I once saw a sign on the wall of a celebrated potato scientist that said something to the effect of:
“Are you tired of working on your own? Don’t want to make hard decisions? Then hold a meeting! You can see people, look important, make meaningless recommendations and impress your colleagues with charts and graphs, all on company time! Meetings – the practical alternative to work!”
While this may make you smile, you likely can relate to some aspects of this thought. But with the winter meeting schedule quickly approaching, perhaps there is another way to look at this.
Many agricultural information meetings are planned for the purpose of sharing the latest (hopefully unbiased) research information. However, these meetings have the potential to offer more than just technical data. Visiting with friends you haven’t seen for a while, viewing new offerings in machinery and equipment, obtaining pesticide recertification credits and enjoying a good meal often go along with learning the latest and greatest in crop production.
Hopefully, your operation is continually striving for improvement. Ideas for upgrading your crop management practices can often come in the most unexpected places. A scientist giving a lecture on soil health may trigger a thought about improving your planter. A presentation on farm succession might call to mind an adjustment you were planning to make to your employee compensation package. If you come to learn with an open mind, you might just be surprised at what you take away.
Several meetings are available to Idaho crop producers. A few examples include:
- Idaho Association of Plant Protection (Nov. 6-7, 2024 – Twin Falls)
- Snake River Sugar Beet Conference and Trade Show (Dec. 3, 2024 – Burley)
- Eastern Idaho Ag Expo and Idaho Potato Conference (Jan. 21-23, 2025 – Pocatello)
- Western Idaho Ag Expo (Jan. 28-29, 2025 – Caldwell)
- Southern Idaho Ag Show (Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2025 – Twin Falls)
- Idaho Ag Summit (Feb. 17-18, 2025 – Boise)
This is not an exhaustive list, and many more will be planned and advertised in the coming weeks. (You can find more events on the Ag Proud – Idaho website.)
I have been guilty of sitting through talks and thinking, “This is boring, and I think I know more about this topic than the presenter.” And that may be true. But I have also had the experience of listening to a less-than-captivating presentation and having the spark of an idea ignited in my mind. Opportunities to listen and think about pest control, fertilizer efficiency, soil health improvement or business management could trigger the next great innovation that makes your operation more cost-efficient.
Unfortunately, I see some of these opportunities wasted. Occasionally, I have observed meeting participants more interested in beating the next level of the latest game or checking sports scores on phones instead of following along with the presentation. It is possible to not be present even when sitting in the meeting. While difficult, the effort to pay attention can be worth the time, especially when certifying that you attended to receive credit.
So, I have two invitations for you this coming winter meeting circuit. First, learn something new. Go to a talk or presentation with an open mind. Write down a few questions you would like to have answered on a topic of interest. If a speaker doesn’t address it, visit with other attendees or trade show personnel to see if you can glean something helpful.
My second invitation is to offer feedback. Almost all meetings ask participants to list things they liked, things they learned and things they would do differently. Take a moment to offer some thoughtful feedback. All the meeting organizers that I work with take these comments seriously and make a concerted effort to improve the meeting for the next time. Feedback is a gift, and organizers want those gifts.
As winter sets in and we get a small measure of relief from the relentless outdoor grind, I hope the indoor meeting grind will provide something new and beneficial.
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