By Brad Barth, Board Chairman
Fall harvest is here. I hope that your harvest is a great one and that you’re able to complete it in a timely and safe manner.
My family and I just recently celebrated my mother’s 90th birthday with a party full of camaraderie and rarely seen relatives. We also celebrated the release of her autobiography, full of pictures and stories spanning 90 years on this planet. The idea for this book came about five years ago when I saw a picture of her at her first job as a telephone operator in 1954. She looked so cute with her headset and cords in her hand, “physically” connecting callers to the called by plugging a cord into the correct jack. Fast forward to the present: Mom was on her iPad and cell phone one day and I said, “You have seen a lot of change in your life, you should write a book.” It turned out to be a great read.
One of the attributes I have tried to instill in my children and grandkids is “change.” It is very important to have the ability to change in your lifetime. Without this skill you will be forever destined to travel the same path without the option of taking the other fork in the road. Sometimes I find myself wishing that the world would slow down and wait for me, but to no avail. I usually find myself running to catch up.
On my farm when something breaks and I don’t know exactly how to fix it, I usually get on the phone, call my equipment dealer, and have the service man come to repair the problem. Enter my young hired man. He jumps on his phone and Googles the problem. He soon has an answer and a repair to get us back to working. I need to follow my own advice, change a little, and embrace the Google thing a little more.
During MCIA board meetings we discuss the future and how to stay current with technology. As a younger and more technologically savvy member base is growing, MCIA is changing and evolving into an organization committed to better serve them, now and in the future.
I would like to take a little time to welcome Amy Olson and Sean Manzano-Rabbitt to the staff of the Seed Laboratory. I look forward to meeting you in November.
2024 is almost over and soon it will be time for a New Year’s resolution. Maybe a “change” to embrace modern technology would be a good thought. I think that might be my resolution! I wish you all a safe and prosperous harvest.