Be curious

Unlike many of my friends in the agriculture industry, I didn’t grow up on a farm. But I did grow up the daughter of a millwright in the nation’s No. 2 agriculture producing state, Iowa.

My Dad did construction on grain elevators and other bulk handling facilities, such as pet food and cereal processing plants, in rural places like Blue Earth, Minnesota and Farnhamville, Iowa. That's me on an old style belt lift at a grain elevator in Central Iowa. A little while back....

In my 20-year career of communicating on behalf of farmers, I’ve learned how much the industry values lessons passed down over generations. So, in honor of this tradition and Father's Day I’ll start with a #LessonfromDad that helped inform my #LessonsfromtheFarm.

My Dad also did a lot of work on our house outside of Ames. When I was about 5, I famously climbed up the ladder after him when he was working on the roof. He called my name to try to get eyes on me and I guess I replied, “I right here Daddy!” …from right behind him.

I scared the living daylights out of him, but

he could hardly be mad. After all, he taught me to be fearless, bold and most important, curious about people, the process and how things work.

Fast forward to my first professional job, where I had the great honor of representing cattle farmers and ranchers to the public. The same characteristics that sent me up that ladder served me well.

I toured people from a whole variety of non-farm backgrounds around cow-calf operations, feedyards and harvest facilities – introducing others to places and an industry that were new to me too.

On these tours, I was never afraid to ask a farmer “why” they did something. Or to

clarify “what” they did. Giving them the opportunity to share their story and asking the questions I knew were on our visitors’ minds, but they might be hesitant to ask.

So, my #LessonsFromtheFarm? Be curious.

Spend more time asking people about themselves and their experiences than you do talking about yours. I heard someone once say, we should strive to be interest-ED, not interest-ING.

Farmers, I’ve learned, are curious by nature. It’s their curiosity – and, their competitive nature – that drives them to do better every day.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we all approached the things we didn’t understand and our daily challenges with curiosity, setting aside fear to climb up the ladder and learn more?

Perhaps the real lesson here is to embrace your inner 5-year-old?!? Or maybe just your inner farmer.

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Published by: Jacque Matsen, Communications strategist passionate about connecting producers and the public