By MELISSA HART
Truth in the Trenches 

Standing in the freestall barn on a beautiful fall day, with cows munching on TMR as the backdrop and the president of a 100-year-old organization as the feature, I was getting ready to conduct an interview.

But this was a different kind of interview. I wasn’t recording it on my iPhone or scribbling down notes as we went along. I didn’t really need to know about his farm, how many cows he milked, what kind of feed he fed or his strategy for overcoming low milk prices.

As I stood there, nervous and scared, beside a video camera with a professional videographer, I waited until he gave the green light. The countdown was on and as soon as he said, "Go," I just wanted to dart to my van and drive back home.

Why was this so intimidating to me? Why, when I have conducted hundreds and maybe even thousands of interviews, was I fearful of this one? Because I was responsible for drawing out of the people what others would like to hear.

I couldn’t take what they said and craft it into something that was interesting and readable – I had to lead the people into answering questions that told the story of a milk cooperative that has stood the test of time, that has survived a depression, the low-fat craze and the power of social media.

The questions needed to be intelligent, interesting and leading, so the answers would be impactful, insightful and memorable. That was no easy task for this amateur.

When the camera shut off, I breathed a sigh of relief and mentally marked one down; three more to go. Phew. While the interviewee took off his microphone, he looked at me and said, "Thank you for making that so easy."

My thought was, Easy? Are you kidding me? Nothing about that was easy. I was sweating bullets the whole time, you just didn’t see it. If there was one word that described that interview, "easy" was not it.

But the words that came out of my mouth were, "Oh, you were wonderful, you made it look easy, your answers were just what we were looking for." Because that was the truth – he had a handle on what to say, his answers were well thought-out and his input will add interest and strength to the video.

As we shook hands and said goodbye, I hopped in my van and breathed a prayer of thanksgiving. Those seven words from him were just the encouragement I needed to boost my confidence to move through the rest of the interviews. Instead of worrying about what was ahead, I embraced the challenge and enjoyed the task.

It was reminiscent of my livestock judging days at MSU, when I knew what was ahead, was fearful of how I would handle it but, when I stood in front of the judge giving oral reasons, it was like the butterflies in my stomach gave way to the adrenaline rush of the last 10 feet to the peak of a mountain.

Don’t let fear throw a wet blanket on the challenges you’re meant to face. Look those challenges straight in the eye and move toward them. You’ll never know what you’re capable of unless you are willing to take the chance at failing or succeeding.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.