It took a long time to get here, but the crisp, fresh feel of fall has finally arrived. Our impatience ratcheted up during those 100-degree days, but we knew cooler temperatures would eventually settle in. Now we look forward to the slow season, right? I guess that term really depends on your perspective.
On the farm, the crops are in, the hay barn is hopefully full, and the herd is fat and sassy heading into winter. But lingering drought in some corners of the state has livestock producers scrambling to find hay and feed to get their herds through the winter.
Off the farm, the midterm elections have wrapped up. The exhausting mudslinging and political ads have stopped, and hopefully those elected to represent us can shake hands, acknowledge their differences of opinion and find areas of agreement as they move forward in service to the greater good. Maybe that’s wishful thinking when it comes to politics, but we can hope.
Here at the Missouri Farm Bureau (MOFB) home office, work leading into 2027 is underway as “meeting season” gets rolling. That’s a term I started using several years ago as a farm broadcaster. Things kick off this month with the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting in Kansas City, followed by the MOFB annual meeting. After Christmas and the New Year, it’s on to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention in January.
Between now and March, other state and national commodity organizations and agricultural groups will host their annual events. Your local farm broadcaster will often have reports from many of these gatherings, keeping you up to date on the latest technologies, decisions and policy direction for the year ahead.
It’s a busy schedule, but it always has me thinking about our members and their own hectic calendars. Some will attend the meetings noted above, but they’ll also attend local county meetings, the kids’ games, fall banquets and winter concerts. Add school board meetings, county commission meetings and local water district or electric cooperative meetings. Before you know it, that fresh, clean 2027 calendar is already packed. It’s a full slate of important commitments, and that’s not even mentioning everyone’s day job.
Why is this relevant? I suppose for some, it’s not. Many would rather complain than step forward and volunteer.
The fact is, important decisions are made and important activities take place every day, and somebody has to do the work. You can’t do it all, but what can you do? Your family needs you. Your community needs you. Your career needs you, and your industry needs you.
Your heart, experience, wisdom and expertise serve all these outlets, but how do you serve a beast that never stops eating?
One bite at a time.
That requires us to stop and appreciate the moment at hand.
After all, your heart, experience, wisdom and expertise are what make MOFB and our communities work. It’s the collective contributions of people willing to step forward, share their talents and serve others that move us forward. You don’t have to do it all. Just do what you can, one bite at a time.
I hope each of us will pull up a chair and enjoy several uninterrupted bites during Thanksgiving and Christmas meals alongside those we hold dear.
The lion’s share of our work will still be there tomorrow, but for the moment, may the blessings that surround you recharge your spirit for the year ahead.
