The Farmer’s Field: Let the Adventure Unfold

By: Ron Rabou

It’s nearly 2 a.m. again, and I find myself engulfed in work that must be done, no matter the day or the time. 

Autumn is always a hard season on the farm. Over the past few weeks, we have been pushing hard to cultivate fields, plant wheat, harvest chickpeas, harvest millet and ship grain. 

Honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the projects we have ahead, as there are multiple things intertwined so everything operates in a functional and productive manner. And, this is just on the farm.

Dry crop farming in southeastern Wyoming isn’t for the fainthearted. Each year brings different challenges. At the beginning of the year, all the projections in the world can’t predict what will happen throughout the year or how the year will end up.  

There are times of the year when our workload is significant. We start work at 7:30 a.m., and during these busy times, it’s likely one will still find us in the field at midnight, seven days a week.  

We just do what we need to do to get everything done when it needs to get done. It’s just the way it is – I’ve never looked at it any other way.

The most difficult thing we do, however, isn’t working long hours. The most difficult thing we deal with is working in an environment where we ultimately do not control the outcome.  

Imagine if your annual salary depended on if it rained or not or if it rained the right amount at the right time. 

Imagine if you had a garden 20 feet wide by 50 feet long or 1,000 square feet. Now imagine a garden that is 350 million square feet, and now your annual salary depends on how well you manage the soil, plants and pests in this garden.  

Imagine if your annual salary depended on how hot the temperatures got in the daytime and what time of year those temperatures struck.  

Hard to imagine? For most, the answer would be a resounding “yes.” For farmers, it’s just part of what we do every day.  

What’s even harder to imagine is managing outcomes based mostly on factors completely out of our control. As farmers, we can do everything just right, yet still not get desirable results.  

Whether we realize it or not, we all have a similar situation. We all have things in our life that are out of our control. We live in a world where we have metrics to measure just about anything. We have data and computer modeling which can predict nearly anything with mind-blowing accuracy.  

We are, in essence, very focused on controlling our outcomes. We like predictability, and we are most comfortable with certainty.  

The hard part about this is life, in general, is full of things we cannot control. It’s not predictable. 

While we can set ourselves up for success with intentional and purposeful planning, the paths in our lives will never follow a straight line. The key to managing this unpredictably is to focus on the things we are in control of and to release the things we are not.  

Allowing our minds to be overwhelmed or frustrated about the “uncontrollables” is a fantastic waste of time, not to mention, incredibly stressful.  

For 28 years in a row, my dear Cajun friend Randy of Louisiana, has faithfully hunted with our hunting company. He has become a very close friend and has been a tremendous mentor to my three sons.  

One of the many things I admire about him is his ability to not allow things to overwhelm or intimidate him. There are two things he has told me over the years that will stick with me forever.  

First, “If you slow down, you’ll go faster.”  

When he uttered those words to me, they were profound. I had gotten in such a rush doing whatever it was I was doing, the particular task I was performing became much bigger and frustrating than it needed to be.  

Second, “You gotta just let the adventure unfold.”  

In other words, instead of being so distracted by the outcome, learn to enjoy the process it takes to get to the outcome, regardless of what you can control and what you cannot.  

Seems simple enough, right?  Simple, yes. Easy, no.  

So instead of reverting back to old habits, the next time you find yourself stressing about the uncontrollables, think of Randy’s great wisdom or “Randyisms” as I call them. Life is always sweeter when we can learn to enjoy the journey.