that honors God and blesses others.

The importance of relationships aren't just at churches. Relationships are investing in others. Relationships build a culture sometimes hard to describe. Working together custom farming, custom feeding, selling seed, dozing, excavating, tiling, and trucking all start with relationships. That's the secret for winning. Have a good week and thank you for stopping by.