“Take a step back to get a better view” is a common phrase used when talking about perspective. It’s common knowledge that getting a bird’s-eye view of a field helps identify problems in a field better than we can on the ground, but in what other ways can this saying be applied?
Last month, as I flew into Idaho for my yearly week spent at the office, I couldn't help but look out the airplane window at the landscape of the Intermountain West and see the diverse obstacles that lie below. From the vast mountain ranges to the treacherous canyons, I am incredibly thankful I am living in the world when I can fly over and admire the terrain from a plane, rather than discovering each of these marvels when I came across it in a covered wagon, with all of my worldly possessions in the back.
I can’t imagine the frustration that would have caused for so many people as they headed west all those years ago. I am sure each of the unique pieces of the landscape I admire were the exact same obstacles that discouraged the pioneers. Imagine how much they would have benefited from a bird’s-eye view of the land, and how much heartbreak could have been spared.
If those same pioneers could have seen the path they left behind, I am sure they would have seen a line with many curves and U-turns, a path that was in no way the most efficient but got them to their destination in the best way they knew how. They did what they could with the information they had.
Efficiency is the name of the game in modern agriculture. Doing everything we can with all the knowledge we can embrace and the most efficient tools available to us, while still trying to turn a profit, can be such a daunting task.
The same discouragement each of those pioneers faced still exists today, but the roadblocks look different in the modern world. Instead of a canyon, it may come through regulations in your area. Instead of a mountain range, it may be a slowdown of trade in your area just when you put up your best-quality feed to date.
No matter what roadblocks you face this season, know that the path forward isn’t always straight and setbacks may come, but the curves show the journey we have faced and pave the way for others to follow.
Roads may be built as straight as possible, but a curved path works with the land and gets us to the same place.
