55 Years And Counting From The Tractor Seat By bill whitman I’ve been networking in agriculture across the country for over 30 years. Agriculture is made up of the very best people our country has, great people. It’s what is unique about our chosen industry. Several times, well over 20 times, when in casual conversation and people ask where I’m located, I never cease to be surprised when people would ask me if this is anywhere near Springville. I would then enjoy it while they would recite a time when they attended 4-H horse camps at Charlie and Esther’s. From Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Kansas and several other states, I would hear how Charlie and Esther impacted their lives… 20, 30, 40 even 50 years ago. My wife and I knew Charlie and Esther, as did a whole lot of folks in our area. Toward the end of their lives, we would visit them, and I still remember Charlie running out to the truck to see if I wanted to see “Socksy,” his prize quarter horse stallion. Esther would take my wife in the building where Esther would share stories of decades of camps and experiences. Folks around here still talk about how good a cook Esther was. There’s another couple who are remembered for hosting numerous 4-H and handicap turkey hunts. One story I heard many years ago and then again recently was when they hosted one of the local ag leaders for breakfast. He declared it a feast and was stunned to learn that everything he had eaten was grown and raised right there on their farm. What Dick and Lois don’t know is that their famous breakfasts have had a much greater impact on the area than they will ever know. I was one of the very fortunate students in Vo-Ag to have Ray Noecker as a teacher. Here’s another man whose impact on lives he taught are present every day. At 66 years of age, I still use something Mr. Noecker taught me every day, and I was one of his worst students. I imagine others have done so much better as they embraced what he was teaching earlier in life. Mr. Noecker involved the farm community in the school’s vo-ag program, whether it was the local John Deere dealer who would send us new equipment to be assembled, or a local farmer who needed a new shop and the junior class would build it, start to finish. No wonder I still use skills he taught us. I’m coming to a point here, trust me. None of these people did this for their own benefit. They gave of themselves so that others could succeed. We need to ask ourselves who are the “difference makers” of the future? We all know men and women who had a powerful influence in our lives. In nearly every case, they give of themselves without expecting anything in return. I fear that in our current culture, the motivation to sacrifice for others is a rarer characteristic than in previous generations. What I have learned from the Charlie and Esther’s, Dick and Lois’s, and Ray Noecker’s is that the satisfaction they have experienced in their lives of giving, much surpasses anything else they can receive. Please think about what you can do each day that will positively influence others. I promise that you will get a feeling inside that will make it worthwhile. Especially look at the young folks you come in contact with. They have so many negative influences in their lives, (starting with the TV and Gaming) that they are hungry for something genuine. I see it in our local FFA where as many off-farm kids as farm kids participate. They hunger for good things in their lives and FFA is certainly near the top of the list of things we want our kids to excel in. Each one of us will impact someone’s life each day. Make it for the better. IndianaAg@bluemarble.net |
