Finding a Work Life Balance

On Father’s Day, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about my dad and father-in-law, two men who had significant impact on my life. Looking off the hill of St. Paul cemetery near Strasburg, Illinois, where both are buried, I reminisced. One thing that came to mind were the words I heard my father-in-law, a dedicated cattle and grain farmer who started farming with horses, say many times. "If you have to farm on Sunday, you are either trying to do too much or you aren’t doing a very good job managing the other six days of the week."

Farming is not my profession, but my livelihood depends on the success of farmers. I understand what it means to "Make hay while the sun shines," but I have never forgotten those wise words of my father-in-law. His generation understood better than most the human need for the Sabbath rest. Today, we often find ourselves living life with very little margin no matter our profession. Work. Children’s events. Church and community activities. Home and yard work. Hobbies. Staying fit… the list goes on. But rest is often nowhere to be found.

In agriculture, we make excuses. We say things like, "Our time is not our own" or "It’s busy season." We blame it on customers who are demanding. The weather. A demanding Board. The need for higher profits. But in reality, can we control our own destiny when it comes to the hours we work and the life we choose to live? If we are honest, the answer is likely "more than we are right now." Take time to read, "Finding Balance Between A Happy Home and Quality Customer Care" elsewhere in this newsletter. Then, if you have some good ideas, email them to me, and we’ll share some in the months ahead.

My best summer memories were made as a kid on my grandparent’s farm. My Grandpa kept me busy with the usual tasks of mowing, baling hay, walking beans, and painting. As I got older, I cultivated corn and beans and combined wheat. I always had something to do. At the time, they were not fun tasks, but I learned to appreciate the opportunities I was given. There is beauty in seeing a dark green corn field waving in the breeze after a fresh cultivation and seeing the golden wheat feed into the combine. I loved the smell of fresh alfalfa and to this day I still enjoy seeing a farmstead that is well kept and neat. I enjoyed the family reunions, cookouts, and going to the State Fair, but most of all it was the time spent with my family that I enjoyed the most.

Several years ago, I spoke to a GEAPS group and asked those in attendance how many days in a row they had worked the previous harvest. I asked those who had worked at least 30 straight days to stand, and most stood. As I counted upwards, I asked them to sit down when we surpassed their "streak." Many stayed standing into the 40’s, then 50’s, and the "winner" had worked 67 straight days!

What has changed in the last several years? As a new generation of workers arrives on the scene, I’ve spoken with managers who share that "the new guard just can’t cut the hours it takes for the job." My question to these managers is, could the younger generation be right? In many ways, I think they may have their priorities for a healthy work / life balance more in order. Regardless, we must continue to ask if there is a different or smarter or better way to approach the rigors of our very demanding ag industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we "are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams."

If you are competitive; have a strong sales mentality and don’t mind being told no; love connecting with and helping people; have a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, banking, equipment, or other areas and would enjoy the challenges of a recruiting career, contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you.