Some say, “it is the little things that make the biggest difference.” For me, if we can recognize a little moment, it can have a lifetime of impact.
I’ll never forget when a grower approached me at Sorghum U and said, “I’m so busy, but am glad I took time to come today. I learned things I can implement tomorrow on my farm.” He paused and then asked, “I’m just wondering, why do you do this?” In a 15-minute conversation, I learned what I had been searching for the last 15 years of work experience. We had helped this farmer improve his farm. I was proud to play a small part in it and I knew I was in the right place.
Although raised on a dryland crop farm in central Kansas, I will never pretend to fully understand the many challenges you each face on your operation every day. And just because I still help my family move bales, double-crop soybeans or drive grain cart during wheat harvest, it does not mean I know what seed variety to recommend, vaccine or EPDs may have the biggest impact on your cattle program. But there is one thing I do know. We share something: A passion for heritage, an attitude to do better than we did the day before and act as stewards for our land and all that will impact agriculture for generations long after us.
We are connected—far beyond the fields we sow or the fences we build. Much like your farm or ranch, High Plains Journal is a family-owned business. Just like you, there are fundamentals we will never stray from and areas we will continuously strive to perfect. Your soil, your land, and your herd are an extension of our business and our family.
When I first came to High Plains Journal a handful of years ago, I did not realize the depth of the blessing. It was a place I knew but did not really know. I revered its history and recall the publication’s presence over the years growing up, but not what it can mean to people and how those connections can transcend from association to family. It has brought my own family closer and me closer to the operation back home. It has introduced me to multi-generation growers, first-time farmers, and legacy ranchers who help me communicate to agribusinesses how to serve you better. We are a team.
If you ask the kids I coach, fellow volunteers, or professionals I work with, there is one mantra that rises above any other—Be a team. Teams are all around us. Family. Friends. Church. Sports. Crop consultants. Veterinarians. Youth activity. Business. “Strength in numbers,” is not an idea, it is a truth. I hope you believe that High Plains Journal is a part of your team and you are a part of ours. We will hold one another accountable to improve, dust one another off when we fall, and apply effort to everything we do, so the team can prevail.
I look forward to shaking your hand at the local co-op, the ball game, or a 4-H event. Together, we will pay attention to the little things that make a lifetime of difference.
Zac Stuckey can be reached at 620-227-1833 or [email protected].
