Our Words Matter Humans speak their first fully-formed words sometime between 9 – 12 months of age. It’s a big deal, delighting our parents and launching us into the world of interactive communication. For the rest of our lives, words are the foundation of (almost) everything we do. Psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson says, [...]
When November approaches and harvest is wrapping up, my mind always goes back to the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Kentucky. For decades it was the annual World Series of livestock shows for my children and me. My passion for showing livestock started when I was nine years old when I convinced [...]
Remote work and labor shortages: they seem to be the hot topics in today’s workplace. March of 2020 brought about the perfect storm of necessity and the technological ability to test if remote work was viable. There was no trial run. Remote work was instantly thrust into action by a virus. In-person meetings were replaced [...]
Throughout my career, I have always asked my team members to over-communicate. My intentions have been to ensure that the whole team would always be on the same page. It is always better to have more information than not enough to address problems or opportunities within our company. Over the years, this has worked well. [...]
Alton Maiden played Defensive Tackle for The University of Notre Dame under legendary Coach Lou Holtz. In late October 1996, the Fighting Irish arrived in Dublin, Ireland to prepare for the first-ever Shamrock Classic – a November 2 football game between Notre Dame and the United States Naval Academy. During their time in Ireland, the [...]
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish American businessman and philanthropist. He led the expansion of the steel industry in the United States and became one of the richest men in the world. During the last 18 years of his life (which ended in 1919), he gave away the 2022 equivalent of roughly $10 billion to charities, [...]
Few things will improve the quality of your life more than learning how to make high-quality decisions. Yet amazingly, no one really teaches us how to do it. Not in grade school; not in high school. Most college majors don’t require courses in critical thinking or decision-making. Has anyone ever told you that their parents [...]
Do you know when an airplane uses the most fuel? Unequivocally, it's during take-off. It takes a LOT of energy to get something so large moving at a pace that allows it to leave the earth. Can I offer this image as a reminder to those of you who work in businesses with any kind [...]
Whether in our work or our personal dealings, there are numerous opportunities every day for us to make key decisions. Our approach to making decisions, whether those decisions are simple or complex, presents us with choices to make. Each of us have core guiding principles in life which steer us in making decisions. My wife [...]
As we wrap up 2021, take a moment to reflect on what has now been a long-circulating article via the internet and social media. Although it has a somber tone, it sets the stage for the purpose behind this month’s AGRI-SEARCH Update. First, I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then, [...]