Learning Curve

Years ago I was advised not to get involved in something late in life that I didn't know much about. The problem is one doesn’t have enough runway to go through the high learning curve and make the customary mistakes along the way. If you are in your thirties, you have the time to learn from these errors and recoup down the road. Not so for me at this point.

Well, this year it made sense for us to bale our own hay. Growing up out East, I know about Zero about hay farming. Our experience over the last few years has led us to the point where we figured we’re probably better off doing it ourselves. The windows of opportunity to mow it, dry it some and then bale it are sometimes pretty tight. Of course the weather is a big player. The bottom line is no one is going to worry about your hay as much as you will.

I once heard a talk by a somewhat notorious former US Secretary of Agriculture. (I’m sure you likely remember this native Hoosier.) He was talking up the benefits of the free enterprise system. He was comparing this country to what was then the Soviet Union. (This was back in the early 80s.) He told a story about how a farmer who owns an ailing cow is much more likely to stay up all night trying to help the cow recover than a Soviet farmer whose cow is actually owned by the state. That made sense. “Skin in the game,” you know.

Thankfully, we’ve gotten some good advice and some help from a seasoned family member who knows a great deal about the subject, having farmed his whole life. This initial attempt looks like it will work out ok. Fingers crossed.