It is a simple truth that as human beings we are most comfortable with the things we fully understand. New concepts present a challenge to this comfort zone. In most every instance I can imagine when confronted with change you need to accept it in small bites. To try to tackle an enormous change is, in most cases, a good formula for frustration leading to failure.

When I was an active farmer I tried to attend as many of the educational seminars that were applicable to my operation. Many times I learned as much from discussions with my peers at these meetings as I did from the structured presentation. In truth, probably well over 75% of the information was redundant to me or ideas I had tested and decided that they offered no practical usage on my farm. It was in that remaining 25% that drew me to these meetings. If I could learn what to do and often times equally important what not to do I felt I was moving ahead.

I had a recent opportunity to be in conversations with a group of growers about what was the cost of attending a seminar. The opinion was expressed that if it exceeded a set amount it was simply too rich and they were wise to not attend. Now of course all presentations are not great eye opening events. For the sake of this example let us say the fee was $100. What can you really buy today with $100 on a farm?  Maybe one day of labor from a minimum wage employee? If that seminar helped you to avoid a compliance audit, a housing violation, an EPA investigation was it then worth it? The answer is of course yes. Education has never been easy and it has always come at a cost. The farmer that will be successfully running a farm in the next decade will have embraced this truth.

I will not expose who has been quoted saying this but I fully agree with the statement. It is the grower that refuses to embrace change and adapt to these policy changes that will be out of business within 10 years or less. Not all changes are ones we advocated but when those changes become the public policy (Law) then we must learn to work around them. To ignore them is to make a direct call to being audited and investigated. Ignorance because you did not attend these workshops will never be an acceptable defense. The next generation successful farmer will be aware of these changes and be making corrective steps to deal with them.

I encourage each of you to make yourselves aware of the many opportunities you have to keep current on CHANGE.  It will always be waiting for you each year. Observe your peers that you see as doing well. Those that appear to be finding ways to meet these new demands. You can survive tomorrow but not if you refuse it and only operate as you did yesterday.